Senior Director, GCS Early Pipeline and Business Development

Vertex Inc. • Boston, MA

2d • $240,000 - $360,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director or Director, GCS Early Pipeline and Business Development serves as the global commercial lead for two priority pre-clinical diseases in Vertex’s Sandbox. The role develops the commercial understanding needed to guide research choices, evaluate future assets, and support rapid, informed development decisions when a program is ready to enter the clinic. It represents Commercial on early Disease Strategy Teams (eDSTs) and owns the commercial opportunity assessment and disease strategy for the assigned diseases.

The role builds a detailed perspective on each disease and its current and future markets, translates opportunities into market value by geography and patient segment, and forecasts revenue for potential future assets and the broader market. It establishes commercial requirements and target product profiles that provide a clear direction for Research and Development before asset-specific development decisions are made. The position partners across research, development, commercial, and other functions; supports assessment of internal programs and external innovation; and presents clear, decision-ready recommendations to leadership.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience developing commercial opportunity assessments for pre-clinical or early-development diseases or assets and translating findings into development or investment recommendations.
• Strong experience integrating primary market research, epidemiology, analytics, competitive intelligence, market access, and forecasting into a coherent assessment of market attractiveness and product requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to build detailed current and future market models, including patient-based forecasts, market-evolution scenarios, pricing and access assumptions, and sensitivity analyses.
• Experience developing target product profiles and defining clinical and evidence thresholds for meaningful differentiation and commercial success.
• Ability to work effectively before an asset or development plan is fully defined, structure ambiguous situations, and identify critical questions to resolve.
• Experience partnering with Research, External Innovation, Development, Medical, Regulatory, Value & Access, Finance, and insights and analytics teams in a global matrix.
• Ability to assess novel biology, mechanisms, translational evidence, and emerging treatment paradigms, and translate their potential implications, opportunities, and risks into a commercial perspective.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, analytical rigor, business judgment, synthesis, executive communication, and ability to distinguish evidence, assumptions, and unresolved uncertainties.
• Proven ability to represent Commercial on early cross-functional disease teams, lead complex work across two disease assessments, influence without authority, and deliver high-quality recommendations amid evolving priorities.
• Significant biopharmaceutical commercial experience in early pipeline strategy, new product planning, commercial assessment, portfolio strategy, business development, market research, forecasting, or related roles, combined with advanced scientific or medical training.
• M.D. or Ph.D. in a relevant scientific or medical discipline is preferred.
• Formal commercial or business training, including an MBA, is valued but does not substitute for the required scientific or medical doctorate.

Nice To Haves

• M.D. or Ph.D. in a relevant scientific or medical discipline.
• Formal commercial or business training, including an MBA.

Responsibilities

• Serve as global commercial lead and Commercial representative on eDSTs for two assigned pre-clinical Sandbox diseases, owning commercial assessments, disease strategies, and advancement recommendations.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of each disease, including its biology, epidemiology, diagnosis, patient heterogeneity, burden, unmet need, clinical practice, treatment guidelines, patient journey, and intervention points.
• Assess current and future markets, including diagnosed and addressable populations, treatment rates, future standards of care, competitive entry, pricing and access assumptions, and commercial potential by geography and patient segment.
• Own market sizing, valuation, and forecasting, building transparent bottom-up models for current and future markets and forecasting revenue for future assets and the broader market.
• Lead qualitative and quantitative primary market research with healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, payers, and other stakeholders, including advisory boards and expert engagement.
• Integrate analytics, claims and other real-world data, competitive intelligence, epidemiology, market access, HEOR, scientific literature, and external expert insights into a fact-based commercial perspective.
• Define commercial product requirements, including target populations, positioning, meaningful clinical outcomes, differentiation thresholds, evidence needs, formulation and administration considerations, and access requirements.
• Develop and maintain disease-level and asset-relevant target product profiles for Research and Development and future internal or external assets.
• Engage in eDSTs and partner with Research, External Innovation, Development, Medical, Regulatory, Value & Access, BI&A, Finance, and regional Commercial teams to shape disease priorities, research choices, translational plans, and development strategies.
• Provide commercial perspectives for Sandbox and early disease governance, articulating market attractiveness, strategic fit, differentiation potential, risks, evidence gaps, and recommendations.
• Support evaluation of internal programs and external innovation opportunities through commercial due diligence, scenario development, opportunity sizing, and assessment of investment implications.
• Establish and manage integrated learning agendas and workplans for each disease, sequencing research and analysis to resolve key uncertainties before decisions.
• Monitor changes in disease science, clinical practice, competitive pipelines, policy, access, and market dynamics, and update commercial assessments and target product profiles accordingly.
• Translate complex scientific, clinical, market, and financial information into executive recommendations and decision-ready materials.
• Manage external research and consulting partners while retaining internal ownership of strategic questions, assumptions, synthesis, and recommendations.

Benefits

• Annual bonus and annual equity awards.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Generous paid time off, including a week-long company shutdown in the summer and winter.
• Educational assistance programs, including student loan repayment.
• Commuting subsidy.
• Matching charitable donations.
• 401(k).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree