Skip to content
CV Rocket
Get started
How it worksThe enginePricingBlogContactSign in

Open nowPosted 24 days ago

Director/Senior Director, Human Resources, Commercial

Xenon Pharmaceuticals33 open roles

Pay
$211,100 – $285,200 a year
Where
Boston
Work mode
Hybrid
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Your applicationOpen nowDirector/Senior Director, Human Resources, CommercialXenon Pharmaceuticals · Boston

  1. YouYes, apply to this one.

  2. CV RocketCV written for this posting.

  3. 25 readersRecruiter, hiring manager, skeptic. Round after round.

  4. CV RocketApplied on Xenon Pharmaceuticals's own form.

The reply lands in your private mailbox

3×more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

The clock on this job

Early applications get read.

8.2% of postings close within 7 days. Measured by our own scanner across the market. Xenon Pharmaceuticals postings stay open a median of 1 days.

Share of postings closed within
  1. 1.8%1 day
  2. 3.6%3 days
  3. 8.2%7 days
  4. 15.2%14 days
  5. 34.0%30 days
This job: posted 24 days ago

Xenon Pharmaceuticals median: 1 days open

The posting

Who We Are:

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/xene) is a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to drug discovery, clinical development, and commercialization of life-changing therapeutics for patients in need. We are looking for great people who thrive in a respectful, collaborative, inclusive, and productive culture to join the Xenon team.

What We Do:

We are advancing an exciting product pipeline https://xenon-pharma.com/pipeline to address indications with high unmet medical need, including epilepsy, depression and pain. Our Phase 3 azetukalner program represents the most advanced, clinically validated potassium channel modulator in late-stage clinical development for multiple indications. In March 2026, we announced positive topline data from our Phase 3 X-TOLE2 study of azetukalner in focal onset seizures (FOS), and we submitted a New Drug Application to the Food and Drug Administration in the third quarter of 2026. Our Phase 3 epilepsy program also includes a second FOS study, X-TOLE3, which would support regulatory submissions outside the U.S., and the X-ACKT study in primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which would support regulatory submissions for an additional epilepsy indication. We also have multiple Phase 3 azetukalner clinical trials underway in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BPD), based on topline data from our Phase 2 X-NOVA clinical trial. In addition, we are proud of our strong heritage in human genetics, deep understanding of ion channel biology, and expertise in novel chemistries to enable potent, selective ion channel targeting. We continue to advance an early-stage pipeline of novel therapeutic candidates, including Phase 1 studies for XEN1701 and XEN1720 (targeting Nav1.7) and XEN1120 (targeting Kv7), which are being developed for pain. Backed by a strong balance sheet to support our growth plans, we continue to build a fully integrated, premier neuroscience company with strong discovery, clinical development, corporate, and commercial operations.

About the Role:

The Director/Senior Director, Human Resources, Commercial, serves as the primary HR Business Partner to the SVP, Sales & Marketing and the Sales & Marketing Leadership Team. This role is responsible for translating Commercial business priorities into people, talent, organizational, and workforce strategies that support commercialization objectives and long-term business growth.

As a key member of the Commercial HR team, this role leads the continued build-out and evolution of Xenon's Sales and Marketing organizations. The role advises leaders on organizational structure, workforce planning, leadership capability, talent strategies, and organizational readiness while ensuring the organization has the capabilities, talent, and workforce plans required to support successful commercialization.

This critical role also serves as the HR Lead for Xenon's Launch Readiness Core Team, representing HR in cross-functional launch planning activities and ensuring alignment between Commercial priorities and HR deliverables. This role acts as the primary connection between the Launch Readiness Core Team and the broader HR organization, ensuring HR activities are executed in support of commercialization readiness while providing organizational insights, workforce considerations, and people-related recommendations to support decision-making.

The successful candidate will bring strong business acumen, HR Business Partner experience, and a demonstrated ability to influence leaders, lead complex initiatives, and drive execution in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

This position reports to the Vice President, Human Resources, Commercial, and will be based out of Boston, MA, USA in our Needham office. We will consider remote locations for exceptional candidates. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience. Hybrid positions require a minimum of two onsite days per week.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Provide strategic HR partnership and expert counsel to Commercial leadership across Sales and Marketing

· Execute the sales hiring strategy to build out approximately 100+ person Sales organization and ensure seamless onboarding and retention of sales team in partnership with Commercial Operations and Field Strategy and Enablement

· Provide HR leadership on salesforce sizing, IC strategy and plans, field benefits and other field infrastructure needs in partnership with Total Rewards leader

· Partner with leaders to translate business priorities into people strategies, organizational design, workforce planning, and talent management initiatives

· Support and advise leaders on organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, coaching, performance management, and succession planning

· Act as a trusted advisor to leadership during periods of rapid growth, organizational change, and commercialization readiness activities

· Lead and support commercial scaling initiatives, including organizational structure development, capability building, and talent planning

· Act as the primary liaison between the Launch Readiness Core Team and the HR organization, ensuring Functional HR Business Partners and HR Program Areas remain informed, aligned, and prepared to support launch-related priorities

· Lead the coordination of launch-related activities across HR Program Areas, including Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HR Operations, Learning & Development, Compliance, and Legal, ensuring alignment with Commercial priorities and launch timelines

· Partner cross-functionally with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Legal, Compliance, and broader HR teams to ensure alignment and execution of people initiatives

· Enable the implementation of new and evolving business systems, processes, and infrastructure to support organizational growth and operational excellence

· Utilize strong business acumen and data-driven insights to identify organizational trends, risks, and opportunities

· Act as a champion for Xenon’s culture and values while fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing environment

· Ensure HR policies, practices, and programs are consistently applied and aligned with business objectives

· Develop and propose short- and long-term objectives for the function in accordance with overall Company strategies and plans

· Plan and manage budget proposals and approved budgets in accordance with the Company’s strategic and operating plans and Finance policies

· Recruit, lead, direct, develop, coach and evaluate direct reports, if any, in accordance with the Company’s Human Resource policies and practices

· Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any

· Some international travel may be required

· Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

· Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree and/or HR certification preferred

· 10+ years of progressive HR Business Partner and/or HR leadership experience within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences organizations

· Prior experience supporting Commercial organizations through a product launch, including Sales and Marketing teams, required

· Experience supporting organizations through periods of rapid growth and organizational evolution

· Several years of experience within small and/or mid-sized biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies required

· Strong business acumen with the ability to assess organizational implications and cross-functional interdependencies

· Excellent influencing, coaching, collaboration, and relationship-building skills

· Strong employee relations and organizational development capabilities

· Proven ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, evolving environments with ambiguity and change

· High level of professionalism, sound judgment, and executive presence

· Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills

Our Total Rewards program includes base salary, target bonus, and stock options, as well as a full range of benefits including medical, dental, vision, short-& long-term disability, accidental death & dismemberment, and life insurance programs, Employee Assistance Program, travel insurance, and retirement savings programs with company matching contributions.

Xenon encourages time to rest and re-charge through vacation, personal days, sick days, and an end-of-year company shutdown. Xenon highly values employee development and has an expanding Training, Learning & Development program, including a Tuition Assistance program for advanced degrees.

From $25, paid onceGet the CV for this job

What happens when you press

One press. We do the rest.

  1. A CV for this posting

    Written against Xenon Pharmaceuticals's own wording, from every piece of relevant proof in your profile.

  2. 25 readers review it

    Recruiter, hiring manager, skeptic and more read every draft, round after round. You get the best round.

    The review screen in CV Rocket: how each CV was read, round by round.

  3. We apply on Xenon Pharmaceuticals's form

    Our application engine gets through the hardest forms there are. Where a question needs you, AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

    An application in CV Rocket: every answer filled in on the employer's form.

  4. Every reply, sorted

    Xenon Pharmaceuticals's answer lands in your private mailbox, and we classify it on arrival: interview, question, rejection.

    The CV Rocket inbox: each employer reply classified as an interview, an action or a rejection.

  5. Reply with AI

    AI helps you write the email, checks it and sends it. We show you whether the recruiter read it.

  6. The interview in your calendar

    Full integration with your calendar. The invitation goes straight in.

    An interview invitation in the CV Rocket inbox, added to the candidate's calendar.
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Why it works

3×

more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT writes a CV and never learns what happened to it. We see every reply. For each CV we know:

  • How it was written, and how the review scored it
  • When we applied, and how long after the posting went up
  • Which posting, which company, which city
  • Who got the interview, and who heard nothing

That is how we know which CVs get called.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

The numbers game

More applications. More interviews.

Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting and paid once. Send enough of them and the law of large numbers finds you the job.

Get the CV for this job
By hand5–10
With CV Rocket100
applications a day

Nearby

Live postings like this one

Same employer first, then the same role elsewhere.

Before you press

Straight answers

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

What if my background isn't good enough?

We make the most of the background you have. The CV uses every piece of relevant proof your profile holds, and one of the 25 readers reads your whole profile and flags what the CV left out.

Do you really apply for me?

Yes, on the employer's own form, the hardest ones included. Where a question needs you, you answer it right there and AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay once per CV, from $25. Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting.

One job. One CV.
Paid once.

Pick the posting you want. We write for it, apply for you and catch the reply.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.