---
title: 'Director/Senior Director, Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety (Safety Scientist) at Xenon Pharmaceuticals'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-senior-director-pharmacovigilance-and-drug-safety-safety-scientist-nppasmnp90sk'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Director/Senior Director, Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety (Safety Scientist) at Xenon Pharmaceuticals

- **Company:** Xenon Pharmaceuticals
- **Location:** Boston, MA
- **Compensation:** $223k–$318k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-06-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/xenon/f2557918-90c3-48f8-8cc5-e5d7216cb61e/application

**Skills:** Pharmacovigilance, Drug Safety, Signal Detection, Aggregate Safety Reporting, FDA Regulations, EMA Regulations, ICH Guidance, MedDRA Coding, Argus Safety Database, Safety Databases, Technical Writing

> Lead pharmacovigilance and drug safety activities for Xenon's clinical and marketed products, including signal detection, aggregate safety reporting, and benefit-risk analysis. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure compliance with global regulations and support the full product lifecycle from First-in-Hu...

## Job description

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 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. 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: We are seeking a Director/Senior Director, Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety (Safety Scientist) to join our Pharmacovigilance and Safety team. The successful candidate is responsible for safety surveillance and development of aggregate safety reports in compliance with global drug safety regulations and departmental procedures. As such, the role is part of a team that performs high quality and timely scientific analysis of safety data, applies critical thinking skills and synthesizes data findings into clear, concise, and evidence-based statements. The successful candidate will be collaborating with safety physicians and risk management team to perform safety surveillance activities through proactive signal detection, ongoing benefit-risk analyses, and safety monitoring/reporting activities for all Xenon’s clinical assets and future marketed products. The successful candidate will author safety documents, reviews safety sections of other documents, for Xenon products throughout the product lifecycle from First-in-Human (FIH) to post-marketing, performs QC, and, when necessary, assists in responding to information requests from Health Authorities for Xenon products, participate in cross-functional Safety Risk Management Team (SRMT) meetings and collaborate with colleagues in Clinical Development, Trial Operations, Clinical Pharmacology, Biostatistics & Programming, Regulatory, Medical Affairs, non-clinical safety lead, QA and Legal departments. This position reports to the Executive Director, Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety, and will be based out of Boston, MA, USA in our Needham office. We may consider remote locations for exceptional candidates. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience. For Boston-based candidates, this is a Hybrid position requiring a minimum of two onsite days per week.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Lead the proactive signal detection activities, support the ongoing benefit-risk analyses, and safety monitoring/reporting activities for Xenon products across all stages of development.
- Lead and manage Aggregate Safety Reports (e.g., IND/NDA Annual Reports, PADER, DSUR, PSUR, PBRER, ad-hoc regulatory responses, etc.) for Xenon products throughout product lifecycle from FIH to post-marketing in compliance with global safety regulations and guidelines and provide training within DSPV and cross-functionally.
- Author Aggregate Safety Reports while working in collaboration with the cross functional teams (i.e. Non-clinical, Clinical Development, Trial Operations, Regulatory, Biostatistics, and Clinical Data Management) to compile safety information.
- Support and review safety-related documents for Xenon products throughout product lifecycle from FIH to post-marketing such as Safety Assessment Reports, product labeling, risk management/risk mitigation-related documents, and responses to ad-hoc information requests by Health Authorities and internal stakeholders.
- Review safety concerns escalated from internal and external stakeholders, including competent regulatory authorities, and support safety team to develop safety related responses.
- Maintain continuous monitoring/updating of safety profiles for assigned investigational and marketed products. Collaborates with physicians and risk management team in ongoing risk/benefit assessment.
- Performs careful review of all serious events of interests and expedited individual case safety reports ensuring that the knowledge gained from these individual reports contribute to a higher degree of interpretation, consistency, and quality of the analysis at the aggregate level. Reviews and provides input to Analysis of Similar Events (AoSE), as needed.
- Review and communicate trending, signaling, and other safety-related issues originating from any source for the purposes of detecting and reviewing safety signals (e.g., change in frequency, nature, or severity of a safety-related issue) in a timely manner.
- Participates and contributes to cross-functional SRMT meetings for signal management, risk management detection, and benefit-risk assessment for Xenon products.
- Review potential issues and safety signals and contribute to the SRMT and Safety Governance process through the preparation and presentation of safety data; prepare and assess safety data for ongoing periodic / aggregate safety data review.
- Author the safety signal assessment reports in collaboration with Safety Physicians.
- Support the risk management team in the development of risk management strategies and activities.
- Review SMP and provide input to safety related sections of clinical study documents including Study Protocols, Informed Consent Forms (ICF), Clinical Study Reports (CSR), SAPs, DSMB charters, and other relevant documents.
- Write and maintain relevant SOPs and procedures in compliance with global regulations and guidelines.
- Support inspections by participating in audit preparedness activities and providing requested information.
- 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:

- Health Care Professional degree required (e.g., RN/BSN/MSN, NP, PharmD) and 9+ years (Dir)/12+ (Senior Dir) of pharmaceutical industry experience in drug safety & pharmacovigilance as a Safety Scientist for products in the clinical trial and post-marketing environments.
- Director will have a minimum of bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10+ years management experience in a pharma or biotech environment; Master’s degree preferred.
- Senior Director will have a minimum of Master’s degree with a minimum of 8+ years management experience in a pharma or biotech environment.
- Ability to lead cross-functional team through all activities in the full clinical study life cycle.
- A good understanding of all phases of the drug development process between DSPV, Clinical, Regulatory Affairs, and other functional areas. Demonstrated ability to successfully work across a variety of teams and manage multiple conflicting priorities.
- Experience leading and authoring safety signal assessment report, DSUR, PADER, PBRER, and contributing to safety and risk management sections of other regulatory safety reports (RMP, RSIs).
- Skilled in signal detection process and managing safety information from clinical development and post-marketing sources.
- Experienced with FDA/EMA regulations and ICH guidance governing pharmacovigilance and risk management.
- Knowledge of drug development process, pharmacovigilance databases and MedDRA coding.
- Understanding of clinical disease state and implications of treatment.
- At ease with data handling and visualization, statistics, and technical writing skills.
- Experience with use of safety databases, preferably Argus Safety Database and signal detection tools.
- Strategic critical thinking skills with focus on data integrity and high-quality outputs.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to communicate effectively by writing clearly and concisely, and strong presentation skills.
- Time management skills with ability to prioritize to meet required deadlines.
- Ability to multitask and prioritize under tight deadlines while providing attention to detail and high-quality work in a dynamic environment.
- Ability to be flexible, adapt to change, work independently, as well as experience working in a highly collaborative matrix environment.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team that is results-oriented.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to foster strong collaborative relationships with internal and external team members. 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.

## About Xenon Pharmaceuticals

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Xenon Pharmaceuticals is a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, and commercializing life-changing therapeutics for people living with neurological and psychiatric disorders.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Ticker: XENE on Nasdaq)
- **Headquarters**: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- **Founded**: 1996
- **Founders**: Not publicly listed as individual founders; the company was founded based on a platform science capable of discovering new genetic targets to treat human disease.

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Biotechnology, Neuroscience, Pharmaceuticals
- **Target customers**: Patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders (epilepsy, major depressive disorder, bipolar depression, pain); healthcare providers; payers.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "To deliver innovative medicines that provide a brighter future for people living with neurological and psychiatric disorders." [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)

## Products & Services
Xenon’s pipeline is focused on ion channel science, specifically potassium (KV7) and sodium (NaV) channel modulators.

- **Azetukalner (KV7 Potassium Channel Opener)**: The lead late-stage investigational candidate. It is in multiple Phase 3 clinical trials for:
    - Focal onset seizures (Phase 3 X-TOLE2 completed, X-TOLE3 ongoing)
    - Primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (Phase 3 X-ACKT)
    - Major depressive disorder (Phase 3 X-NOVA2 and X-NOVA3)
    - Bipolar depression (Phase 3 X-CEED)
- **XEN1120 (KV7 Potassium Channel Opener)**: An early-stage (Phase 1) candidate for the treatment of pain.
- **XEN1701 (NaV1.7 Sodium Channel Inhibitor)**: An early-stage (Phase 1) candidate for the treatment of pain.
- **NBI-921355 (Partnered with Neurocrine Biosciences)**: A NaV1.2/1.6 inhibitor in development for epilepsy, pain, and psychiatry. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/pipeline)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available in the provided search results. As a public company, this fluctuates daily.
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue of $7.5M (as per LinkedIn). As a clinical-stage biotech, the primary focus is on pipeline progress and cash runway rather than revenue.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Neurocrine Biosciences (partner for NBI-921355). The company has also had strategic partnerships with multiple premier biopharmaceutical companies focused on pain, metabolic, and cardiovascular disease. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)
- **Growth Signals**: The company is in a significant growth phase, having initiated multiple Phase 3 clinical trials for its lead candidate, azetukalner, across epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and bipolar depression. This represents a major expansion of its clinical pipeline and a transition towards a late-stage, fully integrated biopharmaceutical company. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep Expertise in Ion Channel Biology**: Xenon is one of the scientific leaders in ion channel drug discovery, with a specific focus on potassium (KV7) and sodium (NaV) channel modulators. This is a highly specialized and technically difficult area of drug development. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)
- **Proprietary Pipeline**: The company has a wholly-owned, late-stage pipeline led by azetukalner, a novel KV7 potassium channel opener being studied across multiple high-need indications (epilepsy, MDD, bipolar depression). This provides significant potential upside and control over its future.
- **Strong Scientific Foundation**: Founded on a platform capable of discovering new genetic targets, the company has a deep history of translating genetic insights into novel therapeutic candidates. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)
- **Strategic Partnerships**: A history of partnerships with premier biopharmaceutical companies (e.g., Neurocrine Biosciences) validates its platform and provides non-dilutive funding. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)

## Strategic Focus
- **Advancing Late-Stage Pipeline**: The primary focus is on executing the Phase 3 clinical programs for azetukalner across epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and bipolar depression, with the goal of regulatory approval and commercialization.
- **Expanding Early-Stage Pipeline**: Continuing to advance early-stage candidates (XEN1120, XEN1701) for pain and other high-need indications.
- **Building a Fully Integrated Company**: Transitioning from a discovery and development company to one with commercial capabilities, as evidenced by the hiring of a Chief Commercial Officer. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)
- **Deepening Ion Channel Leadership**: Maintaining its position as a scientific leader in ion channel drug discovery, with a deep focus on potassium (KV7) and sodium (NaV) channel modulators. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven Work**: Employees are united by a clear and compelling mission to deliver innovative medicines for patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders who have been underserved for too long. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)
- **Culture of Collaboration and Impact**: The company describes itself as collaborative, ambitious, resilient, ethical, and science-driven. The culture is shaped by the "XenonCARES" program, which focuses on professional growth, wellness, and community. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/join-us)
- **Competitive Compensation & Benefits**: Offers a total compensation package including base salary, performance-based bonuses, and equity. Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage (US and Canada), a retirement savings program with a generous employer match, and a tuition reimbursement program. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/join-us)
- **Work Flexibility**: The company values flexibility and provides a stipend for work-from-home setups. They also offer generous paid vacation time and an annual holiday shutdown. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/join-us)
- **Growth & Development**: Recognizes and supports team member growth through leadership and development opportunities, a tuition reimbursement program, and recognition programs for both big and small wins. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/join-us)
- **Work Model**: Hybrid/Remote-friendly with a stipend for home office setups. Offices are located in Burnaby, British Columbia (HQ) and the United States. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/join-us)
- **Diversity & Inclusion**: The company states it cultivates and celebrates diversity, viewing diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions as a great asset, and is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/join-us)

## Sources
1. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/)
2. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/about)
3. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/join-us)
4. [xenon-pharma.com](https://xenon-pharma.com/pipeline)
5. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/xenonpharma)

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