Portfolio & Program Management Associate Director (Biotech)

Location: Boston, MA, United States of America. Hybrid-eligible or on-site eligible: hybrid work remotely up to two days per week, or on-site five days per week with ad hoc flexibility.

Base salary: $162,200–$243,200 per year, plus eligibility for an annual bonus and annual equity awards.

Company

Vertex is a global biotechnology company investing in scientific innovation to transform outcomes for people with serious diseases.

What you will do

• Lead portfolio and program management for research through candidate preclinical development within the COO’s organization.
• Support disease strategy, cross-functional decision-making, and alignment between scientific objectives, portfolio priorities, and organizational goals.
• Build integrated program plans, timelines, reporting, critical paths, and dependency maps while anticipating bottlenecks.
• Manage risks, resource constraints, synergies, redundancies, issues, decisions, and follow-through across research and development functions.
• Lead program assumptions for annual resource allocation and budgeting, and communicate complex topics through presentations and storytelling.
• Establish team operating norms and help build, manage, coach, and retain program management staff.

Requirements

• Advanced degree in Life Sciences or a relevant field; a PhD is preferred, or equivalent relevant education and professional training.
• Typically 8 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with drug development on cross-functional teams and/or in more than one function.
• Comprehensive knowledge of project and portfolio management principles, practices, tools, technology, and methods.
• Leadership experience managing cross-functional teams and the ability to collaborate with stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Comprehensive pharmaceutical drug discovery and development knowledge across multiple disciplines.
• Experience with risk analysis, decision analysis, and contingency planning.
• Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills; strong organization and the ability to manage multiple priorities and concurrent projects independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to embody Vertex values: Uncompromising Commitment to Patients, Fearless Pursuit of Excellence, Innovation is Our Lifeblood, and “We” Wins.

Culture & Benefits

• Continuous learning with encouragement to follow advances in AI, technology, automation, and industry trends.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits; generous paid time off; and week-long summer and winter company shutdowns.
• Educational assistance, including student loan repayment, a commuting subsidy, matching charitable donations, and 401(k).
• Equal employment opportunity, non-discrimination, reasonable accommodations, and an E-Verify workplace in the United States.