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-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.

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 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.

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

• 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+ y…