Director, Cell & Gene Therapy Research Technology (Boston)

Job Description

General Summary:

This role leads a team responsible for the architecture, delivery, security, support, and continuous evolution of enterprise laboratory technology platforms across LC1/2, Vertex's Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT) site. It is also the single accountable Research Site Partner for LC1/2: the primary DTE relationship holder for the site leadership, and the front door through which site requirements are captured, shaped, and routed into the correct cross-functional platform backlog.

Operating within highly regulated GxP and SOX environments, this role remains accountable for operational excellence, financial stewardship, and risk management across a complex laboratory technology landscape, including ownership of the site's annual operating budget. In parallel, the role carries accountability for local technology adoption, change management, and cross-site prioritization advocacy — ensuring LC1/2's voice shapes the shared platform roadmap without the site building or maintaining local one-off solutions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Technology & Operations Leadership

• Build and sustain strong, trust-based relationships with senior business, quality, and DTE leaders, acting as a strategic partner with sustained impact on enterprise laboratory goals.
• Lead, develop, and retain a highly effective Lab Engineering Support organization, leveraging internal resources and external partners through a managed service provider model.
• Ensure stable, secure, and compliant laboratory technology operations across both IT and OT environments, aligned to cyber security, ITSM, ITIL, and DTE system lifecycle standards.
• Serve as the primary point of accountability for laboratory technology operating within GxP- and SOX-regulated environments, partnering with DTE Compliance, Cyber Security, Internal Audit, and Quality Assurance.
• Own and manage the site's operating budget, ensuring disciplined financial planning, forecasting, vendor management, and value realization across services and platforms.
• Oversee a portfolio of programs, projects, platform releases, and enhancements delivered at the site, ensuring quality, timeliness, and alignment with business outcomes.
• Lead technology-driven modernization of the laboratory environment — intelligent automation, agentic workflows, passive data capture, IoT-enabled instruments, and connected lab environments — translating innovation into pragmatic, compliant roadmaps.
• Attract, develop, and retain top talent; carry full people-management accountability for assigned staff.

Site Partnership

• Serve as the single accountable owner for technology adoption, change, and the DTE relationship at LC1/2 — the primary partner to the site leadership.
• Engage directly with Cell & Gene Therapy leadership, translating CGT modality context into technology requirements without relying on an intermediary domain translator. CGT-specific regulatory and quality compliance is owned by the platform/quality teams, not this role.
• Act as the site's product owner: capture requirements and user stories directly from scientists and shape raw, ambiguous input into clear, prioritized demand.
• Be the single front door for LC1/2 — route shaped requirements to the correct platform owner (within Laboratory Solutions or peer DTE platform organizations) rather than site stakeholders engaging each platform team directly.
• Drive local adoption and change management for new platform capabilities; carry roadmap and delivery updates back to site scientists and leadership on a regular cadence.
• Represent the site's voice in cross-site, cross-functional prioritization forums, ensuring the shared platform roadmap reflects the site's highest-value needs.
• Maintain a transparent, current view of the site's demand status and backlog position that site stakeholders can see and understand.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong senior-level business engagement and stakeholder partnership capabilities.
• Working fluency in CGT modality concepts sufficient to be seen as credible by research leadership and scientists, not just by technology stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of enterprise technology operations, cyber security, ITSM, and system lifecycle practices.
• Proven people leadership experience building and sustaining high-performing teams.
• Program, portfolio, demand, and financial management expertise.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and executive-level presentation skills.
• Ability to balance operational stability with innovation in regulated environments.
• Comfort operating in a matrixed accountability model — shaping and routing demand where the build/architecture decision rests with a peer platform owner, not this role.
• Preferred, not required: experience with Benchling and fit-for-purpose analytics/visualization software — a strong addition to the candidate profile but not mandatory.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in technology discipline or equivalent
• 10+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3+ years of experience in the Cell & Gene Therapy space — general modality fluency is sufficient; deep hands-on process/manufacturing experience is not required.
• Demonstrated leadership managing enterprise-scale technology platforms and support organizations.
• Proven experience operating within GxP- and SOX-regulated environments.
• Experience leading complex programs, portfolios, and vendor ecosystems with financial accountability.
• Experience operating as a product owner, business relationship manager, or similar demand-shaping role — translating ambiguous stakeholder input into structured, prioritized backlog items.

#LI-EE1  #LI-Hybrid

At Vertex, we embrace continuous learning and encourage employees to stay informed on advances in AI, technology, automation, and industry trends. We seek talent who bring an external perspective, demonstrate curiosity and sound judgment, and thoughtfully adopt new capabilities that improve decision-making, drive innovation, increase efficiency, and help deliver better outcomes for patients.

Pay Range:

$198,000 - $297,000

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