Job Description
General Summary:
We are seeking a Senior Director, US New Product Planning, to help shape the future of our pipeline and build the foundation for successful US launches. This is a highly visible leadership role for a strategic, commercially minded, and pragmatic leader who thrives at the intersection of asset strategy, US market planning, and enterprise capability building.
This role is ideal for someone who has worked in both the US business and on global teams, and who understands what it takes to succeed in the US market across functions—not just within a single discipline. The individual will represent the US perspective for early pipeline assets, including assets approximately 3 to 4 years from launch, and help ensure that strategic decisions made today translate into successful launches tomorrow.
Importantly, this role offers the opportunity to help build a new Business Unit for the organization. As the pipeline advances, this leader will help define the commercial foundation, capability needs, operating model, and resourcing approach required to establish a successful future US business.
Key Responsibilities
- Represent the US commercial perspective on global asset teams for early pipeline assets, especially those approximately 3 to 4 years from launch
- Lead development of US commercial strategy in partnership with global commercial, medical, market access, HEOR, analytics, operations, and finance
- Translate asset strategy into a clear US launch blueprint, including:
- market development priorities
- launch scenarios and key assumptions
- capability requirements
- organization design implications
- field force and non-personal promotion considerations
- budget and investment needs
- Identify and frame key strategic choices related to:
- positioning
- patient finding and market development
- access and reimbursement readiness
- evidence generation priorities
- customer engagement model
- patient services and support strategy
- Develop milestone-based and scenario-based plans that prepare the organization for launch well before traditional pre-launch planning begins
- Partner with cross-functional leaders to define the capabilities, talent, processes, and infrastructure needed for launch success
- Assess organizational readiness and recommend how to build, buy, or borrow required capabilities
- Provide strategic input on US commercialization models, including implications for specialty, institution-based, and buy-and-bill markets
- Support governance and executive decision-making with clear recommendations, tradeoffs, and risk assessments
- Help ensure a smooth transition from early planning into launch readiness and in-market execution
- Help define the strategic and organizational foundations of a new Business Unit
Required Experience
- Significant experience in biotech or pharmaceutical commercial strategy, new product planning, marketing, launch strategy, or related roles
- Meaningful experience in both:
- US commercial/business roles
- global or enterprise asset/team roles
- Demonstrated success in new product planning, pre-launch strategy, or launch planning
- Deep experience in neurology and/or rare disease
- Strong understanding of US commercialization in complex specialty markets, including buy-and-bill dynamics and related access, site-of-care, and reimbursement considerations
- Experience building or shaping resourcing plans, operating models, and capability roadmaps
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead through a matrixed environment
- Strong track record of cross-functional collaboration across commercial, medical, market access, analytics, operations, finance, and patient services
Preferred Experience
- Experience in US commercial planning, brand leadership, or business leadership
- Experience serving on a global asset team or in a global commercial strategy role
- Experience in specialty markets and complex launch environments
- Experience supporting assets from development through launch readiness
- Experience with provider-administered therapies and commercialization models involving buy-and-bill
Critical Capabilities
- Enterprise thinking — sees beyond function and understands the full set of enablers required for US launch success
- US market insight — understands customer, access, evidence, reimbursement, and operational realities in the US
- Cross-functional integration — connects perspectives across teams to create practical, aligned plans
- Launch planning excellence — translates strategic choices into launch milestones, readiness plans, and execution requirements
- Organizational and capability planning — defines what talent, structure, and capabilities will be needed over time
- Executive communication — distills complexity into clear, compelling recommendations
- Pragmatic decision-making — operates effectively under uncertainty and turns ambiguity into action
Why This Role Stands Out
This is a unique opportunity to influence some of the most important decisions in the pipeline—before launch planning is fully formed and while strategic choices can still shape outcomes.
You will have the chance to:
- shape the future of the US business
- influence asset strategy at an early stage
- work across US and global leadership
- define how the organization prepares for future launches
- help build the foundation of a new Business Unit, including strategic priorities, capabilities, and organizational readiness
- bring both strategic rigor and practical judgment to high-impact decisions
Success in This Role Looks Like
- The US perspective is incorporated early and meaningfully into asset strategy
- Strategic choices are translated into actionable US launch and capability plans
- Leadership has clear visibility into risks, tradeoffs, and investment needs
- The organization is better prepared for launch—earlier, more thoughtfully, and with greater alignment
- Cross-functional teams are aligned around a practical path to US success
- The role contributes meaningfully to the build-out of a new Business Unit
Pay Range:
$228,000 - $342,000Disclosure Statement:
The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary pay range for this job at the time of posting. 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. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.
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.
Flex Designation:
Hybrid-Eligible Or On-Site EligibleFlex Eligibility Status:
In this Hybrid-Eligible role, you can choose to be designated as:
1. Hybrid: work remotely up to two days per week; or select
2. On-Site: work five days per week on-site with ad hoc flexibility.
Note: The Flex status for this position is subject to Vertex’s Policy on Flex @ Vertex Program and may be changed at any time.
#LI-Hybrid
Company Information
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.
Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.
Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected]
Skills Required
- Significant experience in biotech or pharmaceutical commercial strategy, new product planning, marketing, launch strategy, or related roles
- Meaningful experience in US commercial or business roles
- Meaningful experience on global or enterprise asset teams
- Demonstrated success in new product planning, pre-launch strategy, or launch planning
- Deep experience in neurology and/or rare disease
- Strong understanding of US commercialization in complex specialty markets, including buy-and-bill dynamics, access, site-of-care, and reimbursement considerations
- Experience building or shaping resourcing plans, operating models, and capability roadmaps
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead in a matrixed environment
- Strong cross-functional collaboration across commercial, medical, market access, analytics, operations, finance, and patient services
- Experience in US commercial planning, brand leadership, or business leadership
- Experience serving on a global asset team or in a global commercial strategy role
- Experience in specialty markets and complex launch environments
- Experience supporting assets from development through launch readiness
- Experience with provider-administered therapies and commercialization models involving buy-and-bill
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Vertex Pharmaceuticals and has not been reviewed or approved by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
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Parental & Family Support — Policies provide 12 weeks of 100% paid bonding leave for all U.S. parents with additional fully paid time for birth parents. Family-forming supports include adoption and surrogacy assistance, fertility options like IVF and egg cryopreservation, breast‑milk shipping, subsidized childcare, backup care, and a DCFSA match.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off includes roughly four weeks of vacation, 13 holidays, sick time, and two companywide shutdowns (summer and year‑end). Some roles also include flexible or unlimited time off and paid volunteer time.
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Retirement Support — Programs include a 401(k) plan with employer contributions and an employee stock purchase plan. Filings describe employer contributions occurring in company stock, supporting long‑term ownership.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Insights
What We Do
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious and life-threatening diseases. We discovered and developed the first medicines to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare, life-threatening genetic disease. In addition to clinical development programs in CF, Vertex has more than a dozen ongoing research programs focused on the underlying mechanisms of other serious diseases. Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, our corporate headquarters is now located in Boston’s Innovation District, and our international headquarters is in London, United Kingdom. We currently employ approximately 3,500 people in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and Latin America with nearly two-thirds of our staff dedicated to research and development. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry’s top places to work by Science Magazine, The Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal and the San Diego Business Journal. Our research and medicines have also received esteemed recognitions, including the Robert J. Beall Therapeutics Development Award, the French Prix Galien and the British Pharmacological Society awards.
