Director, Strategic Operations and Portfolio Review (Data & Computational Sciences)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals - Boston, MA

Full-time - Senior

Boston, MA

1,001-5,000 employees

Chemical Manufacturing

About the position

The Director, Strategic Operations and Portfolio Review is a pivotal role within the Data and Computational Sciences (DCS) department at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. This department spearheads the data science and computational science initiatives for Global Research, playing a crucial role in the discovery and development of innovative medicines and therapies aimed at addressing serious diseases. As a member of the DCS Leadership Team, the Director will significantly influence the strategic direction of the department, evaluating potential scientific opportunities and investment areas to enhance business value for Vertex. This position entails overseeing DCS contributions to all research projects, which includes planning, goal-setting, prioritization, and resource allocation, ensuring accountability and progress in advancing research programs. In this hybrid position, which requires three days a week onsite, the Director will work closely with computational DCS leads and the DCS Leadership Team to maximize the impact of the global research portfolio. Responsibilities include ensuring departmental alignment through the annual planning process, leading regular portfolio reviews to track progress, identifying risks, and managing dependencies. The Director will also evaluate scientific opportunities, define strategic investment areas, and contribute to setting annual key goals for the department. This role demands exceptional project management skills, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to communicate effectively across various levels of the organization. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in relevant scientific areas such as drug discovery, computational chemistry, or data science, along with significant management experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee department contributions to the global research portfolio to maximize impact and business value.
• Ensure alignment for the department through the annual planning process for Global Research projects.
• Lead a regular portfolio review for department leadership to track progress towards goals and manage dependencies.
• Evaluate scientific opportunities and define strategic investment areas for DCS.
• Contribute to determining annual key goals for the department with leadership.
• Summarize and report on internal resourcing, outsourcing costs, and overall department budget.
• Enable cross-functional collaboration and manage stakeholders across Research.
• Leverage project management skills in managing finances and resource planning for DCS.
• Define and contribute to department initiatives with the DCS Leadership Team.

Requirements

• Bachelors in a scientific discipline and 10+ years of work experience with 3+ years of management experience.
• Experience in leading and developing high-performance teams.
• Background in drug discovery, therapeutic development, computational chemistry, or related fields.
• Exceptional ability to lead, plan, manage, and execute initiatives or projects.
• Cross-functional collaboration skills to coordinate resources across organizational boundaries.
• Strategic thinking skills to synthesize and communicate considerations such as scientific opportunity and risk.
• Strong ability to manage and influence stakeholders with diverse information.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Understanding of discovery and development of therapies and breadth of scientific domains.
• Ability to craft feasible solutions to combat risks and issues.
• Sound judgment in balancing risks and making prompt decisions in difficult situations.
• Highly skilled in mentoring others and cultivating healthy team morale.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with artificial intelligence and modeling in scientific contexts.
• Familiarity with statistical genetics and computational genomics.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health insurance options.
• 401K plan with matching contributions.
• Generous maternity and paternity leave policies.
• Flexible work policies and additional time off for personal care.
• Mental health and wellness initiatives.
• On-demand virtual childcare support.