What are the responsibilities and job description for the Vice President, Commercial Operations position at Xenon Careers?
We are looking for a dynamic and strategic Vice President, Commercial Operations to join our Commercial Leadership Team at a critical moment in our company’s growth, as we prepare to launch our first commercial product, azetukalner. This role will establish and lead the Commercial Operations function from the ground up - building the infrastructure, systems, team and processes needed for a successful launch and sustained commercial success. This is an exciting opportunity to shape a function, build a team, and make a direct impact on patients' lives through the successful launch of this transformative therapy.
The Vice President, Commercial Operations will report to the Chief Commercial Officer and lead key areas including sales operations, forecasting, data and analytics, incentive compensation, field effectiveness, market insights, commercial training, and CRM/data infrastructure. This individual will act as a strategic partner to cross-functional leaders across Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Medical Affairs, Finance, IT, and Compliance.
This position will be based out of Boston, MA, USA in our Needham office. We will consider other jurisdictions for exceptional candidates. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience. Relocation and immigration support will be provided, if required. This role is a hybrid position, requiring a minimum of 2 days per week in the office.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Commercial Strategy & Leadership
- Serve as a core member of the Commercial Leadership Team; develop and execute commercial operations plans aligned with company goals.
- Design and implement a scalable, best-in-class commercial operations model to support pre-launch, launch, and post-launch activities.
- Lead preparation for Quarterly Business Reviews and Board of Directors meetings with strategic performance insights.
- Partner across functions to ensure integrated planning and execution across the commercial landscape.
Sales & Field Operations
- Define and implement field force strategy: structure, sizing, territory alignment, targeting, support, and resource deployment.
- Oversee CRM system implementation and optimization, ensuring strong adoption and utility by field teams.
- Design compliant, motivating incentive compensation plans and ongoing performance tracking.
- Collaborate with Sales Training to support field readiness, onboarding, and capability-building initiatives.
Market Insights, Analytics & Data Management
- Lead development and governance of the commercial data strategy, integrating sales, CRM, claims, and channel, and service program data.
- Build and manage KPIs, dashboards, and reporting tools to drive informed, data-driven decision-making.
- Oversee market research, data analytics, and competitive intelligence efforts to inform commercial strategies and tactics.
- Partner with IT and external vendors to establish and manage a robust Commercial Data Environment (CDE).
Operational Excellence & Budget Management
- Develop and manage Commercial Operations budgets, including vendor oversight and resource planning.
- Manage the overall Commercial AOP and 5-year planning process across all commercial functions.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimize commercial execution, scalability, and operational efficiency.
- Oversee commercial logistics for congresses, and events.
- Ensure full compliance with all relevant regulatory, legal, and internal standards.
- Plan, recruit, lead, direct, develop, coach and evaluate direct reports in accordance with the Company’s Human Resource policies and practice.
- Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by employees in reporting and other departments.
- 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 required from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Minimum undergraduate degree; Graduate degree strongly preferred.
- 15 years management experience in commercial operations, or related functions in biotech/pharma; product launch experience required.
- Demonstrated success in building and scaling commercial operations in a high-growth or launch environment.
- Deep expertise in sales operations, field effectiveness, incentive compensation, CRM, analytics, and data governance.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence at all levels of the organization, including executive and board.
- Strong strategic thinking, financial acumen, and problem-solving capabilities.
- Excellent communication skills, with experience translating complex data into compelling insights.
- Experience working in Epilepsy or Neurology preferred.
The base salary range for this role is $309,800 to 352,100 USD; we will consider above this range for exceptional candidates. Base salary is determined by a combination of factors including, but not limited to, education and other qualifications, years of relevant experience, and internal equity.
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.
As part of our hiring process, Xenon conducts background checks for finalist candidates. The types of checks conducted will vary depending on the relevance to the position.
US positions only: Xenon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. participates in the E-Verify program in all states in which we hire. Learn more about the E-Verify program here.
To apply for this position, click Apply Now to complete the application. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, due to the volume of applicants, only those chosen for interview will be contacted.
Salary : $310