Principal Data Scientist, Commercialization

Vertex Pharmaceuticals • Boston, MA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a deeply technical, intellectually curious Principal S cientist who is excited about the power of AI and motivated to ship solutions that meaningfully change how commercial teams operate . You will join a high impact Commercial AI and Data Science team working at the intersection of AI, data engineering, and commercial strategy. The team supports a growing portfolio of production AI applications built on a modern Snowflake and Databricks architecture. This role is ideal for a hands - on expert who codes, experiments, and delivers AI solutions, and who is eager to become a technical leader in advanced ML and AI methods that push the boundaries of what pharma commercial teams can do.

Requirements

• PhD in a quantitative discipline (e.g., Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Applied Mathematics) or Master’s degree with significant relevant experience.
• Principal level: typically , 5 + years of hands - on data science experience.
• Senior Principal (AD) level: typically , 8+ years of experience with demonstrated leadership and ownership of complex analytics initiatives.
• Proven experience building and deploying analytical or ML solutions in production environments.
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL .
• Experience with modern machine learning techniques and model lifecycle management.
• Familiarity with cloud based data platforms such as Snowflake and/or Databricks .
• Ability to operate effectively in fast paced , ambiguous environments where decisions are made with clear goals but imperfect data.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey complex analytical concepts to non technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross functionally and influence without authority.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with healthcare or life sciences data (e.g., claims, EHR, commercial data) is strongly preferred.
• Experience building or productionizing LLM - powered or AI - driven applications (e.g., RAG pipelines, agentic workflows) is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy advanced analytical and machine learning solutions to support commercial decision making for hundreds of users across multiple disease areas and modalities.
• Build and enhance Next Best Action models, including propensity scoring, HCP segmentation, and recommendation engines.
• Develop patient and HCP analytics to support targeting, activation, and reactivation strategies.
• Apply causal inference and experimental methods to assess the impact of marketing and field interventions.
• Develop and support production grade AI solutions and decision support tools.
• Partner with data engineering and platform teams to ensure solutions are scalable, compliant, and production ready within Snowflake and Databricks environments.
• Contribute to the evolution of reusable analytics and AI frameworks that can be leveraged across brands and disease areas.
• Collaborate with commercial, marketing, and field leadership to define business requirements and translate them into scalable solution roadmap .
• Translate complex analytical outputs into clear, actionable insights for nontechnical stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Support launch readiness, postlaunch optimization, and ongoing performance management through data driven recommendations.
• Serve as a technical leader within the Commercial AI and Data Science team, setting best practices for modeling, experimentation, and impact measurement.
• Mentor and coach junior data scientists, contributing to capability development and a strong analytics culture.
• Promote responsible and ethical use of AI in alignment with Vertex values and governance standards.

Benefits

• annual bonus
• annual equity awards
• 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
• a generous commuting subsidy
• matching charitable donations
• 401(k)
• 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

What This Job Offers

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