Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Posted September 8, 2026

External Innovation, Associate Director

Boston, United States Full time
BD&L & Strategic Planning Associate Director
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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

General Summary

The Associate Director, External Innovation reports into the Executive Director, External Innovation and Portfolio Operations , and is responsible for conducting scientific, clinical and commercial analysis, monitoring company/technology ev o lu t ion across the bio pharma landscape and contribute to the evaluation of collaboration /acquisition opportunities that are aligned with the corporate strategy.

As a member of the External Innovation team, y ou will contribute across phases of evaluation of external opportunities , participate to cross-functional projects with the transaction s and alliance management teams , and manage cross-functional relationships to ensure communication and alignment across stakeholders.

Responsibilities 

Conducts analysis and tracks opportunities and topics for landscape analysis , and companies for evaluations

Prepares materials and evaluation summaries to inform decision-making, including organizing, documenting, interpreting and coherently summarizing cross-functional input of new technology landscaping projects & external business opportunities in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic arenas

Participates as a member of evaluation teams in planning, coordinating, and executing rigorous research and evaluation of assigned idea/target

Builds and maintains relationships with transaction and al liance management teams, and ensures communication and coordination across departments

Participates in engagement with scientifi c and clinical subject matter experts , across various functional areas (R&D, Regulatory, Manufacturing etc.).

Coordinates organizational governance meetings including BD meetings internally and externally with appropriate evaluation teams

Utilizes technology-enabled tools to increase scientific insights and improve operations, process and knowledge management.

Knowledge and Skills 

Broad-based scientific training supporting high learning agility across fields relevant to drug discovery, development and commercialization

Understanding and application of basic economic, commercial and financial factors driving value creation (business acumen)

A bility to a pply scientific, clinical, regulatory and commercial expertise as well as knowledge of the external landscape , to help shape program strategy and drive program decisions

Ability to s ynthesize diverse data and information sources into actionable insights and recommendations

Ability to d evelop independently and deliver clear audience-tailored slide decks and other communications to build internal stakeholder support and alignment (inclusive of senior management)

Effective communication and negotiation skills

Demonstrate d leadership skills including impact on cross-functional teams output

Position Requirements:  

Advanced scientific degree (Ph.D., M.D., Pharm.D., D.V.M., etc.)

7+ years of biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience, preferably with drug discovery and early development experience; e quivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Experience as a buy-side, sell-side or consulting analyst preferred; experience modeling mature markets a plus.

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:

$170,400 - $255,600

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
Associate Director
Function
BD&L & Strategic Planning
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Boston, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active BD&L & Strategic Planning role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 50 comparable Associate Director BD&L & Strategic Planning roles across 16 biopharma companies.

50Comparable roles tracked
38Currently active
16Companies hiring similar roles
11Countries represented

Salary context

20 of 50 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 $170,400/yr – $255,600/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr. Inside Business Development Manager · AbbVie $27/hr – $48/hr (≈ $56,160–$99,840/yr)
Highest disclosed · Associate Director, Search & Evaluation (Immunology) · Novartis $160,300/yr – $297,700/yr
Peer group range $78,000 – $229,000 (median $160,575)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 50 comparable roles

United States22
China10
Germany5
Mexico4
India2
Switzerland2

+ 5 more countries

Seniority mix

50 of 50 peers have a known seniority level

Manager34
Associate Director15
Senior1

Therapeutic area mix

8 of 50 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Dermatology & Aesthetics3
Vaccines & Infectious Disease2
Immunology2
Oncology1

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.

60%similar
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Associate Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Novartis East Hanover, United States Associate Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Mettawa, IL Associate Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
50%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Manager
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Sanofi Vaccines US Inc. Swiftwater, United States Manager
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Manager
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

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%
Associate Director, Search & Evaluation (Immunology)
Novartis · Cambridge (USA), United States · Associate Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Director, Strategy Associate
Novartis · East Hanover, United States · Associate Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Director, Strategy Associate
Novartis · East Hanover, United States · Associate Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
Business Development Senior Manager
Amgen Inc. · Thousand Oaks, United States · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
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.