Associate Director, Architecture & Strategy

Vertex Inc.•Boston, MA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Vertex, we are at the forefront of innovation in Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT), transforming lives through groundbreaking treatments. The Salesforce Technical Architecture & Strategy Lead plays a pivotal role in this mission, serving as a cornerstone for our Data, Technology, and Engineering (DTE) team. This role is instrumental in driving the success of the Vertex Connects Portal for CGT systems, which integrates critical capabilities across our Commercial and Supply Chain functions. As a key leader, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams, design and implement cutting-edge solutions, and ensure the seamless operation of our Salesforce platform. Your expertise will directly impact our ability to deliver life-changing therapies to patients, while maintaining the highest standards of quality, compliance, and innovation. This is an opportunity to lead transformative projects, contribute to AI-driven initiatives, and shape the future of healthcare technology at Vertex.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, software engineering or other related technology degree
5+ years of relevant work experience
Functional/Technical knowledge in Cell and Gene Therapy, Patient portal, Chain of Identity, Capacity Planning, and related supply chain systems
Experience in Sales Force platforms
Experience in Patient and/or Product Scheduling
Experience with Salesforce Agentforce and other AI automation tools
Biotech or Pharmaceutical Industry Experience
Experience working with SaaS solutions and vendors
Experience handling GxP systems and security requirements including Disaster Recovery, Backup & Restore, Data Retention and Archival
Experience with Part 11 CFR 21 GxP Validation
Experience with stakeholder engagement, vendor management, and directing platform teams
Some experience in four architecture specialization areas (business, information, infrastructure, software)
Experience working within and leading in an AGILE team framework, across multiple business units and functions
Software vendor and MSP management expertise
Executive-level communication skills; ability to explain complex topics in a digestible way
Ability to drive continuous operational improvement
Proven ability to stay abreast of industry and technology trends
Expert knowledge in Agile SDLC, DevOps and GxP
Functional and technical ability with configurations, customizations, and authoring SDLC documentation
Demonstrated ability to interpret functional requirements and specifications to convert into technical or process-driven solutions and configurations.
Experience in 21 CFR Part 11 requirements for GxP environments and the relevant SLDC requirements
Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
Flexibility to adapt to a continually changing and fast-paced business environment.

Nice To Haves

Own Backup, Bartender and Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud experience
Cell and Gene Therapy technology experience

Responsibilities

Lead platform architecture, strategy and technical initiatives for Vertex Connects Portal (Salesforce-based Cell and Gene technology) for the CASGEVY and Type 1 Diabetes therapeutic areas.
Understand system architecture and technical needs, create, analyze, and validate detailed architectural, functional and technical specifications, facilitate architecture and design sessions with cross functional and development teams to define and align on the solution, systems architecture, design, and other SLC/GxP deliverables.
Leverage strong communication and analytical skills, technical expertise to understand, document, assess, and drive technical architecture/design needs to accelerate process enhancement and operational efficiencies.
Providing input to strategic direction, contributing to the development of roadmaps to achieve the long-term and short-term capability needs of the Commercial and Supply Chain business groups.
Achieve high stakeholder satisfaction and engagement levels across various levels of leadership within the organization.
Participate in reviewing, planning, testing, and implementing regularly scheduled both internal and vendor releases/upgrades.
Partner with offshore team members, functions, QA stakeholders, and IT peers for platform support, as well as enhancements and projects.
Develop collaborative relationships with peers in IT, Quality, Vendor partners, and other teams to help design, develop, enhance, and deliver solutions that meet business goals and objectives.
Manage the end-to-end lifecycle for regulated CGT platforms supporting both Commercial and Supply Chain business areas.
Facilitate release management and production release schedule in coordination with cross-functional partners and other platform teams
Lead platform communications (e.g. status reporting, downtime, releases) to all stakeholder groups
Serve as Operations SME for enhancements, software upgrades, implementations, and integration projects, providing product and GxP expertise
Responsible for risk and mitigation management to ensure high quality, on-time delivery
Proactively champion, educate, and enhance delivery practices to introduce process efficiencies
Define, manage and optimize DevOps framework / delivery operating model
Manage CI/CD pipeline and software development capacity across teams
Provide input into budget/forecasting estimates and resource allocation
Coach and lead Vertex colleagues and onshore/offshore managed service providers