Director, R&D Sourcing and Procurement

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.

About the role

The Director, R&D Sourcing and Procurement will be a strategic leader of the Acadia Sourcing & Procurement team, leading the development of R&D (Clinical Operations, Medical Affairs, Translational Medicine, Pharmacovigilance, Regulatory Affairs) sourcing strategies for key global vendors. This position will play a vital role in ensuring Acadia has access to top-quality services, technologies, and vendor partners required to support the company’s growth. It leads the identification, assessment, selection, negotiation, execution of contracts, and relationship management with key R&D vendors. The role will also contribute to corporate sourcing & procurement policy, R&D vendor management, governance framework, and SOPs. This role may be based in San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; or Princeton, NJ.

Responsibilities

• Develop both immediate and long-term sourcing strategies/plans for R&D vendors, with a focus on clinical operations vendors.
• Proactively work with cross-functional teams, including R&D Operations, Clinical Operations, and other business leads, to identify sourcing needs and ensure sourcing strategies align with business goals.
• Assess, benchmark, and negotiate existing key R&D vendor contracts and conduct gap analysis.
• Participate in and contribute to the establishment of an R&D vendor governance program, including vendor optimization, risk assessment, and operational performance evaluation processes.
• Work closely with R&D business leads, operational teams, and FP&A to review and track the progress/status of vendor budgets, including change orders from CROs, risk/reward proposals, volume discounts, and savings validation.
• Assess industry trends and evolving technologies, such as AI in procurement, to ensure continuous improvement of vendor intelligence and sourcing automation processes.

Requirements

• Proven leadership ability to manage and negotiate large and complex R&D vendor spend, especially CRO spend, and drive cross-functional leverage.
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing short-term and long-term R&D sourcing strategies in complex environments.
• 12+ years of extensive sourcing experience with deep knowledge of pharmaceutical vendors for Clinical Operations, preclinical, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory affairs.
• Strong negotiation and vendor benchmarking experience across a range of R&D contract types.
• Proficient in procurement systems such as S2P (Coupa), CLM (Agiloft), and upcoming AI sourcing tools.
• Familiarity with sourcing savings report methodology and associated tools such as Smartsheet.
• BS/BA or equivalent combination of relevant education.

Skills

• Willingness to go beyond and look for new, innovative ways to bring tangible results/savings.
• Ability to communicate and present sourcing strategies clearly to key stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with corporate compliance SOPs and policies.
• Available for up to 5% domestic or international travel as needed.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary, discretionary bonus, and equity awards based on individual and organizational performance.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Employer-paid life, disability, business travel, and EAP coverage.
• 401(k) Plan with a fully vested company match 1:1 up to 5%.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan with a 2-year purchase price lock-in.
• 15+ vacation days.
• 13–15 paid holidays, including office closure between December 24th and January 1st.
• 10 days of paid sick time.
• Paid parental leave benefit.
• Tuition assistance.

Pay

Salary Range: $178,000—$222,900 USD.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch; see, talk, or hear in a standard office environment. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds.