Executive Director, People Business Partnership

About Acadia Pharmaceuticals

Acadia is committed to turning scientific promise into meaningful innovation that makes the difference for underserved neurological and rare disease communities around the world. Our commercial portfolio includes the first and only FDA-approved treatments for Parkinson’s disease psychosis and Rett syndrome. We are developing the next wave of therapeutic advancements with a robust and diverse pipeline that includes mid- to late-stage programs in Alzheimer’s disease psychosis and Lewy body dementia psychosis, along with earlier-stage programs that address other underserved patient needs. At Acadia, we’re here to be their difference.

Please note that this position is based in either 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

The Executive Director, People Business Partnership leads Acadia’s People Business Partner team and serves as a senior advisor to business and People & Performance leadership. The role translates business strategy into clear organization, workforce, leadership and talent priorities that enable Acadia’s growth and performance.

This leader strengthens the quality, consistency and business impact of People Business Partnership across Acadia. Working with business leaders, PBPs and People & Performance Centers of Excellence, the Executive Director anticipates organizational needs, shapes workforce and capability plans, improves leadership effectiveness and enables successful change.

The successful candidate combines strong business judgment with deep expertise in organization, talent, workforce planning and change. This leader raises PBP capability, clarifies ownership, reduces operational burden and focuses the team on the highest-value business and organizational priorities.

Primary Responsibilities

PBP Leadership & Business Partnership

• Lead and develop Acadia’s People Business Partner team, setting clear expectations, building capability and ensuring consistent, high-quality support to leaders.

• Develop a deep understanding of Acadia’s strategy, growth priorities and operating environment, and translate them into workforce, organization, leadership and talent implications.

• Serve as a senior advisor to business and P&P leaders on organization effectiveness, workforce planning, leadership, talent, culture and significant organizational change.

• Guide PBPs in creating focused people plans linked to business priorities and measurable organizational outcomes.

Organization, Workforce & Talent Strategy

• Partner with leaders to identify the capabilities, roles, structures and talent required to deliver current priorities and prepare for future growth.

• Build a forward-looking workforce planning approach that informs where to build, buy, deploy or access critical capabilities.

• Lead organization design and effectiveness work involving structures, roles, governance, decision-making and ways of working.

• Partner with Talent Management and leaders to strengthen succession, talent planning, leadership pipelines and future capabilities.

Leadership Effectiveness & Change

• Strengthen leadership effectiveness through trusted advice, coaching, organizational insights and practical support.

• Enable organizational change by clarifying the business rationale, assessing workforce impacts, building leadership alignment and sustaining adoption.

• Support complex and consequential people matters with Employee Relations, Legal and other specialists to ensure balanced, compliant and business-oriented decisions.

Operating Model, Insights & Enterprise Partnership

• Partner with P&P Centers of Excellence and Operations to create scalable solutions, tools, processes and insights that improve the manager and employee experience.

• Clarify ownership across PBPs, Centers of Excellence, People Operations and business leaders so PBPs can focus on strategic priorities rather than transactional activity.

• Use workforce data, business indicators, market intelligence and organizational insights to identify emerging needs and improve decisions.

• Partner with Total Rewards to inform talent investments and contribute to the evolution of Acadia’s P&P operating model, accountability and business impact.

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Measures of Success

• A high-performing PBP team that delivers consistent, strategic and business-focused partnership.

• Clear people plans aligned to enterprise and functional priorities.

• Stronger workforce, organization, leadership and talent decisions supported by trusted insights.

• Reduced transactional burden and clearer accountability across PBPs, Centers of Excellence and People Operations.

• Effective organizational change and stronger leadership capability across the business.

Education, Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development or a related field, with 15+ years of progressive P&P, Human Resources or related leadership experience, including 8+ years leading teams and enterprise-wide people initiatives. An advanced degree is preferred; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

• Proven experience leading a senior PBP team and advising executive leaders in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare or another highly regulated environment.

• Strong business acumen and demonstrated ability to translate strategy into workforce, organization, leadership, talent and change priorities.

• Demonstrated success in organization design, workforce planning, talent and succession planning, leadership development and large-scale change.

• Ability to use workforce data, business indicators, organizational insights and market intelligence to influence decisions and outcomes.

• Experience delivering outcomes through senior business partners, cross-functional teams and Centers of Excellence, while clarifying operating-model accountabilities and shifting transactional work to the appropriate channels.

• Sound judgment in complex people matters, with working knowledge of employment law, employee relations, performance management and organizational risk.

• Exceptional executive communication, coaching, facilitation, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills; demonstrated ability to build accountable, inclusive and collaborative teams.

• Experience supporting geographically dispersed teams in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. Ability to travel up to 25%, primarily within the United States.

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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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

$261,000 — $326,300 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 d