Director, R&D AI, Insights & Analytics

Position Summary

The Director, R&D AI, Insights & Analytics will lead the strategy and execution of data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and insights capabilities across the R&D organization. This highly visible leadership role will drive the transformation of how data is leveraged throughout the drug development lifecycle, enabling faster clinical trial execution, stronger data governance, more informed decision-making, and scalable AI-driven innovation.

Partnering closely with R&D leadership, Enterprise AI, Enterprise IT, and external partners, this leader will shape the future of R&D data and analytics by defining roadmaps, advancing modern data platforms, and delivering measurable business value through data-driven solutions.

Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute the R&D insights, analytics, AI, and data capability roadmap aligned with R&D priorities and enterprise data and AI strategies
• Lead the R&D data governance framework, including data ownership, stewardship, ontology, metadata, lineage, business glossary, data quality standards, FAIR data principles, and enterprise-wide semantic consistency
• Establish consistent definitions, metrics, semantic standards, and data quality expectations across R&D to improve trust, reuse, and comparability of information
• Partner with Enterprise IT and data engineering teams to define business requirements and support the design and implementation of modern R&D data platforms, including data lake, lakehouse, and cloud-based solutions
• Provide R&D leadership and subject matter expertise for architecture, platform, technology, and vendor evaluations, ensuring scalability, security, interoperability, and business alignment
• Build and operationalize clinical development benchmarking capabilities, including study start-up, patient enrollment, site performance, cycle times, data quality, and other key development metrics
• Develop dashboards, predictive analytics, and decision-support capabilities that improve patient enrollment, site selection, trial execution, portfolio oversight, and clinical development performance
• Identify, prioritize, and implement opportunities to accelerate clinical trials and R&D processes through AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, intelligent automation, and AI-enabled solutions
• Partner with Enterprise AI and Enterprise IT teams to translate R&D use cases into scalable products, define business requirements and success metrics, and support deployment, adoption, and value realization
• Lead current-state assessments, process mapping, capability mapping, gap analyses, and future-state roadmap development to support R&D transformation and operating model improvements
• Collaborate across Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, Research, Translational Medicine, Data Management, Biostatistics, Regulatory Affairs, Safety, and other R&D functions to identify high-value data and analytics opportunities
• Manage external partners, contractors, and vendors to deliver analytics, governance benchmarking, and transformation initiatives within approved budgets
• Present strategies, recommendations, progress, risks, and business outcomes to senior leadership, governance forums, and key stakeholders
• Monitor emerging data, analytics, AI, and life sciences technologies and drive innovation and experimentation initiatives that create measurable value across R&D
• Other duties as assigned

Education/Experience/Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred10+ years of progressively responsible experience in R&D analytics, data strategy, clinical development analytics, AI-enabled solutions, digital transformation, or related disciplines
• Experience within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industry
• Strong knowledge of the drug development lifecycle and R&D functions, including Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, Research, Translational Medicine, Data Management, Biostatistics, Regulatory Affairs, and Safety
• Experience establishing and leading data governance programs, including data ownership, stewardship, ontology, metadata, lineage, business glossary, data quality standards, and FAIR data practices
• Experience defining or supporting data lake, lakehouse, data fabric, or cloud data strategies and partnering with architecture and engineering teams on platform selection and implementation
• Working knowledge of Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, AWS, Azure, semantic layer technologies, and enterprise metadata or catalog tools
• Experience developing clinical performance metrics, external benchmarking programs, operational dashboards, and analytics supporting patient enrollment, site performance, trial acceleration, and portfolio decision-making
• Experience applying AI/ML, predictive analytics, intelligent automation, or AI-enabled products to solve R&D business challenges
• Experience conducting process mapping, capability assessments, gap analyses, and future-state roadmap development
• Ability to translate business requirements into scalable data, analytics, platform, and technology solutions
• Experience managing cross-functional initiatives, vendors, external partners, and project resourcesFamiliarity with regulated R&D environments and clinical data standards, including GxP, CDISC, SDTM, ADaM, and FHIR
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed

Physical Requirements

This role involves regular standing, walking, sitting, and the use of hands for handling or operating equipment. The employee may also need to reach, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and maintain visual, verbal, and auditory communication in a standard office environment and while working independently from remote locations. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. This position requires the ability to travel independently overnight and/or work after hours as required by travel schedules or business needs.

In addition to a competitive base salary, this position is also eligible for discretionary bonus and equity awards based on factors such as individual and organizational performance. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance, and location.

Salary Range

$192,000—$240,100 USD

What we offer US-based Employees:

• Competitive base, bonus, new hire and ongoing equity packages
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-paid life, disability, business travel and EAP coverage
• 401(k) Plan with a fully vested company match 1:1 up to 5%
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan with a 2-year purchase price lock-in
• 15+ vacation days
• 13 -15 paid holidays, including office closure between December 24th and January 1st
• 10 days of paid sick time
• Paid parental leave benefit
• Tuition assistance

EEO Statement (US-based Employees): Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications in the exact way they are described in job postings. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and innovative company, and we are looking for the BEST candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background or may meet the qualifications in a different way. We strongly encourage you to apply, especially if the reason you are the best candidate isn’t exactly what we describe here.

It is the policy of Acadia to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to considerations of race, including related to hairstyle, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender transition, country of origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, legally-protected medical condition or information, marital status, domestic partner status, family care status, military caregiver status, veteran or military status (including reserve status, National Guard status, and military service or obligation), status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, enrollment in a public assistance program, or any basis protected under federal, state or local law.

As an equal opportunity employer, Acadia is committed to a diverse workforce. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. Furthermore, you may request additional support if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access Acadia’s career website due to your disability, along with any accommodations throughout the interview process. To request or inquire about your reasonable accommodation, please complete our Reasonable Accommodation Request Form or contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io.

Please note that reasonable accommodations granted throughout the recruiting process are not guaranteed to be the same accommodations given if hired. A new request will need to be submitted for any ADA accommodations after starting employment.

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Notice to Search Firms/Third-Party Recruitment Agencies (Recruiters): The Talent Acquisition team manages the recruitment and employment process for Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Acadia”). Acadia does not accept resumes from recruiters or search firms without an executed search agreement in place. Resumes sent to Acadia employees in the absence of an executed search agreement will not obligate Acadia in any way with respect to the future employment of those individuals or potential remuneration to any recruiter or search firm. Candidates should never be submitted directly to our hiring managers or employees.