Director, AI Governance & Policy

Vertex is entering a transformative phase in its AI journey, where responsible, trusted, and compliant AI is foundational to accelerating innovation, improving patient outcomes, and enabling enterprise-wide productivity. We are seeking a visionary and execution-focused Director, AI Governance & Policy to lead Vertex’s enterprise AI Governance program and establish the policies, operating models, and technology platforms that enable safe, ethical, and business-enabling adoption of AI across the company.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
  • Define and execute the enterprise AI Governance strategy aligned with Vertex’s business, data, and AI priorities.
  • Establish and evolve Vertex’s Responsible AI framework, policies, standards, and governance operating model.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on AI governance, risk, compliance, and emerging AI technologies.
  • Monitor industry trends, regulations, and best practices to continuously mature Vertex’s AI governance capabilities.
• AI Governance, Risk & Platform Ownership
  • Lead enterprise AI governance processes, including AI intake, review, approval, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
  • Define and maintain AI risk management frameworks, controls, and governance standards aligned with regulatory and industry expectations.
  • Own the strategy, roadmap, implementation, and operation of the enterprise AI Governance platform, including AI inventories, policy management, risk assessments, workflow automation, monitoring, reporting, and compliance evidence management.
  • Establish governance approaches for emerging AI technologies including generative AI, AI agents, knowledge graphs, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions.
  • Ensure appropriate oversight, documentation, auditability, and accountability for AI systems, models, and agents deployed across the enterprise.
• Responsible AI, Compliance & Cross-functional Leadership
  • Develop and maintain enterprise AI policies, standards, and guidelines supporting both regulated and non-regulated use cases.
  • Ensure compliance with evolving AI regulations, industry frameworks, and internal governance requirements.
  • Partner with Legal, Privacy, Compliance, Quality, Information Security, Data Governance, and Data & AI Product teams to embed governance-by-design into AI solutions.
  • Lead the AI Policy Council and AI Review process, ensuring effective governance, decision-making, and stakeholder alignment across the enterprise.
• Culture, Training & Enablement
  • Promote AI literacy and Responsible AI adoption through training, communications, and stakeholder engagement programs.
  • Build a culture that enables innovation while maintaining trust, transparency, compliance, and accountability.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, Law, Public Policy, or a related field required.
• Advanced degree (MBA, Master’s, JD, or equivalent experience) preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in technology, governance, risk, compliance, data management, AI, or related disciplines.
• 5+ years of experience leading enterprise governance, risk management, compliance, AI governance, or technology platform programs.
• Experience owning or managing governance, risk, compliance, workflow, or policy management platforms strongly preferred.
• Experience in biopharmaceutical, healthcare, or other highly regulated industries strongly preferred.
• Professional certifications such as AIGP, CIPP, CRISC, CISM, ISO 42001, or related credentials are preferred.

Skills

• Deep expertise in AI governance, Responsible AI, risk management, and enterprise governance frameworks.
• Strong understanding of generative AI, large language models (LLMs), AI agents, machine learning, knowledge graphs, and RAG architectures.
• Experience designing and operating enterprise AI governance programs, policies, operating models, and governance technology platforms.
• Knowledge of AI-related regulatory requirements and standards, including FDA, EMA, EU AI Act, HIPAA, GDPR, and GxP environments.
• Strong understanding of data governance, privacy, security, and enterprise technology controls.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, lead cross-functional initiatives, and drive organizational change in a matrixed environment.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and strategic leadership skills.

Pay

The pay range for this role is $184,000 - $276,000. 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 skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.

Benefits

• Inclusive market-leading medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Generous paid time off, including a week-long company shutdown in the Summer and Winter.
• Educational assistance programs including student loan repayment.
• Generous commuting subsidy.
• Matching charitable donations.
• 401(k) retirement plan.

Schedule

This is a Hybrid-Eligible role. You can choose to be designated as:

• Hybrid: work remotely up to two days per week; or
• 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.