Director, Commercial Quality-Packaging and Labeling
Vertex Pharmaceuticals · Boston, MA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Quality
- Base pay
- $185k–$277k
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Pharma & life sciences
- Posted
- Recently
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level quality role at Vertex Pharmaceuticals (pharma & life sciences) in Boston, MA. Monitor, and trend operational quality metrics and KPIs; ensure metrics identify emerging risks, support management review; ensure team is prepared to collate executive slide presentations for each level of quality governance and leadership review (APQR.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- Root cause, CAPA, FDA / GMP, Capacity planning
- Base pay
- $185k–$277k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in Massachusetts: typical posted base $107k–$149k. This one lists $185k–$277k.
Median of the low and high ends of 50 live postings that list pay, out of 70 quality engineer openings in Massachusetts, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Massachusetts plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 69 other live quality postings in Massachusetts.
- Base pay
- About 94% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 5+)
Typical $100k–$138k, from 39 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 69%
- ✓ FDA / GMP 60%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 51%
- ✓ CAPA 50%
- ISO 13485 46%
- FMEA 37%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Capacity planning, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at Vertex Pharmaceuticals
We found 3 people at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role, 2 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Alexander → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
- How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston
16 other open roles at this site · 3 people we found in quality roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
- Associate Director, Automation Engineering · Controls · Director+
- Associate Director, GxP Operations Support Manufacturing Systems · Production · Director+
- Director, Package Engineering · Manufacturing · Director+
- Operational Excellence & Business Analytics Associate Director · Lean / CI · Director+
- Senior Director Cell & Genetic Therapies Quality - Personalized Medicine · Quality · Director+
- Associate Director, CMC Quality Compliance and Inspection Readiness (Hybrid) · Quality · Director+
Full description from Vertex PharmaceuticalsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
The
requirements
and commercial packaging and labeling operations in a pharmaceutical environment
- ✓Demonstrated experience applying risk-based quality principles to operational decisions, escalation management, and release-related activities
- ✓Strong working knowledge of packaging and labeling
requirements
across the US, EU, and rest of world markets
- ✓Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence internal and external stakeholders without direct authority
- ✓Strong communication, facilitation, and decision-making skills, with the ability to align teams around clear actions and priorities
- ✓Experience developing quality metrics, monitoring operational performance, and driving process improvement
- ✓Strong ability to identify organizational gaps, clarify decision ownership, and strengthen operating discipline across multiple levels of the organization
- ✓Experience with Operational Excellence tools and methods, including Root Cause Analysis and continuous improvement approaches
- ✓Strong judgment, attention to detail, and ability to balance compliance, business continuity, and execution pace
Education and experience
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in a scientific or allied health field, or equivalent degree
- ✓Requires 10+ years of relevant work experience and 4+ years of management experience
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Job Description
General summary
The Quality Operations Director provides operational leadership for commercial resupply and lifecycle management of primary and secondary packaging and labeling across a global CMO network. The role translates strategy, capacity plans, and business priorities into an efficient operating model across global CMO portfolios.
The Director leads a risk-based quality oversight structure required to assure compliant, reliable, and uninterrupted commercial supply. The role leads a high-performing organization and serves as a senior Quality partner to CMO leadership, Vertex Sr Director of quality operations, Manufacturing &technical operations, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Launch/Technical Quality, and other internal and external stakeholders.
of this position will include, but are not limited to, the following
- •Lead operational quality oversight for commercial resupply and lifecycle management of finished goods primary and secondary packaging and labeling activities across US and UK/EU CMOs.
- •Translate departmental strategy and business priorities into operational quality plans, resource priorities, and execution expectations for the packaging and labeling quality team
- •Proactively build team capability, an inclusive environment and drive consistent team execution. Provide direct leadership for people managers and/or senior staff, demonstrating understanding of team strengths and development areas and leveraging expertise effectively through performance management, talent development, coaching, and succession planning.
- •Lead prioritization, decision-making, and coordination across packaging and labeling operational quality activities so that issues are managed at the appropriate level and business results are delivered across the organization
- •Act as the primary escalation leader for significant packaging and labeling operational quality issues, ensuring timely triage, risk assessment, communication, and appropriate resolution
- •Lead cross-functional operational forums related to commercial resupply and lifecycle packaging and labeling quality, ensuring clear accountability, decision tracking, follow-through, and alignment across internal stakeholders and CMO partners
- •Ensure robust procedural oversight of exemption management, QP-related activities, artwork and packaging process change controls, and batch documentation review within the scope of the function
- •Ensure robust procedural oversight for disposition of commercial primary and secondary packaged goods, CMO oversight and QTA compliance monitoring, including risk-based assessment of changes, investigations, jurisdictional limitations and quality events that may affect release or supply status
- •Ensure quality processes for commercial resupply and lifecycle packaging and labeling operations are maintained and continuously improved to support compliance, efficiency, business continuity, and risk mitigation across all commercial SM and bio/combo device modalities and product lines.
- •Monitor, and trend operational quality metrics and KPIs; ensure metrics identify emerging risks, support management review; ensure team is prepared to collate executive slide presentations for each level of quality governance and leadership review (APQR, Ops Review, QMR, GPLB etc.)
- •Build and maintain effective working relationships with CMO Leadership, Qualified Persons, and other external partner leadership to support compliant and reliable commercial operations partnership
- •Ensure robust resupply quality input to operational deviation/investigation RCA, CAPA, efficacy checks, product impact assessments, and process support for product complaint investigations related to pack and label operations.
- •Ensure inspection and audit readiness within the function and provide leadership support for inspections, responses, and follow-up actions as needed
- •Partner with senior Vertex QA leadership on organization design, operating model effectiveness, and capability-building needs across the packaging and labeling quality organization
- •Drive clarity of roles, responsibilities, and decision rights across the team to enable appropriate ownership at all levels within the resupply unit as well as across partner interfaces
Knowledge and skills
- •Strong leadership capability with demonstrated success leading through managers and senior professionals in a complex GMP environment
- •Proven ability to convert strategy into operational execution plans and to sustain delivery through clear governance, priorities, and accountability
- •Strong knowledge of global GMP/GDP
More Quality roles nearby
- Senior Quality Engineer, Applied AI · Anduril Industries · Boston
- Senior Director Cell & Genetic Therapies Quality - Personalized Medicine · Vertex Pharmaceuticals · Boston
- Associate Director, CMC Quality Compliance and Inspection Readiness (Hybrid) · Vertex Pharmaceuticals · Boston
- Associate Director, GMP Operational Quality (Biologics and Devices) · Vertex Pharmaceuticals · Boston