Senior Director, Portfolio & Program Management
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
August 21, 2026
Remote friendly (Boston, MA)
United States
Operations
General Summary:
Senior Director, Portfolio & Program Management leads cross-functional project management excellence across the drug development lifecycle (Research through Commercialization). Provides leadership for applying project management to identify opportunities, shape objectives, and drive execution of global strategy for drug development teams and portfolio operations initiatives.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide strategic/operational project leadership to cross-functional teams across the project lifecycle (initiation through closeout)
- Drive cross-functional communication with senior leaders on program planning (timelines, status, risks, issues)
- Identify roadblocks/constraints and lead scenario planning
- Partner with governance forums and leaders to align strategy, goals, and milestones with corporate objectives
- Propose innovative approaches, define process improvements, and optimize project results
- Determine approach and stakeholders for cross-functional decision-making and issue resolution
- Oversee delivery of project team deliverables (and contribute to content development, as appropriate)
- Establish operating norms and measure performance
- Mentor subordinate managers and high-level professionals
- People management may include financial and HR responsibilities for assigned leaders/managers
Knowledge and Skills:
- Broad understanding of project/portfolio management, options analysis, strategic planning, business case generation, finance, and resource management
- Leadership experience managing cross-functional teams; ability to influence prioritization and resource allocation
- Excellent written/oral communication and presentation skills
- Pharmaceutical drug discovery/development expertise across disciplines
- Organizational skills; manage multiple priorities
- Strong collaboration with internal/external stakeholders
- Advanced business management knowledge to assess financial/corporate impact
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or relevant field
- Typically 12 years of experience and 5 years of management experience (or equivalent)
Pay/Compensation (as stated):
- $242,200–$363,200 base pay range; eligible for annual bonus and annual equity awards.
Senior Director, Portfolio & Program Management leads cross-functional project management excellence across the drug development lifecycle (Research through Commercialization). Provides leadership for applying project management to identify opportunities, shape objectives, and drive execution of global strategy for drug development teams and portfolio operations initiatives.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide strategic/operational project leadership to cross-functional teams across the project lifecycle (initiation through closeout)
- Drive cross-functional communication with senior leaders on program planning (timelines, status, risks, issues)
- Identify roadblocks/constraints and lead scenario planning
- Partner with governance forums and leaders to align strategy, goals, and milestones with corporate objectives
- Propose innovative approaches, define process improvements, and optimize project results
- Determine approach and stakeholders for cross-functional decision-making and issue resolution
- Oversee delivery of project team deliverables (and contribute to content development, as appropriate)
- Establish operating norms and measure performance
- Mentor subordinate managers and high-level professionals
- People management may include financial and HR responsibilities for assigned leaders/managers
Knowledge and Skills:
- Broad understanding of project/portfolio management, options analysis, strategic planning, business case generation, finance, and resource management
- Leadership experience managing cross-functional teams; ability to influence prioritization and resource allocation
- Excellent written/oral communication and presentation skills
- Pharmaceutical drug discovery/development expertise across disciplines
- Organizational skills; manage multiple priorities
- Strong collaboration with internal/external stakeholders
- Advanced business management knowledge to assess financial/corporate impact
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or relevant field
- Typically 12 years of experience and 5 years of management experience (or equivalent)
Pay/Compensation (as stated):
- $242,200–$363,200 base pay range; eligible for annual bonus and annual equity awards.