Executive Director, Global Commercial Analytics- Market Research

Vertex US Distribution; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Vertex, a global biotechnology leader, seeks an Executive Director of Global Commercial Analytics‑ Market Research to lead the global Market Research capability within Global Commercial Strategy. You will build a high‑performing, cross‑functional team that delivers qualitative and quantitative insights to inform development, commercialization, launch, and lifecycle decisions.

The role requires strategic leadership, hands‑on research craft, and governance across global, regional, and local

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership in primary market research or related insight‑generation functions.
• Deep hands‑on expertise in qualitative market research design and execution.
• Strong experience in quantitative market research design, sampling, and analysis.
• Proven ability to translate business questions into rigorous research plans.
• Global, multi‑geography research leadership with stakeholder collaboration.
• Ability to build internal capability and manage external vendors with accountability.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, storytelling, and executive communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Global Market Research organization and capability agenda across pipeline, pre-launch, launch, lifecycle, and in‑line disease areas.
• Partner with disease leaders and BI&A pod leads to identify priority business questions and learning agendas.
• Establish hands‑on market research model with internal teams shaping research work in preference to outsourcing.
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative evidence into actionable insights and recommendations for development, strategy, and lifecycle planning.
• Create governance, budget discipline, and a multi‑year roadmap for Market Research.

Skills

Leadership

Market Research

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Vendor Management

Global Teams

Executive Communication

Privacy & Compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in market research or related field

Advanced degree preferred (MBA/PhD)

Tools

None

Job description

Executive Director, Global Commercial Analytics- Market Research

Job Description The Executive Director, Global Commercial Analytics- Market Research will lead the global Market Research capability within Global Commercial Strategy. Reporting to the Vice President, Global Commercial Analytics, this leader will build a team of market research experts who generate deep, objective insight into patients, healthcare professionals, caregivers, markets, and other stakeholders to inform development, commercialization, launch, and lifecycle decisions. This role requires both strategic leadership and deep research craft. The Executive Director will establish an operating model in which the internal team is intimately involved in the work: framing business questions, selecting methodologies, conducting qualitative research, designing quantitative instruments, interpreting findings, and translating evidence into clear implications. External research partners will provide reach and specialized support, but accountability for research quality, insight generation, and business application will remain with the Vertex team.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Lead the Global Market Research organization and capability agenda across pipeline, pre-launch, launch, lifecycle, and in-line disease areas. Partner with GCS disease leaders and BI&A pod leads to identify priority business questions and build integrated, decision-focused learning agendas. Establish a hands-on market research model in which internal team members actively shape and conduct research rather than primarily outsourcing the work to vendors. Build deep internal qualitative research expertise, including development of discussion guides, moderator preparation, direct observation and moderation where appropriate, debriefing, coding, synthesis, and interpretation. Ensure the team plays a substantive role in quantitative research design, including hypotheses, questionnaire development, sampling, choice of methods, quality review, analysis plans, and interpretation of results. Lead research across disease understanding, market landscapes, patient and customer journeys, segmentation, unmet need, treatment dynamics, adoption barriers, product profiles, positioning, messages, demand, and drivers of product choice. Ensure research incorporates the perspectives of patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, payers, and other relevant stakeholders and reflects global, regional, and local market realities. Establish common standards for research design, methodological rigor, ethics and compliance, documentation, knowledge management, and reuse of insights across the portfolio. Synthesize qualitative and quantitative evidence into clear insights, implications, decision options, and recommendations for development, strategy, launch, and lifecycle planning. Integrate Market Research with Decision Science, Forecasting, Competitive Intelligence, Portfolio Analytics, Value & Access, HEOR, Medical, and regional Commercial insight generation. Create mechanisms to connect research over time, distinguish enduring insights from hypotheses, identify evidence gaps, and prevent fragmented or duplicative studies. Select and manage external research partners based on the capabilities needed, while maintaining strong internal ownership of research design, respondent experience, quality, interpretation, and application. Establish governance, prioritization, budget discipline, vendor strategy, and a multi-year capability roadmap for Market Research. Build, develop, and retain a high‑performing global team with strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, business judgment, therapeutic curiosity, and executive communication capability. Measure the quality, adoption, timeliness, and decision impact of Market Research and continuously improve the operating model.

Required Education Level

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in market research, behavioral or social science, psychology, business, marketing, life sciences, statistics, or a related discipline. Advanced degree such as an M.A., M.S., Ph.D., MBA, or other relevant qualification preferred.

Required Experience

Extensive leadership experience in primary market research, customer insights, or related insight‑generation functions within biopharmaceuticals, healthcare, or another complex industry. Deep hands‑on expertise in qualitative market research, including study design, discussion‑guide development, interviewing or moderation, observation, synthesis, and translation of findings into business implications. Strong experience designing quantitative market research, including questionnaire development, sampling approaches, methodological choices, quality control, analysis plans, and interpretation. Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous business questions into rigorous research plans and actionable recommendations for senior commercial and development leaders. Experience leading research across pipeline, product development, launch, lifecycle, and in‑line stages, including product‑profile testing, positioning, patient journeys, demand studies, and adoption‑barrier research. Experience generating insights from patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, payers, and other healthcare stakeholders across multiple geographies. Demonstrated ability to build internal market research capability and develop teams that can lead substantive research work, not solely manage external agencies. Proven ability to select, direct, and challenge research vendors while maintaining internal intellectual ownership and accountability for quality and interpretation. Exceptional strategic thinking, listening, synthesis, storytelling, executive communication, and ability to distinguish evidence from assumption. Proven success leading and developing global teams and influencing effectively in a highly matrixed organization while maintaining high standards for privacy, compliance, and research integrity.

Pay Range:

$0 - $0 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.

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 and conditions. The company has approved therapies for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, transfusion‑dependent beta thalassemia, acute pain and acromegaly, and it continues to advance clinical and research programs in these areas. 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 IgA nephropathy, neuropathic pain, APOL1‑mediated kidney disease, primary membranous nephropathy, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, ACTH‑dependent Cushing's syndrome, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, type 1 diabetes, generalized myasthenia gravis, and myotonic dystrophy type 1. Vertex was founded in 1989 and has its global headquarters in Boston, with international headquarters 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 17 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 LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. We believe our culture is one of Vertex’s greatest strengths and a key enabler of our ability to deliver transformative medicines for patients who need them. Rooted in innovation, purpose and collaboration, our culture empowers people to take smart risks, challenge conventional thinking and do their best work. The diversity of our people is central to that culture. By bringing together individuals with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, we foster an environment where new ideas thrive, better decisions are made and breakthrough innovation is possible. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, included and connected to our shared mission, because we know that our unique culture and the collective strength of our people are what set Vertex apart.