Director, AI Governance & Policy

Job Description

General / Position Summary

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-focusedDirector AI Governance & Policyto lead Vertexs 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.

This role will lead the governance of generative AI agentic AI machine learning and AI-enabled business solutions. The Director will oversee AI policy development risk management governance operations technology platforms regulatory compliance and Responsible AI practices while partnering closely with Data Governance Information Security Privacy Legal Compliance Quality and business stakeholders. The role will ensure AI innovation scales responsibly while balancing risk management with business value realization.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the enterprise AI Governance strategy aligned with Vertexs business data and AI priorities.
• Establish and evolve Vertexs 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 Vertexs 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.

Knowledge & 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.

Education & Experience

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Information Systems Data Science Engineering Law Public Policy or a related field required.
• Advanced degree (MBA Masters 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.

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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 Vertexs 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 persons 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