Associate Director, Medical Training (Pipeline)

Xenon Pharmaceuticals•Needham, MA

5d•$176,000 - $222,600•Hybrid

About The Position

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Associate Director, Medical Training (Pipeline) to lead the strategy, development, and execution of pipeline training across their therapeutic areas (epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and bipolar depression) and broader neuroscience portfolio. This role will focus on building scalable, audience-tailored training programs and modules to ensure internal teams are confident, consistent, and compliant in communicating science, evidence, and unmet need. The successful candidate will possess strong scientific acumen and a passion for adult learning, translating complex clinical and mechanistic concepts into clear, practical learning experiences. This role involves partnering closely with Medical Directors and cross-functional stakeholders to develop and maintain FAQs, core talking points, objection-handling resources, and other enablement tools, as well as leading onboarding and ongoing medical training for new hires. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, Medical Affairs, this position will work within a multidisciplinary team, interfacing with Clinical Development, Scientific Communications, Commercial, Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance to ensure training content is accurate, aligned, and delivered with high quality. The position is based out of Boston, MA, USA in their Needham office, with consideration for remote locations for exceptional candidates. For those in the Boston area, a minimum of 2 days per week in the office is required.

Requirements

Advanced degree in a scientific/clinical discipline (PharmD, PhD, MD, MSc, or equivalent) with 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 (e.g., field medical, congress teams, cross-functional stakeholders), with demonstrated ability to translate complex data into clear, practical learning.
Strong instructional design and facilitation skills (live and virtual), including building curricula, developing modules, and using feedback/metrics to continuously improve training effectiveness.
Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills; ability to build credibility and partner effectively with Medical Directors, Scientific Communications, Commercial Training, and Compliance.
Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to prioritize, deliver on timelines, and manage multiple training workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with high attention to scientific accuracy and a compliance-first mindset in content development and delivery.
Ability to travel up to 10%, as needed.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end training strategy for pipeline and disease-state education (e.g., epilepsy, MDD, bipolar depression), ensuring content and curricula align to program milestones, evidence generation, and evolving scientific communications.
Design and develop engaging training modules for different audiences and use-cases (field medical, sales, congress teams, cross-functional partners), incorporating adult learning principles, knowledge checks, and practical application exercises.
Lead medical/scientific onboarding for new hires who require medical training, creating role-based learning paths and ensuring readiness for compliant external engagement.
Develop and deliver speaker training (internal and external as appropriate) and presentation readiness programs, including story flow, data accuracy, appropriate use of visuals, and Q&A preparation.
Work with Medical Directors and Scientific Communications to develop, review, and maintain compliant FAQs, talking points, and objection-handling resources aligned to the latest medical communications platform and publication plan.
Train field and congress teams on new medical communications materials and publications (e.g., congress data disclosures, manuscripts, slide libraries), ensuring consistent interpretation and appropriate scientific exchange.
Collaborate closely with Medical Affairs, Scientific Communications, Clinical Development, Regulatory, Legal, Compliance, and Commercial partners to ensure training content is accurate, aligned, and delivered on time.
Facilitate live and virtual training sessions, manage training calendars, and assess effectiveness through feedback, knowledge checks, and continuous improvement of content and delivery methods. Lead development of certification module tests and partnering with field medical on full certification of MSLs.
Ensure all training materials and delivery are compliant with applicable regulatory requirements and corporate standards, following required review/approval processes and maintaining version control.
Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.
Some international travel may be required.