Executive Director, Regulatory Affairs
Ardelyx
Summary
The Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs is a senior leader responsible for developing and executing global regulatory strategy across the product portfolio. This individual serves as a key strategic partner to Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, and Executive Leadership, driving regulatory decisions that accelerate product development while ensuring full compliance with applicable regulations and guidance.
Job description
Position Summary
The Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs is a senior leader responsible for developing and executing global regulatory strategy across the product portfolio. This individual serves as a key strategic partner to Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, and Executive Leadership, driving regulatory decisions that accelerate product development while ensuring full compliance with applicable regulations and guidance.
Responsibilities
- Develop and own global regulatory strategies for pipeline and marketed products, from early development through post-approval lifecycle management
- Serve as the primary regulatory strategist on cross-functional development teams (CDTs), aligning regulatory planning with clinical and commercial objectives
- Provide regulatory intelligence and proactive risk assessment to senior leadership, including Board-level briefings when appropriate
- Lead interactions with FDA (CDER/CBER/CDRH as applicable), EMA, and other global health authorities, including Type A/B/C meetings, Scientific Advice, and Innovation Office engagements
- Partner with Clinical Development to provide input in designing early stage and registration-enabling trials, advising on endpoints, patient populations, statistical analysis plans, and labeling implications
- Review and provide regulatory input on protocols, IBs, CSRs, and other clinical documents to ensure alignment with regulatory strategy
- Lead preparation and execution of IND/CTA submissions and amendments; oversee clinical hold response strategy
- Drive BLA/NDA/MAA submission planning and execution, including authoring and reviewing Module 2 summaries and managing cross-functional submission teams
- Oversee preparation, review, and submission of major regulatory filings (IND, BLA/NDA, MAA) and post-approval submissions (CBEs, PASs, supplements, annual reports)
- Establish and maintain submission timelines, resource plans, and submission-readiness frameworks
- Ensure eCTD compliance and maintain submission infrastructure in partnership with Regulatory Operations
- Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing regulatory affairs team
- Monitor and interpret new and evolving FDA/EMA guidances, PDUFA commitments, and international regulatory developments; assess impact on programs and communicate to leadership
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree, advanced degree preferred, in life sciences, pharmacy, chemistry, or related field with 12-15 years of regulatory affairs experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or medical device industry, or equivalent experience
- Demonstrated success leading BLA, NDA, or MAA submissions from initiation through approval
- Deep expertise in FDA regulations and guidance (21 CFR, ICH guidelines), with strong working knowledge of EMA and other major regulatory frameworks
- Proven track record of leading Health Authority meetings and managing complex, high-stakes regulatory interactions
- Experience in clinical regulatory strategy, including protocol design input, trial design, and endpoint negotiation with agencies
- Strong leadership skills with experience managing and developing teams of regulatory professionals
- RAC certification (RAPS) is a plus
- Experience across multiple therapeutic areas or modalities (small molecule, biologics, gene therapy, combination products) desirable
- Global regulatory experience including ex-US submissions and agency interactions desirable
- Prior experience with Breakthrough Therapy, Fast Track, Accelerated Approval, or other expedited designation programs preferred
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in life sciences, pharmacy, chemistry, or related field
- 12-15 years of regulatory affairs experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology or medical device industry
- Demonstrated success leading BLA, NDA, or MAA submissions from initiation through approval
- Deep expertise in FDA regulations and guidance (21 CFR, ICH guidelines)
- Strong working knowledge of EMA and other major regulatory frameworks
- Proven track record of leading Health Authority meetings
- Experience in clinical regulatory strategy, including protocol design input, trial design, and endpoint negotiation
- Strong leadership skills with experience managing and developing teams
Benefits
- 401(k) Matching
- Paid Parental Leave
- Living Organ & Bone Marrow Leave
- Equity Incentive Plans
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Life & Disability Insurance
- Flexible Time Off
- Winter Holiday Shut Down
- Paid Holidays
Company overview
Ardelyx, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company specializes in discovering, developing, and commercializing innovative, first-in-class medicines that address significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx has developed a unique platform that enables the discovery of novel biological mechanisms and pathways to create potent and efficacious therapies while minimizing side effects and drug-drug interactions commonly associated with traditional systemically absorbed medicines. The company currently has two FDA-approved commercial products: IBSRELA® (tenapanor) for the treatment of adults with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C), and XPHOZAH® (tenapanor) for reducing serum phosphorus in adults with chronic kidney disease on dialysis. Ardelyx has established strategic partnerships for international commercialization, including agreements with Kyowa Kirin in Japan and Fosun Pharma in China. As a publicly traded company on NASDAQ under the symbol ARDX, Ardelyx employs approximately 201-500 professionals and continues to advance its pipeline of gastrointestinal and renal disease therapeutics.