Associate Director, Vendor & Relationship Management

Acadia Pharmaceuticals•San Diego, NJ

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

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 can be based in Princeton, NJ OR San Diego, CA. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average. Position Summary The Associate Director, Vendor & Relationship Management plays a key role in shaping and strengthening Acadia's strategic partnerships with clinical vendors, CROs, and functional service providers that help advance our innovative clinical development programs. This highly collaborative role will drive vendor governance, performance excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives while fostering a culture of partnership, innovation, and operational excellence across the organization. As a trusted partner to stakeholders across R&D, Procurement, Quality, Finance, and Legal, the Associate Director will help enable effective vendor oversight and consistent outsourcing practices across the Acadia R&D organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in life science or a related field; Advanced degree preferred.
Targeting 8 years of experience in clinical trial operations, vendor/CRO oversight, supplier relationship management, or related roles within the biopharmaceutical industry.
Experience managing complex vendor relationships and supporting performance improvement initiatives required.
An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be considered.
Strong understanding of clinical trial operations and outsourced service models.
Working knowledge of ICH GCP, regulatory requirements, and quality expectations for outsourced clinical activities.
Strong analytical skills, including experience with supplier scorecards, KPIs, and performance dashboards.
Experience in R&D outsourcing, vendor governance, or business operations functions.
Exposure to financial management of outsourced services, including budgeting and accruals.
Experience supporting audits, inspections, or inspection readiness activities.
Familiarity with alliance or partnership management methodologies.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
Ability to work effectively in a fast paced, matrixed environment while managing multiple priorities and working cross-functionally.

Responsibilities

Support the development and execution of vendor and supplier relationship management strategies, including identification and management of critical partners (CROs, central and specialty labs, functional service providers, clinical technologies, patient recruitment and retention vendors).
Serve as a primary point of contact for vendor related operational issues, coordinating resolution and escalating unresolved matters through established governance pathways.
Coordinate and facilitate, when appropriate, vendor governance, including operational and steering committee meetings.
Develop and maintain supplier scorecards, dashboards, and KPIs to monitor vendor performance and identify trends and risks.
Conduct routine business reviews with vendors to ensure alignment on priorities and performance expectations, partnering with Sourcing and Legal as needed.
Oversee vendor performance supporting outsourced clinical trials, through partnership with the Clinica Operations team.
Ensure alignment with program timelines, budgets, and quality expectations.
Partner with Clinical Operations, Clinical Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, and other cross functional teams to support timely and compliant delivery of services.
Support inspection readiness activities, including audits, vendor oversight documentation, and CAPA development in collaboration with Quality.
Contribute to process mapping, documentation, and implementation of standardized vendor oversight practices.
Identify opportunities to improve vendor performance, efficiency, and collaboration through data driven insights and process improvements.
Support innovation initiatives within vendor relationships, including new operating models, technologies, or ways of working.
Contribute to the development and rollout of best practices, standards, and tools for R&D vendor management.
Identify opportunities for cost optimization, demand management, and improved vendor utilization.
Support the development and maintenance of vendor performance reporting and dashboards.
Analyze performance metrics to proactively identify risks, issues, and opportunities for improvement.
Partner with internal teams to support implementation and optimization of vendor management tools and systems.
Act as a mentor and subject matter resource for team members and matrixed stakeholders involved in vendor oversight.
Foster strong, collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners to enable transparent communication and proactive issue resolution.
Effectively influence stakeholders across a matrixed organization without direct authority.
Other duties as assigned.