Associate Director, Portfolio Management, R&D Quality (Hybrid)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals • Boston, MA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Portfolio Management R&D Quality (RDQ) reports to the Head of Analytics & Centers of Excellence (ACE) and provides operational leadership and oversight for the successful execution and delivery of all R&D Quality (RDQ) initiatives across the business portfolio. Supporting all RDQ and Quality Assurance (QA) business units, these initiatives focus on implementing effective business tools, systems, and processes to establish a robust governance model and a data‑rich environment that drives operational excellence, process optimization and automation, informed study oversight, transparent and proactive portfolio and program governance, and strategic, evidence‑based planning and prediction. With additional responsibilities for staff management and development, the Associate Director is accountable to the results of the department, the productivity of line staff and timely delivery of corporate and departmental goals and initiatives. The Associate Director is expected to optimize interdisciplinary understanding and teamwork, in order to maximize the productivity of RDQ and QA functions. Additionally, through collaborations with the Global Clinical Operations (GCO), Data Technology Engineers (DTE), Global Quality Systems Compliance (GQSC), Quality Analytics (QUAD) and ACE Analytics and other functions, the Associate Director is expected to build and maintain strong relationships while pushing for the development of optimal systems, processes and data infrastructure that ensures consistency, standardization, automation innovation, optimization and cross functional alignment across the RDQ and Quality organization.

Requirements

• Strong project management, business process management and line management experience.
• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Able to communicate and manage risk effectively with senior management
• Strong collaborative leadership, decision-making, negotiation and interpersonal skills
• M.S. (or equivalent degree) and 15+ years of relevant work experience, or B.S. in a scientific or allied health field (or equivalent degree) and 10 – 15 years of relevant work experience

Nice To Haves

• Extensive experience in pharmaceutical and biotech and Quality Assurance
• PMP / PMI
• Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent

Responsibilities

• Oversight and management of successful execution and delivery of the entire RDQ and ACE Portfolio of priority work and key business initiatives associated with strengthening the organizational capabilities of RDQ and Quality Assurance.
• Line management responsibilities for both full time employees and contracting staff focused on performance management and growth and development of core competencies in support of continued upskilling and career advancement.
• Ensure appropriate scaling and tiering of projects based on project complexity and visibility to establish the right level of governance and reporting to key stakeholders (Steering committees, operational forum cadence, reporting needs)
• Ensure robust risk management and risk mitigation tactics are in place for every project.
• Help operationalize and define technical and strategic direction of RDQ and influence support of process optimization, technological innovation and creativity within all sub-departments
• Drive continuous improvement related to RDQ business processes and technologies, working to enhance speed and quality of business outputs, while reducing cost.
• Interpret, recommend and execute modifications to department and functional procedures as related to RDQ functions and their use of business tools, systems and processes and best practices
• Work with functional area stakeholders to assess and prioritize system and business needs related to technology and process optimization
• Provide leadership to key technical initiatives, working closely with ACE Analytics, DTE and QUAD to support successful implementation and governance of technical solutions and to:
• Provide operational and/or clinical insights that relate to or may be impacted by any solution being considered by the DTE department
• Participate in the design and development of dashboards, reports and metrics
• Participate in various governance committees as an ambassador to the functional groups of RDQ and QA, regarding business needs as they relate to data and technical operations
• Represent RDQ and QA on cross-functional initiatives focused on data capture and reporting to ensure consistency and alignment with other business units and initiatives across the organization
• Work with and manage vendors, consultants and third parties to effectively leverage any data source or business tool that contributes to optimization of internal and external data flows
• Provide oversight and support to business during project scoping, reporting, governance, requirements definition, systems and process design, data migration, data cleansing and user-acceptance testing activities.
• Establish appropriate communication pathways and stakeholder / leadership engagement models via routine status reporting, steering committees and escalation pathways.
• Adopt change management best practices to drive the communication to and education of users on business tools and the functional impact to workflows and processes, including oversight and development of training content, formal business guidelines and reference material
• Work with ACE Analytics, QISM, QUAD and DTE to evaluate business technologies and their underlying processes to ensure quality and consistency related to performance, usability, user best practices and issue resolution
• Ensure RDQ and Quality Assurance data infrastructure is appropriately aligned with that of other business units across Quality, GMDA and Vertex
• Remain at the forefront of industry-specific systems and technologies, process optimization and project management best practices and have full understanding of their application to clinical research and clinical trial management
• Supervise direct reports providing support and assistance at the appropriate levels to ensure their time is used effectively
• Evaluate staff performance and productivity as it relates to individual and collaborative contributions
• Ensure optimal staff training, development and utilization to foster a positive and motivated working environment
• Strong project management, business process management and line management experience.
• Address process breakdowns and performance issues in a timely manner
• Manage projects and initiatives within his/her area as defined by annual goals and objectives
• Manage deliverables according to the following criteria: Focus equally on results (high-quality, timely deliverables that meet/exceed objectives); process (use of logical and efficient process for achieving results); and professional relationships (engendering trust and goodwill among team members)
• Observe good documentation practices by way of templates, project / communication / risk management plans, tear sheets, meeting minutes, presentations, etc.
• Use appropriate techniques to facilitate decision-making and engage personnel at the appropriate levels
• Track and report on progress against timeline, resource, and quality objectives
• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Able to communicate and manage risk effectively with senior management
• Strong collaborative leadership, decision-making, negotiation and interpersonal skills

Benefits

• 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.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director