Chief of Staff / Strategy and Operations Lead to SVP, Research

Vertex Pharmaceuticals • Boston, MA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the SVP of Research and Site Head of Boston and Seattle Research, the Chief of Staff (Project Management & Strategic Operations Director) is a leadership role that sits on the Boston and Seattle Research Leadership Teams and champions functional and cross-functional project management excellence across Vertex. The incumbent is expected to apply deep Early Discovery and Research subject matter expertise in project and process management to identify opportunities, shape objectives, and drive execution of key Research and corporate priorities. This role focuses on achieving operational excellence in the research organization, enabling site and cross-functional teams to execute with rigor, clarity, and excellence while supporting site-level strategy, operations, and change.

Requirements

• Advanced knowledge of project and portfolio management principles, options analysis, strategic planning, business case development, finance and resource management
• Leadership experience managing and influencing cross-functional teams, with the ability to drive prioritization and resource allocation without direct authority
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including strong presentation skills to communicate scientific and operational topics to broad audiences and senior leaders
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic research environment
• Demonstrated collaboration skills to effectively engage internal and external stakeholders at all levels
• Strong general business management acumen to assess the impact of decisions on financial, scientific, and corporate objectives
• Deep pharmaceutical drug discovery and development expertise across multiple therapeutic areas, disease states, and/or novel modalities
• PhD in a scientific field (e.g., biology, chemistry, pharmacology, immunology, biomedical sciences) or equivalent years of experience in a scientific discipline
• Typically requires 10+ years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience in research and/or biopharma environments
• Demonstrated experience supporting multidisciplinary research teams
• Experience working across multiple disease areas and/or therapeutic modalities
• Proven ability to partner with senior leaders to deliver complex, cross-functional scientific and operational initiatives

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational, cross-functional project and program leadership in support of Research and site priorities
• Drive clear, consistent communication cross-functionally and with senior leaders on program planning topics, including timelines, status, risks, issues, and dependencies
• Proactively identify roadblocks, risks, and constraints impacting strategic imperatives or execution, and lead scenario planning to evaluate options and trade-offs
• Partner with governance forums, site leaders, and project leads to align strategy, goals, priorities, and milestones with Research and corporate objectives
• Propose innovative approaches and process improvements to optimize project, portfolio, and site-level execution
• Leads development of clear, compelling executive communications, including presentations and briefing materials for Executive Committee members, select external audiences, and internal scientific and non-scientific audiences, ensuring complex scientific and strategic information is synthesized into decision‑ready insights.
• Serves as a trusted communications and content partner to all members of Boston and Seattle Research, senior leaders, and external stakeholders including current and potential scientific and industry collaborators.
• Partner closely with Site Heads, Finance, HR, and Operations on OpEx, headcount, resource planning, lab space enablement, and site initiatives
• Support and lead site-wide change initiatives, reinforcing a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

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.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees