Sr. Administrative Assistant

Acadia Pharmaceuticals•San Diego, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Administrative Assistant, Commercial Business Operations (COBO) is a highly trusted, proactive partner providing advanced administrative and operational support to senior leaders and their teams. This role serves as a key liaison to the Vice President of COBO, anticipating needs, managing complex priorities, and ensuring the seamless execution of day-to-day operations, special initiatives, and leadership communications. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, discretion, and sound judgment, this individual manages confidential information, drives cross-functional coordination, and supports critical business processes including content development, vendor and contract management, and financial tracking. The role plays an integral part in enabling a high-performing, organized, and efficient COBO organization by supporting leadership planning, budgeting, and execution across multiple verticals. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, highly organized, and thrives in a fast-paced, matrixed environment. They bring strong executive presence, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to independently manage diverse projects while fostering strong relationships across Commercial, Finance, and cross-functional teams.

Requirements

High school diploma; college degree preferred.
Targeting 4 years’ related administrative experience supporting senior leadership within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry.
An equivalent combination of relevant education and coordinator experience may be considered.
Experience working with senior-level leaders within and outside the company.
Experience with administrative support and execution of leadership presentations.
Ability to independently think through a project or task of diverse complexity and execute, with little to no guidance.
Excellent professional ethics, integrity and the ability to maintain confidentiality of subjects that require restriction of communication beyond identified parties.
Must be able to independently manage schedules, coordinate multiple projects, priorities, and resources in a fast-paced environment.
Strong interpersonal skills, including tact, diplomacy, and judgment.
Highly skilled and proficient with all MS Suites programs, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Strong organizational skills with comprehensive follow-through and a high-level of attention to detail.
Ability to work independently and/or as a team.
Ability to collaborate information and ideas within and outside the department.
Ability to work accurately, under pressure, and follow instructions.
Able to put forth own ideas and gain understanding from others, and provide recommendations in a clear and concise manner.
Knowledge of pharmaceutical terminology helpful.
Ability to travel as needed, on occasions.

Responsibilities

Oversee the smooth functioning of the COBO office and cultivate a professional, welcoming, and high-performing environment
Manages administrative support for assigned leaders and/or client groups. May back up administrative colleagues during surge activities or absences.
Manages process to identify objectives, content development w/ leaders, and assembling organizational monthly meeting slides.
Handles business/company and personnel details of a confidential and sensitive nature.
Draft, edit, and manage high-level communications, presentations, and reports on behalf of the VP of COBO.
Manages commercial vendor/agency contracts including initiation of contracts, tracking, invoicing, and continual communication with internal owners.
Lead the development and tracking of COBO budgeting across three verticals by partnering with finance to communicate and track monthly accruals to our quarterly/annual operating plan.
Manages organization wide plan, progress tracker, and facilitate follow up/communications to ensure the leadership team is advancing towards annual goals.
Coordinates logistics for on/off-site meetings and conferences, including high-priority meetings and other key organizational events.
Manages travel arrangements for assigned leaders, including domestic and international travel.
Coordinates and manages calendars for assigned leaders.
Reconciles and manages expense reports through Concur/corporate credit cards for leaders.
Prepares scope of work, contracts, purchase order, master service agreements and other department-related documents.
Collaborates with appropriate colleagues and departments to ensure work is accurately completed.
Support interdepartmental and/or cross-functional projects and collaborate with other administrative staff to share best practices and coordinate initiatives.
Performs administration responsibilities and other assignments as directed.