Commercial Strategy Associate Director

Job Description

General Summary:

The Associate Director, Commercial Strategy is responsible for supporting the strategic direction for the Strategic Customer Engagement team by defining priorities, sequencing initiatives, and framing the “why” behind commercial focus areas aligned to Pain BU objectives and enterprise strategy. This role operates above field execution, focusing on strategy formation (what the organization should prioritize and why) while ensuring intentional coordination with strategy translation efforts. The role translates business goals, market insights, and leadership expectations into clear strategic recommendations, frameworks, and narratives. It partners closely with cross-functional and field operations leaders to ensure strategic intent is clearly communicated and effectively handed off for execution.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead commercial strategy formation for the SCE team by defining organizational priorities, sequencing initiatives, and articulating the strategic rationale aligned to BU goals, enterprise strategy, and long-range planning. This includes determining what the SCE organization should prioritize and why, ensuring alignment with broader business objectives.
• Develop strategic frameworks, recommendations, and narratives that guide commercial focus areas, investment decisions, and leadership alignment, serving as the foundation for downstream execution. This role focuses on strategy formation and avoids overlap with strategy translation unless intentionally coordinated.
• Lead strategic planning platforms and forums, including ownership of POA, national meeting agendas, and other enterprise-level planning moments that set direction for the commercial organization.
• Synthesize market, competitive, and performance insights to inform strategic direction, framing implications and trade-offs for senior leadership rather than managing field-level metrics or dashboards.
• Act as a strategic thought partner to Commercial, BU, and cross-functional leadership, ensuring clarity on what the organization should prioritize and why, while enabling effective translation into execution through coordinated handoffs.
• Shape and influence GTM strategy and deliverables by representing regional and BU needs, ensuring strategic intent is consistent, coherent, and aligned with local market realities.
• Lead cross-functional strategic collaboration across Marketing, Sales, Market Access, Medical, Analytics, and Operations to align on direction while avoiding duplication of execution ownership.
• Define onboarding and activation strategies for new business lines or initiatives at the strategic level, establishing the framing, success criteria, and sequencing for activation.
• Own strategic communication to stakeholders, ensuring progress, priorities, and outcomes are consistently framed and understood at the enterprise and leadership level.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Scientific/medical background
• Ability to work cross-functionally and to lead and influence a cross-functional team
• Ability to build strong internal as well as external relationships to enhance and strengthen represent the company’s profile
• Ability to lead a project team, to oversee generation of insights and apply those insights to business problems/opportunities and make strategic recommendations
• Established strong network in the industry and ability to build and maintain networks
• Good communication skills (written and verbal) at all levels and ability to influence at a senior level, both internally and externally
• Knowledge and understanding of Cell and Gene Therapy
• Ability to work in a highly dynamic and fast-growing organization with demonstrated capability to be at ease in a matrix structure with ability to influence
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategy and make strategic recommendations
• Ability to work collaboratively with others to provide a high quality and customer focused service
• Hands-on approach, with a ‘can-do’ attitude
• Good project management skills
• Ability to prioritize, demonstrating first class organizational skills and time management skills
• Solid understanding of the compliance framework with a high level of integrity
• Committed to learning and development
• Good IT skills e.g., Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Fluent in English

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline
• Requires extensive experience in the Biotech/Pharmaceutical or medical technology environment (Key Account Management/ Sales, Reimbursement Management, Medical Affairs, Market Access, etc.)
• Therapeutic area experience preferred

Pay Range:

$164,000 - $246,000

Disclosure Statement:

Flex Designation:

Hybrid-Eligible Or On-Site Eligible

Flex 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 ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com