New

Head of Artificial Intelligence & Enablement

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$252,000-$300,000
vision insurance, parental leave, paid holidays, sick time, tuition assistance, 401(k)
United States, New Jersey, Princeton
Oct 30, 2025
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 is based in Princeton, NJ. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average. Position Summary The Executive Director, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy & Enablement will oversee the company's enterprise AI agenda, ensuring that AI adoption is safe, ethical, and value-driven. This individual will define the AI strategy, champion education and cultural change, oversee platform and architecture choices, and establish governance frameworks to ensure responsible and compliant AI adoption across Acadia globally. As a close partner to the business, the Executive Director will shape how AI creates business value at scale, from accelerating innovation in R&D, increasing our impact in commercialization, to transforming corporate operations while ensuring trust, transparency, and risk management. This role oversees the enterprise AI governance framework, chairs the AI Governance Council, and holds final recommendations on AI native platform selection and architecture standards, balancing capabilities, cost, performance, data residency, and security. Primary Responsibilities Define the enterprise AI strategy and roadmap, aligning with business priorities and overall company vision. Publish and iterate on a 24-month AI portfolio roadmap with value hypotheses, build-vs-buy decisions, target architectures (LLM Ops / ML Ops), and deprecation plans. Institutionalize an AI use-case intake and prioritization process (value, feasibility, risk), reviewed quarterly with senior leadership. Partner with leadership to identify and prioritize high-value AI opportunities across R&D, Commercialization, and Corporate Functions. Track AI trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory landscapes to keep the organization at the leading edge. Facilitate RFI / RFP initiatives for evaluating new technology solutions and partnerships. Launch a tiered AI Literacy curriculum (Executive, Manager, Practitioner) with certifications and communities of practice; publish adoption dashboards. Drive change management and cultural adoption of AI as a strategic business capability. Establish forums to accelerate responsible experimentation and knowledge-sharing across the enterprise. Lead platform selection for GenAI/ML (model endpoints, vector stores, agent frameworks, guardrails), including TCO, data residency, and security posture. Publish reference architectures and reusable patterns for enterprise AI adoption. Define LLM Ops / ML Ops standards (model registry, evaluation benchmarks, prompt/version control, observability, rollback). Implement an enterprise AI system of record for models, prompts, and datasets with lineage, approvals, and audit trails. Partner with Information Technology, Data Insights and Analytics, and Information Security to ensure infrastructure, platforms, and governance frameworks support priority objectives. Chair the cross-functional AI Governance Council spanning risk, legal, security, and business leader membership. Maintain policies for lifecycle management, bias/robustness testing, explainability, human oversight, and incident response. Map controls to major frameworks/regulations (e.g., NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act readiness), with annual assurance. Ensure compliance with global AI regulations and ethical standards. Lead a product-centric, agile delivery model for AI adoption across the enterprise. Run a quarterly AI portfolio review with functional leadership to prioritize investments based on value, feasibility, and risk. Partner with Insights & Analytics leaders on their delivery of analytics use cases while focusing on AI strategy, platforms, literacy, and governance to support their ability to derive insights and actions, ultimately supporting business outcomes Perform other duties as assigned. Education/Experience/Skills Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Sciences, or an equivalent technical discipline; Advanced degree preferred. Targeting 10+ years of progressively responsible experience deploying and implementing ethical AI frameworks and practices. Targeting 5+ years biopharmaceutical experience. An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be considered. Visionary leader with the ability to set a bold AI strategy Deep knowledge of emerging AI technologies, vendors, and regulatory landscape. Excellent communication and storytelling skills to simplify complex AI topics for non-technical leaders. Strong collaboration across business, data, technology, and risk functions. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, strong business acumen, executive presence, and ability to influence at the executive level. Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. Ability to deal with ambiguity and the corresponding capacity to make decisions or recommendations based on potentially incomplete information. Adaptability to quickly and proactively implement change initiatives. Proven success in driving team performance by setting clear, ambitious goals and fostering a culture of accountability. Committed to continuous improvement and consistently delivering measurable results. Experienced working in a regulated environment following GxP processes. Trusted advisor to executives on AI opportunities and risks. Change agent who drives education, adoption, and cultural transformation. Ethical leader ensuring AI is deployed responsibly, safely, and compliantly. Must be able and willing to travel both domestically and internationally. Physical Requirements This role involves regular standing, walking, sitting, and the use of hands for handling or operating equipment. The employee may also need to reach, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and maintain visual, verbal, and auditory communication in a standard office environment and while working independently from remote locations. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. This position requires the ability to travel independently overnight and/or work after hours as required by travel schedules or business needs. #LI-HYBRID #LI-MS1 In addition to a competitive base salary, this position is also eligible for discretionary bonus and equity awards based on factors such as individual and organizational performance. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance, and location. Salary Range $252,000 — $300,000 USD What we offer US-based Employees: Competitive base, bonus, new hire and ongoing equity packages 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 EEO Statement (US-based Employees): Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications in the exact way they are described in job postings. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and innovative company, and we are looking for the BEST candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background or may meet the qualifications in a different way. We strongly encourage you to apply, especially if the reason you are the best candidate isn't exactly what we describe here. It is the policy of Acadia to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to considerations of race, including related to hairstyle, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender transition, country of origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, legally-protected medical condition or information, marital status, domestic partner status, family care status, military caregiver status, veteran or military status (including reserve status, National Guard status, and military service or obligation), status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, enrollment in a public assistance program, or any basis protected under federal, state or local law. As an equal opportunity employer, Acadia is committed to a diverse workforce. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. Furthermore, you may request additional support if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access Acadia's career website due to your disability, along with any accommodations throughout the interview process. To request or inquire about your reasonable accommodation, please complete ourReasonable Accommodation Request Formor contact us attalentacquisition@acadia-pharm.comor858-261-2923. Please note that reasonable accommodations granted throughout the recruiting process are not guaranteed to be the same accommodations given if hired. A new request will need to be submitted for any ADA accommodations after starting employment. California Applicants: Please see Additional Information for California Residents within our Privacy Policy. Canadian Applicants: Please see Additional Information for Canadian Residents within our Privacy Policy. Applicants in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Serbia: Please see Additional Information for Individuals in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Serbiawithin our Privacy Policy. Notice to Search Firms/Third-Party Recruitment Agencies (Recruiters): The Talent Acquisition team manages the recruitment and employment process for Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Acadia"). Acadia does not accept resumes from recruiters or search firms without an executed search agreement in place. Resumes sent to Acadia employees in the absence of an executed search agreement will not obligate Acadia in any way with respect to the future employment of those individuals or potential remuneration to any recruiter or search firm. Candidates should never be submitted directly to our hiring managers or employees.