Seattle Research Technology Associate Director

Job Description

General Summary:

This role leads laboratory technology support and continuous evolution across Seattle, and is the accountable Research Site Partner for Seattle: the primary DTE relationship holder for the site's research 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 Seattle'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.
• 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.
• Attract, develop, and retain top talent; carry full people-management accountability for assigned staff.

• Research Site Partnership

• Serve as the single accountable owner for technology adoption, change, and the DTE relationship at Seattle — the primary partner to the site SVP and research leadership.
• 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 Seattle — 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.
• 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.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree
• 8+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 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.

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Pay Range:

Disclosure Statement:

Flex Designation:

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. 

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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 [email protected]