Associate Director, Medical Affairs

Xenon Pharmaceuticals•Needham, MA

5d•$176,000 - $222,600

About The Position

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Associate Director, Medical Affairs, to lead medical and scientific training across disease states and its neuroscience portfolio, including epilepsy, major depressive disorder, bipolar depression, and pain. The role calls for strong scientific acumen and an interest in adult learning, with the ability to translate complex clinical and mechanistic concepts into practical learning experiences. The position owns the development and delivery of training, including curricula, modules, onboarding, certification materials, and ongoing training for new hires and existing teams. It also supports the development of key insight questions, core talking points, FAQs, objection-handling resources, literature alerts, congress planning and execution, HCP tiering, and assigned parts of integrated medical plans. The role works closely with Medical Directors and partners across Medical Affairs, Field Medical, Scientific Communications, Clinical Development, Commercial, Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance to maintain scientific accuracy and compliant execution. The position reports to the Executive Director, Medical Affairs. It is based in the Needham, Massachusetts office, with consideration for remote locations for exceptional candidates. Employees in the Boston area are required to work in the office at least two days per week. Travel may be required up to 10% of the time.

Requirements

Advanced degree in a scientific or clinical discipline, such as PharmD, PhD, MD, MSc, or equivalent.
At least 5 years of relevant management biopharmaceutical or agency experience in Medical Affairs, Medical Education, Scientific Communications, or related functions.
Experience developing and delivering training for multiple audiences, with the ability to translate complex data into clear, practical learning.
Strong instructional design and facilitation skills for live and virtual training, including curriculum and module development and the use of feedback and metrics to improve effectiveness.
Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to build credibility and partner effectively with Medical Directors, Scientific Communications, Commercial Training, and Compliance.
Demonstrated project-management skills, including prioritizing, delivering on timelines, and managing training programs alongside broader Medical Affairs initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, attention to scientific accuracy, and a compliance-first mindset.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting medical congress planning, field-insight synthesis, advisory boards, or related medical-strategy initiatives.
Ability to translate scientific literature and insights into strategic recommendations and educational priorities.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end development and delivery of medical and scientific training across disease states and the neuroscience portfolio, aligning curricula with program milestones, evidence generation, scientific communications, and learning needs.
Design engaging training modules for field medical, congress teams, and cross-functional partners using adult learning principles, knowledge checks, and practical exercises.
Facilitate live and virtual training, manage training calendars, assess effectiveness, and continuously improve content and delivery.
Develop certification module tests and partner with Field Medical on full certification of MSLs.
Lead medical and scientific onboarding for new hires who require medical training, creating role-based learning paths and preparing them for compliant external engagement.
Partner with Medical Directors and Scientific Communications to develop, review, and maintain compliant FAQs, talking points, and objection-handling resources.
Support the medical congress lead with congress planning and execution, including scientific coverage, team preparation, post-congress synthesis, and follow-up.
Train field and congress teams on new medical communications materials and publications, including congress data disclosures, manuscripts, and slide libraries.
Support the insights lead and Field Medical in developing and refining key insight questions, synthesizing field and congress insights, and identifying implications for medical strategy and training.
Translate prioritized insights into actionable recommendations and track agreed follow-up activities.
Lead HCP tiering with Medical Strategy and Field Medical to inform scientific engagement planning.
Develop and execute assigned components of integrated medical plans, aligning objectives, deliverables, and timelines with MDO priorities.
Lead literature alerts and coordinate timely synthesis and dissemination of relevant scientific developments with Medical Directors and Scientific Communications.
Translate new evidence into updates to training and scientific-readiness resources.
Collaborate with Medical Affairs, Scientific Communications, Clinical Development, Regulatory, Legal, Compliance, and Commercial partners to ensure content is accurate, aligned, and delivered on time.
Ensure training materials and delivery comply with applicable regulatory requirements and corporate standards, follow required review and approval processes, and maintain version control.
Act in accordance with company policies, including the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.
Travel up to 10% as needed.