AI Transformation Strategy Senior Director

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US); Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 227,000 - 341,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid-Eligible

On-Site Eligible

Job summary

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. is seeking a Senior Director - AI Transformation Program Strategy to lead the enterprise portfolio strategy for AI-driven reinvention.

You will prioritize, sequence, and track projects, aligning teams with business value and providing executives with a clear view of progress, risks, and decisions. You will partner with Finance, Data Technology & Engineering, Workforce Strategy & Innovation, and other leaders to ensure portfolio focus and responsible AI adoption, while

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of enterprise portfolio strategy and investment governance.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a single, current view of Vertex’s AI transformation portfolio.

Skills

Portfolio strategy

Investment governance

Prioritization

Sequencing

Executive communication

Data storytelling

Cross-functional alignment

AI tools fluency

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Job Description At Vertex, we continue to invest in a future-ready workforce where AI helps people strengthen expertise, improve decision-making and create greater impact for our people and patients. We are looking for a Senior Director - AI Transformation Program Strategy to help prioritize and coordinate the portfolio of big bets we are making to reinvent our most important workflows with AI. Reporting to the VP, AI Transformation, you will lead the enterprise portfolio strategy for Vertex’s AI transformation by prioritizing, sequencing, and tracking the portfolio of reinvention projects, to ensure we scale responsibly and strategically. You will provide senior leaders with a clear, real-time view of the whole portfolio, so they can see how reinvention projects are progressing, where progress is at risk, and where to accelerate, pause, or resequence. This includes building the models, frameworks, and reporting that support enterprise decisions, aligning teams and navigating dependencies, and partnering closely with Finance, AI Transformation Operations, Workforce Strategy & Innovation, Data Technology & Engineering, and functional leaders to keep the portfolio focused, current, and tied to real business value. To succeed, you will bring clarity to a portfolio of deeply connected projects across teams, providing a shared, evidence-based view of progress, dependencies, and decisions. You will model responsible use by continuously learning, applying AI to innovate your own work, and championing practices that create value.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Enterprise portfolio view. Maintain a single, current view of Vertex’s AI transformation portfolio, including each project’s purpose, scope, status, timing, expected value, readiness, risks, and key dependencies.
• Portfolio prioritization. Develop recommendations on which reinvention projects should move forward and how they should be sequenced based on strategic importance, expected value, readiness, risk, dependencies, and organizational capacity.
• Investment governance. Design and facilitate a consistent process for reviewing investments and supporting decisions to accelerate, pause, resequence, or stop work.
• Portfolio interdependencies. Identify and navigate the dependencies across projects, teams, timelines, and resources, and adjust sequencing as those dependencies shift.
• Cross-functional alignment. Build alignment among project sponsors, functional leaders, and key partners so priorities, responsibilities, decisions, and expectations remain clear across the portfolio.
• Executive reporting and decision support. Give senior leaders a concise, evidence-based view of portfolio progress, emerging risks, and upcoming decisions, along with the scenarios, portfolio models, and recommendations they need to weigh competing priorities and decide with confidence.
• Investment and capacity alignment. Partner with Finance, Data Technology & Engineering, Workforce Strategy & Innovation, AI Transformation Operations, and functional leaders to connect portfolio priorities with available funding, resources, delivery capacity, and workforce readiness.
• Portfolio evolution. Regularly refresh the portfolio as business priorities, evidence, technology, and external developments change, keeping Vertex’s AI transformation focused on the opportunities with the greatest potential value.

Knowledge and Skills

Deep knowledge of enterprise portfolio strategy, investment governance, prioritization, sequencing, and portfolio-performance management. Strong analytical and strategic-thinking skills, including the ability to integrate incomplete or competing information into clear, evidence-based recommendations. Strong financial and business acumen, including the ability to interpret value cases, investment assumptions, capacity constraints, and portfolio-performance evidence. Ability to identify and evaluate interdependencies across projects, functions, resources, timelines, and strategic priorities. Ability to build and interpret portfolio models, scenarios, decision frameworks, and executive-level portfolio views. Excellent executive communication and data-storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex portfolio evidence into concise choices and recommendations. Strong cross-functional influence and alignment skills, particularly across Finance, Workforce Strategy & Innovation, Data Technology & Engineering, AI Transformation Operations, and business functions. Practical fluency with AI tools and emerging AI capabilities, with the ability to apply AI responsibly to research, analysis, scenario development, and portfolio insight. Ability to operate effectively as enterprise priorities, evidence, technology, and external conditions evolve.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, strategy, economics, engineering, analytics, or related field – or relevant experience. Advanced degree preferred. Typically requires 12 or more years of experience in enterprise portfolio strategy, corporate strategy, strategic finance, investment governance, or transformation strategy, or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Demonstrated experience developing recommendations for prioritizing and sequencing a complex portfolio of enterprise investments or transformation programs. Experience designing or facilitating portfolio governance and supporting senior leaders through consequential investment, prioritization, or resource-allocation decisions. Experience integrating strategic, financial, operational, workforce, risk, and delivery evidence into a coherent portfolio view. Experience developing scenarios, portfolio models, and executive recommendations that clarify choices, implications, and interdependencies. Experience advising senior executives and building alignment across functions with different priorities, constraints, and perspectives.

Pay Range

Pay Range: $227,200 - $340,800

Disclosure Statement

The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary pay range for this job at the time of posting. This role is eligible for an annual bonus and annual equity awards. Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay, in accordance with federal and state requirements. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law. At Vertex, our Total Rewards offerings also include inclusive market-leading benefits to meet our employees wherever they are in their career, financial, family and wellbeing journey while providing flexibility and resources to support their growth and aspirations. From medical, dental and vision benefits to generous paid time off (including a week-long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter), educational assistance programs including student loan repayment, a generous commuting subsidy, matching charitable donations, 401(k) and so much more.

Flex Designation

Hybrid-Eligible Or On-Site Eligible Flex Eligibility Status: In this Hybrid-Eligible role, you can choose to be designated as: 1. Hybrid: work remotely up to two days per week; or select 2. On-Site: work five days per week on-site with ad hoc flexibility. Note: The Flex status for this position is subject to Vertex’s Policy on Flex @ Vertex Program and may be changed at any time.

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation. Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law. Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at [e-mail]. Help Us Achieve Our Mission Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has approved medicines that treat the underlying causes of multiple chronic, life-shortening genetic diseases — cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia — and continues to advance clinical and research programs in these diseases. Vertex also has a robust clinical pipeline of investigational therapies across a range of modalities in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including APOL1-mediated kidney disease, acute and neuropathic pain, type 1 diabetes, myotonic dystrophy type 1 and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex’s global headquarters is now located in Boston’s Innovation District and its international headquarters is in London. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America, Europe, Australia, Latin America and the Middle East. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including 14 consecutive years on Science magazine's Top Employers list and one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex’s history of innovation, visit www.vrtx.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X , LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. The diversity and authenticity of our people is part of what makes Vertex unique, and we recognize that each employee brings diverse perspectives and strengths. By embracing those strengths and celebrating differences, we are fostering an inclusive culture where each of us can bring our authentic selves to work, inspire innovation together, and change people’s lives. Our vision is clear: to be the place where an authentic, diverse mix of talent want to come, to stay, and do their best work.