Executive Director, Total Rewards

Xenon Pharmaceuticals•Needham, MA

20d•Hybrid

About The Position

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to drug discovery, clinical development, and commercialization of life-changing therapeutics. We are seeking an Executive Director, Total Rewards to join our highly collaborative HR team. This role will evolve, develop, and manage the execution of total compensation strategies and programs to align with business objectives, culture, and values, ensuring market competitiveness to attract, reward, and retain top talent in the U.S. and Canada. The position requires a strategic thinker who is also hands-on, with a focus on program design, robust processes, and flawless execution. The Executive Director will propose and lead benefits program design in the US and potentially Canada. Proven leadership in a fast-paced, multi-jurisdiction environment is essential, with interaction across all internal staff levels and external advisors. This is a hands-on role with plans to grow a team. The role involves close collaboration with leaders, HR Business Partners, Finance, Legal, and external consultants. Compliance with U.S. and Canadian legal and regulatory requirements for compensation is critical. This position reports to the Executive Vice President, Human Resources and will be based in Vancouver, BC, Canada or Boston, MA, USA (Needham office). Hybrid positions require a minimum of two onsite days per week.

Requirements

At minimum a relevant undergraduate degree, including coursework in math, accounting, finance and/or law; MBA strongly preferred.
15+ years of experience in progressive compensation/HR management roles in a public, multi-national company life sciences organizations experiencing rapid growth and change.
Experience in both pre-commercial and commercial companies strongly preferred.
Ideally experience preparing materials for and interacting with the Board and/or Compensation Committee.
Deep business acumen and understanding of how business strategy in biopharma affects total rewards.
Deep hands-on experience and expertise in data and systems, very strong attention to detail.
Strong analytical and conceptual capability, problem solving, and business planning skills; ability to develop and successfully execute strategies at an organizational level.
Ability to adapt and quickly pivot according to business needs.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including related to compensation context and employee messaging, to executive and non-executive audiences.
Ability to collaborate effectively and build relationships with key stakeholders.
Impeccable integrity, dependability, and a keen sense of urgency to achieve results.
Ability to execute against multiple high priority projects through exceptional organizational, prioritization and project management skills.
Strong skills in Office software, HR and Finance systems and data.

Nice To Haves

MBA strongly preferred.
Experience in both pre-commercial and commercial companies strongly preferred.
Ideally experience preparing materials for and interacting with the Board and/or Compensation Committee.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, implementation, and governance of competitive, integrated total rewards strategies (base, bonus, equity, recognition, benefits) to attract key talent, reward high performance, and support employee retention in Canada and the US, in accordance with Xenon’s total rewards philosophy and in collaboration with the EVP, HR and external advisors.
Lead and manage the base salary program, including budget and forecast, job design and matching, salary ranges, annual and promotion increase guidance, and metrics & analysis. Provide guidance to HRBPs and ensure accurate and timely completion of compensation and promotion activities with HR Operations and Finance/Payroll.
Lead and manage incentive compensation for non-Sales employees; collaborate on program design with Sales Management and Commercial HRBP for Sales employees, ensuring alignment with performance expectations and the performance management program.
Coordinate the design, evolution, and management of equity programs (stock options, full value share plans, deferred compensation) in collaboration with key executive leaders and the Compensation Committee.
Support the Executive Vice President, Human Resources in managing external compensation consultants and developing materials for the Compensation Committee and Board of Directors.
Review and provide input on compensation governance reports, such as proxy Compensation and Discussion Analysis, collaborating with Finance and Legal.
Lead and manage non-financial employee recognition programs in collaboration with HRBPs and HR Operations.
Lead and manage US benefits, including health-related and 401(k) programs, from design proposals and benchmarking to contracting, employee communications, and governance.
Oversee compensation details to enable accurate forecasting for the Annual Operating Plan and 5-year Plan financial data.
Collaborate with HRBPs in the continued evolution of Xenon’s Career Framework, particularly as it relates to compensation philosophy and programs.
Collaborate with the HR systems and data team to review and recommend systems to streamline compensation and other reward programs.
Manage participation in various compensation surveys in Canada and the US.
Collaborate with HRBPs and other key functions (Finance) to create communication strategies for total rewards programs.
Develop strong relationships with leaders and internal partners to inform total rewards programs that align with business objectives.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge on life sciences compensation trends and governance; drive thought leadership.
Act as a champion for Xenon’s evolving culture and values.
Develop and propose short- and long-term objectives for the function.
Plan and manage budget proposals and approved budgets.
Recruit, lead, direct, develop, coach, and evaluate direct reports, if any.
Act in accordance with Company policies, including the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports.
Perform other duties as assigned.