Director, Commercial Data Strategy & Enablement

Vertex Inc. • Boston, MA

2d • $192,000 - $288,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Commercial Data Strategy & Enablement will lead the strategy, governance, and enablement of Vertex’s commercial data assets, platforms, and capabilities. The role partners with Commercial, Digital & Technology, Data & Analytics, Finance, Market Access, Patient Support, and external vendors to ensure high-quality, trusted, and accessible data supports strategic decision-making.

The Director will define and execute a scalable commercial data roadmap, establish standards for data quality, governance, and adoption, and enable business teams to turn data into actionable insights. The position combines commercial acumen, data strategy expertise, and change-management capabilities to advance a data-driven culture across Vertex’s commercial organization.

This leader will advise senior stakeholders, lead and develop a team, manage external partner relationships, and ensure commercial data practices align with applicable privacy, compliance, security, and pharmaceutical industry requirements. The role is hybrid-eligible or on-site eligible: hybrid employees may work remotely up to two days per week, or employees may work on-site five days per week with ad hoc flexibility. Flex status is subject to company policy and may change.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, analytics, data science, information systems, life sciences, or a related field.
• Typically 10+ years of progressive experience in commercial data strategy, data management, analytics, digital transformation, or related disciplines.
• Significant experience supporting commercial functions within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare, life sciences, or a similarly regulated industry.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing data strategies that improve decision-making, operational effectiveness, and measurable business outcomes.
• Experience leading cross-functional, enterprise-scale data governance, data quality, and data enablement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of commercial data domains, including sales, marketing, customer relationship management, market access, payer, patient support, and third-party healthcare data.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, build alignment across functions, and manage competing priorities in a complex organization.
• Experience leading and developing teams, including direct reports and/or matrixed teams.
• Excellent communication, executive presentation, strategic problem-solving, and change-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid or on-site environment and collaborate with teams across locations.
• Skills in commercial data strategy and roadmap development; data governance, stewardship, and operating-model design; data quality management; master and reference data management; metadata, catalog, and lineage concepts; data architecture, integration, and data products; cloud data and analytics platforms; business intelligence and self-service analytics; CRM and commercial engagement platforms; commercial sales, claims, prescription, payer, provider, and patient-support data; privacy, security, access management, and compliance controls; KPI definition and value realization; and agile delivery and product-management practices.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in business administration, data science, analytics, information systems, or a related discipline.
• Experience with pharmaceutical commercial platforms and data ecosystems, such as CRM, omnichannel engagement, field force effectiveness, market research, and real-world data solutions.
• Experience with modern cloud data technologies, including data warehouses, lakehouses, APIs, and data integration tools.
• Familiarity with data visualization and analytics tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms.
• Knowledge of SQL, Python, or other analytical programming languages.
• Experience enabling artificial intelligence or machine learning use cases within commercial operations.
• Certifications in data management, cloud technologies, product management, project management, or agile methodologies.
• Experience supporting product launches, indication expansions, or global commercial data transformation programs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the enterprise commercial data strategy, aligning data investments and priorities with commercial objectives, brand strategies, and patient-focused outcomes.
• Define a multi-year roadmap for commercial data capabilities, including data acquisition, integration, governance, analytics enablement, self-service access, and performance measurement.
• Partner with Commercial leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to identify critical business questions, prioritize use cases, and translate needs into scalable data solutions.
• Establish and oversee commercial data governance practices, including data ownership, stewardship, data quality standards, metadata management, privacy, access controls, and issue-resolution processes.
• Improve the availability, consistency, usability, and reliability of commercial data across customer, healthcare provider, payer, specialty pharmacy, patient services, field engagement, sales, and marketing domains.
• Collaborate with Digital & Technology and Data & Analytics teams to design and implement modern data architecture, data products, reporting environments, and analytics capabilities.
• Enable adoption of commercial data and analytics tools through training, communications, playbooks, and operating models for business users and data stewards.
• Establish key performance indicators to measure data quality, platform adoption, business value realization, operational efficiency, and data capability maturity.
• Advise senior leaders and communicate data strategy, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a high-performing team of data strategy, governance, and enablement professionals.
• Manage relationships with external data providers, technology partners, and consulting firms, including vendor selection, performance management, and contract-related collaboration.
• Ensure commercial data practices align with applicable privacy, compliance, security, and pharmaceutical industry requirements.
• Monitor evolving data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and commercial technology trends and drive continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Annual bonus eligibility.
• Annual equity awards eligibility.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Generous paid time off, including a week-long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter.
• Educational assistance programs, including student loan repayment.
• Commuting subsidy.
• Matching charitable donations.
• 401(k).
• Other benefits and resources supporting employees’ career, financial, family, and wellbeing needs.

What This Job Offers

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