Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Posted September 8, 2026

Director, Medical Writing (Hybrid)

Boston, United States Full time
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Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Job Description

Our Medical Writing team at Vertex is in-house, and our Writers are strategic partners in our drug development process, collaborating with cross functional teams, authoring and driving clinical & regulatory documents to bring innovative new therapies to patients.

This is a hybrid position which allows 2 days per week remote work and 3 days per week in our Boston Seaport office. Relocation assistance is available.

The Director, Medical Writing Science has responsibility for the management, oversight, operation, and direction of a group within the department. This role is held accountable for the results of the group and the work performance of line staff and is responsible for setting technical direction for the staff. This role is expected to optimize interdisciplinary understanding and teamwork and integrate activities with those of other groups in Medical Writing Science and with other functions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Independently authors routine and complex clinical and regulatory documents

Advises development teams on the content and optimal presentation of documents to facilitate achievement of submission objectives

Provides strategic input into program-level and therapeutic area plans, including defining the direction of the clinical development program or regulatory strategies

Sets goals and strategic vision for the group shares that vision within Medical Writing Science

Optimizes interdisciplinary understanding and synergy within group(s) and integrate activities with those of other department and project teams

Manages resource plans for projects within their oversight ensuring appropriate staff are available to meet program goals

Provides coaching and performance management for staff, ensuring goal setting is effectively linked to program and corporate goals

Plans strategically, anticipates problems, and recommends process improvements to address current and future needs

Provides expert review of policies and procedures for the department

innovates and leads process improvements with high cross-functional impact

Knowledge and Skills:

Highly advanced understanding of the clinical development process and authoring and preparation of the clinical sections of marketing applications and other regulatory submissions

Proven track record of developing, communicating, and executing strategic direction for projects

Strong leadership and influencing skills, ability to communicate and present ideas/solutions to senior management

Ability to recognize business impact and identify networks to gain unified approach to solutions

Demonstrated knowledge of field

Ability to manage teams and individuals

Experience with marketing applications for regulatory submissions

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in relevant discipline

Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) highly preferred

Typically requires 10 years of relevant medical writing experience in Pharma, Biotech or CRO industries and 3 years of supervisory/management experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience

#LI-AR1

#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:

$192,700 - $289,100

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

Seniority
Director
Function
Clinical Development
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Boston, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Clinical Development role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 259 comparable Director Clinical Development roles across 50 biopharma companies.

259Comparable roles tracked
248Currently active
50Companies hiring similar roles
17Countries represented

Salary context

130 of 259 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.

This roleSubject $192,700/yr – $289,100/yr
Peer group range $0 – $392,100 (median $276,100)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 259 comparable roles

United States205
United Kingdom17
India8
Spain7
Switzerland5
Ireland3

+ 11 more countries

Seniority mix

259 of 259 peers have a known seniority level

Director196
Senior Director38
Principal25

Therapeutic area mix

86 of 259 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology47
Immunology11
Neuroscience9
Cardiovascular / CVRM6
Respiratory4
Ophthalmology4
Dermatology & Aesthetics3
Rare Disease1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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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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Open in 2 locations

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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.

60%
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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 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.