Vertex Pharmaceuticals Reviews

Pros

Amazing culture, focused on both the patients and the employees. Senior leadership understands how critical it is that their employees are not only happy and engaged, but also have the time and tools to create the best work/life balance for themselves. I joined virtually at the start of the pandemic and was amazed at how seamless the onboarding was. They had seemingly thought of everything that could go wrong and already had a plan in place. I have never been in an organization where I felt so at home so quickly. Every employee has been warm, helpful and really embraces the Vertex phenotype of leading by example, learning, teaching and developing, fostering exceptional collaboration, driving breakthrough results and promoting enterprise thinking. These are all values which are a large part of what makes Vertex such a special place to work. Of course their benefits are incredible, and with the success they've experienced, there are lots of opportunities for future growth. What stood out to me immediately is how frequently they promote from within, along with a strong commitment to D&I. When I interviewed at their beautiful Seaport headquarters, I swear i could feel the positive energy the minute I stepped off the elevator. The funny thing is, I also feel that energy whenever we have a zoom meeting. It's the PEOPLE, and I am so excited to get back to the office when it is deemed safe to do so, and meet everyone in person!

Cons

Every company has pros and cons, but I personally have not yet found anything that I would consider a con.

Pros

Vertex is driven by robust science. The commitment to treating rare diseases and improving the lives of patients is admirable.

Cons

I wish I could say that the focus on scientific integrity outweighed the disrespect and demoralizing culture. Favoritism is prevalent, and not confronted - which just enables the poor behavior. I took pride in working collaboratively and sharing my knowledge, and most especially leading rather than managing. These values and behaviors were not encouraged. The relentless narrow timelines and constant reactive mode of working were/are unsustainable. Similarly, on many occasions cross functional teams possessing a breadth of knowledge would make a well informed decision, only to be over ruled by an executive with little involvement with the project or Team. Consensus driven decisions aren’t realistic most of the time, but decisions based on input from subject matter experts are integral to successful outcomes.

Pros

The facility is nice, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a top place to work

Cons

Microaggressions are prominent because many folks here don’t realize gaps in their treatment of others They pride themselves on having model minorities They believe in meritocracy and believe that grades and high merit deems success Everything Vertex does is with the aim of getting accolades and attention although they don’t deserve it. It’s just for show, they couldn’t care less about many of the “core values” that they pride themselves on. Upper management sits in their lofty top floor offices and pretend like everything is perfect and they refuse to encourage open feedback/transparency Many people fear retaliation because senior leadership is very conniving in that regard; if you cross them, you get blacklisted from the industry (or so they try to threaten you with)

Pros

The work was something I became good at

Cons

The CEO of the company Reshma Kewalramani is useless. She is just a figurehead who don't even know the names of half her staff members. I wish the company had a real CEO who could improve it and make people feel at home.

Pros

Challenging work in a fast-paced environment.

Cons

There's a very little to zero opportunities for career growth and advancement. You might think that there's a lot of potential for your career here but it's the other way around. The work might be challenging but that all there is to it. You can't achieve any career goals you might have for yourself when you're working here.