Director, San Diego Technology at Vertex

Laboratory Technology Leadership Role

This role leads a team responsible for the architecture, delivery, security, support, and continuous evolution of enterprise laboratory technology platforms including laboratory Operational Technology (OT) such as information/cyber security, sensors, and IoT-enabled lab environments across San Diego. It is also the single accountable Research Site Partner for San Diego: the primary DTE relationship holder for the site's SVP and research leadership, and the front door through which site requirements are captured, shaped, and routed into the correct cross-functional platform backlog (Experiment Capture, Registration, LIMS, and peer DTE platforms in Research & Pre-Clinical, CMC/Manufacturing, and Supply Chain).

This role is accountable for operational excellence, financial stewardship, and risk management across a complex laboratory technology landscape, including ownership of an approximately $3M annual operating budget. In parallel, the role carries accountability for local technology adoption, change management, and cross-site prioritization advocacy ensuring San Diego'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 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.

Research Site Partnership

Serve as the single accountable owner for technology adoption, change, and the DTE relationship at San Diego 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 San Diego 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

10+ 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.