Senior Director HEOR

Please note that this position is based in San Diego, CA or Princeton, NJ. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average.

Position Summary 

Acadia Pharmaceuticals is seeking a seasoned and strategic Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) leader to serve as Senior Director, HEOR. In this critical role, you will lead the development and execution of comprehensive value evidence strategies that demonstrate the clinical, economic, and humanistic value of Acadia’s therapies across their lifecycle, from development through commercialization and global market access.

As the demand for high quality real world evidence and outcomes research continues to grow, this role will be central to supporting health technology assessments, payer decision making, reimbursement, and product differentiation. You will oversee the generation and dissemination of HEOR evidence, including real world evidence, economic modeling, and clinical outcomes assessments, to support access and adoption across global markets.

The Senior Director, HEOR will be responsible for shaping and communicating the value story for assigned products or indications, leading the development of global value dossiers, economic models, and HTA strategies that clearly articulate the benefit of Acadia’s therapies to patients, healthcare systems, and population health decision makers. This role requires close collaboration with Commercial, Market Access, Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, and other cross functional partners to ensure HEOR strategies are aligned with scientific objectives, business priorities, and regulatory expectations.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in outcomes research methodologies, strong scientific and strategic judgment, and the ability to lead complex, cross functional initiatives in a fast paced, global environment. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape evidence strategies that influence access, reimbursement, and ultimately patient outcomes for therapies addressing significant unmet medical needs.

Primary Responsibilities

• Build and implement the strategy for HEOR, including RWE and HTA evidence generation & dissemination within an assigned area for in-line and pipeline assets.


• Lead delivery of value evidence generation strategies throughout the product life cycle.


• Oversee and guide the development and implementation of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) and COA endpoints strategy.


• Ensure the work delivered by HEOR in the assigned area aligns with R&D and corporate goals.


• Represent HEOR on various cross-functional teams in commercial/clinical/medical areas.


• Direct and implement relevant HEOR initiatives with external entities.


• Contribute to the development and execution of overall and HEOR-specific publication plans.


• Establish an integrated HEOR plan aligned with Commercial, Market Access, and Scientific objectives.


• Other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skills

• Master’s degree in public health, economics, epidemiology, health services research or HEOR-related field. 


• Targeting 12 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical or medical device industry; or, a Doctorate in health services research, pharmacy, medicine, public health, economics, and targeting 9 years’ experience in global biopharmaceutical or medical device industry. 


• Experience in outcomes research methodologies (retrospective observational cohort, cross-sectional studies, registries, etc.) to support product development and reimbursement efforts is required. 


•  Must have experience with the execution of scientifically robust qualitative and quantitative studies, development and validation of COA measures, including assisting clinical development teams in implementing COAs in clinical trials to measure patient-relevant endpoints.

Key Skills:

• Understanding of the global healthcare environment, clinical research processes, global regulations, and ethical guidelines.


• Rare disease or CNS experience with interactions with US and ex-US reimbursement agencies is preferred.


• Highly developed communications skills (written/verbal) and interpersonal savvy.


• Proven meeting planning and team facilitation skills.


• Ability to create, track, plan, and communicate project timelines to team members, and maintain budgets.


• Ability to create, track and plan timelines and budgets.


• Ability to support multiple projects while being well-organized, have strong time management skills, and attention to detail.


• Excellent organization and multi-tasking skills.


• Ability to accommodate shifting priorities, demands and timelines.


• Ability to learn, understand and apply new technologies, strategies and approaches that enhance the team’s ability to achieve goals and meet timelines/deliverables.


• Knowledge of regulatory guidance documents and scientific guidelines (FDA guidance; FDA qualification documentation; dossier outline; EMA guidance resources; ISPOR Task Force Documents, etc.).


• Understanding of instrument development and validation process.


• Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office, etc.) and knowledge of database management (Veeva Vault, etc.).


• Must be able and willing to travel (up to approximately 40%) for conferences, meetings, and HEOR project or team-management related business.

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.

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