The Director, Customer Engagement Liaison (CEL) & Professional Organizations will play a critical role in shaping and executing Vertex’s customer engagement approach and professional organization strategy to support the continued launch and growth of JOURNAVX, a novel selective pain signal inhibitor of NaV1.8 in acute pain.

This role will be responsible for building and leading a comprehensive customer engagement strategy, strengthening partnerships with professional societies, and advancing initiatives that shape clinical understanding, advocacy, and adoption within the evolving acute pain landscape.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Strategy Development & Execution

• Shape and implement the customer engagement strategy aligned to brand and market development priorities
• Develop a deep understanding of the market landscape to help shape the future of the acute pain market and Vertex’s role within it
• Identify, segment, and prioritize key external stakeholders across national, regional, and local levels and across relevant specialties
• Build tailored engagement plans to deepen relationships and support advocacy, education, and external influence

Drive Professional Organization Strategy

• Lead Vertex’s engagement strategy with key professional organizations and societies
• Identify opportunities to strengthen scientific exchange, educational initiatives, and Vertex’s presence within priority organizations
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure coordinated and compliant engagement across meetings, committees, and collaborations

Enable Scientific & Clinical Advocacy

• Partner closely with Medical Affairs and Marketing to ensure aligned and impactful external engagement
• Support development of clinical advocacy strategies, including advisory boards, expert input, and external insights
• Leverage customer and stakeholder insights to inform brand strategy, market development, and future opportunities

Integrate Across the HCP Engagement Ecosystem

• Ensure alignment between customer engagement, speaker programs, congress strategy, and broader HCP engagement efforts
• Partner with P2P, HCP Marketing, and Field teams to maximize impact and consistency across touchpoints

Insights Generation & Strategic Input

• Gather and synthesize insights from customer and external stakeholder interactions to inform:
  • Brand strategy and positioning
  • Educational priorities
  • Market landscape evolution
• Translate insights into actionable recommendations for senior leadership

Execution Excellence & Governance

• Establish clear processes and governance for stakeholder identification, engagement, and tracking
• Ensure all activities are conducted in compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards
• Manage agency partners and external vendors as needed to support execution
• Develop and implement governance related to engagement activities through guidance documents and implementation guides

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Marketing, Medical Affairs, Market Access, HEOR, and Field teams to drive aligned external engagement strategy
• Serve as a key contributor to launch readiness and ongoing commercialization efforts
• Influence stakeholders across functions to ensure cohesive and effective execution

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 10+ years of experience in healthcare/biopharmaceuticals across marketing, medical affairs, customer engagement, or related functions
• Experience developing and executing customer engagement strategies and professional organization partnerships
• Experience working cross-functionally in a matrixed organization

Required Skills

• Deep understanding of customer engagement models and external stakeholder strategy
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate insights into actionable plans
• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills with both internal and external stakeholders
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to engage senior leaders and external experts
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Strong project management and organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting product launches or market development initiatives
• Experience working with professional societies or leading external partnerships
• Familiarity with compliance requirements related to external engagement and HCP interactions
• Ability to travel ~40–50%