Senior Director, Regulatory Strategy
About this opportunity
Job Description
The Regulatory Strategy Senior Director is a regulatory leader with expert technical and tactical experience in regulatory strategy for the assigned global or regional position and will be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of advanced global regulatory strategies for development programs (1) in emerging disease areas, (2) for additional development of registered Vertex medicines, and/or (3) for the support of Vertex marketed products. This incumbent will play a major role in shaping cohesive regulatory strategy across the assigned programs and ensuring effective integration of broad regulatory ideas/tactics supporting franchise strategy. This roles responsibilities may be global, regional or local depending on the position and assigned region. This role will understand and translate regulatory, scientific, operational and business knowledge into effective implementation plans and strategy.
This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days/week onsite in our Boston or Washington, D.C office.
Key Duties & Responsibilities:
Leads the development of regulatory strategy for multiple and/or complex projects in development (from first-in-human to post marketing application stage) outlined in Global Regulatory Strategy Documents including for regulatory submission documents and Health Authority communications
Represents GRA on core development teams, project teams, and collaborate with regional leaders and teams to ensure unified regulatory input into clinical programs and commercial strategy
Addresses complex issues, providing advanced regulatory solutions and guidance to cross-functional teams and align communication to and from cross-functional teams and GRA leadership. Counsels and advises senior management on status of global Regulatory Affairs strategies and tactics, procedures and practices
Leads the development and management of project plans and timelines and assigns and manages resources effectively to ensure all projects are appropriately prioritized and key goals are met on time
Works to influence regulatory environment through active participation in conferences and industry/agency regulatory meeting, committees and trade associations. Remains up to date on changing regulations, and regulatory policy and intelligence including competitive issues that influence regulatory strategy.
Leads continuous improvement efforts on existing department processes and strategies, providing recommendations in area of expertise
Leads GRA functional team(s) including participating in the skill development, coaching, and performance feedback for members of the GRA functional teams
As a people manager within the organization, may have financial accountabilities and human resource responsibilities for assigned staff.
Required Knowledge & Skills:
A business-minded leader, capable of strategic thinking and proposing innovative solutions to regulatory problems
Demonstrates excellent communication skills with ability to impact and influence the decisions of a team, communicates with all levels within the company and act as liaison / representative both internally and externally and communicates effectively in verbal presentations and in writing regulatory strategy plans and submission documents
Able to provide regulatory leadership on a cross-functional team and work effectively in a matrix environment
Demonstrated technical expertise in regulatory affairs science including advanced knowledge of regulatory frameworks and external environments. Expert knowledge of global/regional/local regulatory legislation, laws, procedure and guidance for pharmaceutical development of medicines for human use, with demonstrated knowledge of the research and development, preclinical and clinical requirements related to drug development, registration, and maintenance of human pharmaceuticals
Advanced proficiency in analyzing and interpreting data, protocols, safety reporting, labeling and other activities related to the phases of drug development for assigned products.
Demonstrated expertise in creating and assessing proposals to regulatory authorities on regulatory paths and clinical plans, and in leading productive health authority interactions, including well organized preparation of cross functional teams.
Demonstrated expertise in analyzing the adequacy of proposed regulatory pathways and strategies and guiding development teams with recommendations for changes/refinements based on ongoing regulatory outcomes throughout development.
Ability to articulate the organization’s strategic vision and core values, and successfully contribute to improving the quality of internal regulatory policies, programs and initiatives.
A strong leader who demonstrates sensitivity and understanding of cultural considerations, embraces diversity, and continuously develops staff by providing feedback, coaching, guidance and mentoring.
Required Education & Experience:
Bachelor's degree in Biology, Chemistry, or other related discipline
Typically requires 12 years of relevant pharmaceutical or biotech industry experience within regulatory affairs and 5 years of supervisory/management experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience
#LI-EE1 #LI-Hybrid
Pay Range:
$232,000 - $348,000
Disclosure 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 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
Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Regulatory Affairs role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 83 comparable Senior Director Regulatory Affairs roles across 28 biopharma companies.
Salary context
35 of 83 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)
Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 83 comparable roles
+ 5 more countries
Seniority mix
83 of 83 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
11 of 83 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
Similar opportunities
The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.
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Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.
How we calculate "similar"
No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.
Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.
0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.