Senior Director, US Patient Marketing
Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Boston, MA, United States
Who We Are
Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: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 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 anticipate submitting 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, and continue to advance an early‑stage pipeline of novel therapeutic candidates. In 2025, we initiated Phase 1 trials for XEN1701 (targeting Nav1.7) and XEN1120 (targeting Kv7). Nav1.7 and Kv7 are important pain targets, and data from these Phase 1 studies are expected in 2026 to support Phase 2 proof‑of‑concept studies in acute 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 We are seeking an experienced
Senior Director, US Patient Marketing
to lead the development and execution of a comprehensive, patient‑centered marketing strategy in support of Xenon’s first commercial launch and future growth.
This role will be a senior member of the US Marketing organization and will be accountable for shaping the U.S. patient and caregiver brand strategy, ensuring a seamless, compliant, and impactful patient experience from disease awareness through long‑term treatment engagement.
The Senior Director will build and lead a high‑performing Patient Marketing team and partner closely with Patient Services, Advocacy, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Legal, Regulatory, and Commercial leadership to ensure alignment, execution excellence, and meaningful impact for patients and caregivers.
This position reports to the Vice President, Marketing 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
Patient & Caregiver Strategy
Lead the development of a comprehensive U.S. patient and caregiver marketing strategy, including unbranded disease education and branded patient engagement initiatives
Define patient and caregiver value propositions, journey frameworks, and engagement strategies across the continuum of care
Ensure a deeply patient‑centric approach that reflects real‑world needs, barriers, and lived experiences
Launch Planning & Execution
Serve as the Patient Marketing lead for U.S. launch readiness, ensuring patient programs, materials, and services are launch‑ready
Partner with cross‑functional launch teams to integrate patient marketing into overall brand and launch strategy
Develop phased launch plans that evolve from pre‑launch education through post‑launch activation and adherence support
Integrated Patient Engagement Ecosystem
Lead development of an integrated, compliant patient engagement ecosystem, including digital, non‑personal, and field‑enabled channels
Oversee creation of patient‑focused content, tools, and resources that support education, onboarding, activation, and persistence
Leverage data, analytics, and insights to optimize patient engagement and personalize experiences over time
Advocacy & Patient Voice
Partner closely with Patient Advocacy to ensure patient voices and perspectives are embedded across strategy, content, and programs
Support development and execution of patient advisory boards and community engagement initiatives
Ensure alignment with advocacy partners while maintaining compliance and transparency
Cross‑Functional Leadership
Collaborate with Medical Affairs, Patient Services, Market Access, Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, and Commercial Operations to deliver a cohesive patient experience
Partner with Insights & Analytics to define success metrics, monitor performance, and continuously improve patient programs
Act as the patient marketing subject‑matter expert to senior leadership and cross‑functional stakeholders
Agency, Budget & Vendor Management
Select, manage, and lead external agency partners and vendors
Own patient marketing budgets, ensuring effective resource allocation and ROI
Ensure all activities adhere to regulatory, legal, and promotional review requirements
Team Leadership & Capability Building
Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing Patient Marketing team
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and patient‑first thinking
Develop patient marketing capabilities that can scale with portfolio and organizational growth
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
Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Minimum undergraduate degree, advanced degree preferred. 12+ years of relevant experience or combination of degrees and experience.
US large category launch and epilepsy
eurology experience highly preferred
Proven experience leading patient marketing strategy
Demonstrated success building and leading high‑impact teams in a matrixed environment; and collaborating and influencing cross‑functionally
Deep understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements related to patient marketing
Strong strategic thinking, communication, and executive presence; outstanding project and budget management skills and track record for managing multiple vendors
Ability to travel up to ~25%
Compensation & Benefits 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‑ and 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 recharge 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. Compensation Range: $279,410 - $308,600.
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What We Do We are advancing an exciting product 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 anticipate submitting 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, and continue to advance an early‑stage pipeline of novel therapeutic candidates. In 2025, we initiated Phase 1 trials for XEN1701 (targeting Nav1.7) and XEN1120 (targeting Kv7). Nav1.7 and Kv7 are important pain targets, and data from these Phase 1 studies are expected in 2026 to support Phase 2 proof‑of‑concept studies in acute 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 We are seeking an experienced
Senior Director, US Patient Marketing
to lead the development and execution of a comprehensive, patient‑centered marketing strategy in support of Xenon’s first commercial launch and future growth.
This role will be a senior member of the US Marketing organization and will be accountable for shaping the U.S. patient and caregiver brand strategy, ensuring a seamless, compliant, and impactful patient experience from disease awareness through long‑term treatment engagement.
The Senior Director will build and lead a high‑performing Patient Marketing team and partner closely with Patient Services, Advocacy, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Legal, Regulatory, and Commercial leadership to ensure alignment, execution excellence, and meaningful impact for patients and caregivers.
This position reports to the Vice President, Marketing 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
Patient & Caregiver Strategy
Lead the development of a comprehensive U.S. patient and caregiver marketing strategy, including unbranded disease education and branded patient engagement initiatives
Define patient and caregiver value propositions, journey frameworks, and engagement strategies across the continuum of care
Ensure a deeply patient‑centric approach that reflects real‑world needs, barriers, and lived experiences
Launch Planning & Execution
Serve as the Patient Marketing lead for U.S. launch readiness, ensuring patient programs, materials, and services are launch‑ready
Partner with cross‑functional launch teams to integrate patient marketing into overall brand and launch strategy
Develop phased launch plans that evolve from pre‑launch education through post‑launch activation and adherence support
Integrated Patient Engagement Ecosystem
Lead development of an integrated, compliant patient engagement ecosystem, including digital, non‑personal, and field‑enabled channels
Oversee creation of patient‑focused content, tools, and resources that support education, onboarding, activation, and persistence
Leverage data, analytics, and insights to optimize patient engagement and personalize experiences over time
Advocacy & Patient Voice
Partner closely with Patient Advocacy to ensure patient voices and perspectives are embedded across strategy, content, and programs
Support development and execution of patient advisory boards and community engagement initiatives
Ensure alignment with advocacy partners while maintaining compliance and transparency
Cross‑Functional Leadership
Collaborate with Medical Affairs, Patient Services, Market Access, Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, and Commercial Operations to deliver a cohesive patient experience
Partner with Insights & Analytics to define success metrics, monitor performance, and continuously improve patient programs
Act as the patient marketing subject‑matter expert to senior leadership and cross‑functional stakeholders
Agency, Budget & Vendor Management
Select, manage, and lead external agency partners and vendors
Own patient marketing budgets, ensuring effective resource allocation and ROI
Ensure all activities adhere to regulatory, legal, and promotional review requirements
Team Leadership & Capability Building
Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing Patient Marketing team
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and patient‑first thinking
Develop patient marketing capabilities that can scale with portfolio and organizational growth
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
Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Minimum undergraduate degree, advanced degree preferred. 12+ years of relevant experience or combination of degrees and experience.
US large category launch and epilepsy
eurology experience highly preferred
Proven experience leading patient marketing strategy
Demonstrated success building and leading high‑impact teams in a matrixed environment; and collaborating and influencing cross‑functionally
Deep understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements related to patient marketing
Strong strategic thinking, communication, and executive presence; outstanding project and budget management skills and track record for managing multiple vendors
Ability to travel up to ~25%
Compensation & Benefits 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‑ and 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 recharge 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. Compensation Range: $279,410 - $308,600.
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