Associate Director, Medical Affairs

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to drug discovery, clinical development, and commercialization of therapeutics. This position is based out of Boston, MA, USA in the Needham office. The role owns medical and scientific training development and delivery, partners with Medical Directors and cross-functional stakeholders on enablement tools, and supports congress execution, insights-to-action, HCP tiering, and literature alerts. It reports directly to the Executive Director, Medical Affairs. Remote locations will be considered for exceptional candidates; candidates in the Boston area are required to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week.

Responsibilities

Medical Training Strategy: own the end-to-end medical and scientific training development and delivery across disease states and the neuroscience portfolio; Training Module Development: design and develop training modules for different audiences and use-cases, incorporating adult learning principles, knowledge checks, and practical application exercises; Training Delivery & Measurement: facilitate live and virtual training sessions, manage training calendars, assess effectiveness, and lead development of certification module tests and partner with field medical on MSL certification; Onboarding & Role-Based Curricula: lead medical/scientific onboarding for new hires and create role-based learning paths; Talking Points & Objection Handling: work with Medical Directors and Scientific Communications to develop, review, and maintain compliant FAQs, talking points, and objection-handling resources; Congress Strategy, Execution & Scientific Readiness: support the medical congress lead in developing and executing congress plans and train field and congress teams on new materials; Insights-to-Action & Key Insight Questions: support the insights lead and Field Medical in developing KIQs, synthesizing insights, and tracking follow-up activities; HCP Tiering & Medical Planning: lead HCP tiering and develop assigned components of integrated medical plans; Scientific Literature & Knowledge Sharing: lead literature alerts and coordinate synthesis and dissemination of scientific developments; Cross-Functional Partnership: collaborate with Medical Affairs, Scientific Communications, Clinical Development, Regulatory, Legal, Compliance, and Commercial partners; Quality & Compliance: ensure training materials and delivery are compliant with regulatory requirements and corporate standards; Act in accordance with Company policies, including the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics; Travel up to 10%, as needed

Requirements

Advanced degree in a scientific/clinical discipline (PharmD, PhD, MD, MSc, or equivalent); 5+ years of relevant management biopharmaceutical or agency experience in Medical Affairs, Medical Education, Scientific Communications, or related functions; Experience developing and delivering training for multiple audiences (e.g., field medical, congress teams, cross-functional stakeholders), with demonstrated ability to translate complex data into clear, practical learning; Strong instructional design and facilitation skills (live and virtual), including building curricula, developing modules, and using feedback/metrics to continuously improve training effectiveness; Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills; ability to build credibility and partner effectively with Medical Directors, Scientific Communications, Commercial Training, and Compliance; Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to prioritize, deliver on timelines, and manage training programs alongside broader Medical Affairs initiatives in a fast-paced environment; Strong written and verbal communication skills with high attention to scientific accuracy and a compliance-first mindset in content development and delivery

Nice to have

Experience supporting medical congress planning, field insights synthesis, advisory boards, or related medical strategy initiatives; ability to translate scientific literature and insights into strategic recommendations and educational priorities

Benefits

Base salary; target bonus; stock options; medical, dental, and vision insurance; short- and long-term disability; accidental death & dismemberment; life insurance; Employee Assistance Program; travel insurance; retirement savings programs with company matching contributions; vacation; personal days; sick days; end-of-year company shutdown; Training, Learning & Development program; Tuition Assistance program for advanced degrees