Vertex Pharmaceuticals Reviews
Updated Oct 8, 2019
Found 313 reviews
Recommend to a Friend
Approve of CEO
Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D
146 Ratings
Pros
"Great benefits and overall perks" (in 29 reviews)
"Great company filled with great people" (in 22 reviews)
Cons
"Work/life balance STILL non-existent" (in 20 reviews)
"All the comments about senior management in GMDA are spot-on" (in 15 reviews)
"Great Place to Work"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookNo opinion of CEOI worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for more than 5 years
Pros
Innovative atmosphere - great salaries and top notch benefits.
Cons
Office location and the commute are very, very difficult
Advice to Management
More work from home opportunity
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-10-01- Helpful (5)
"Unfortunately never felt welcome here, especially as a “less senior” employee"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookNo opinion of CEOI worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time
Pros
Limited honestly, and none of the pros are worth the toxic, narcissistic work culture.
Cons
Elitist environment that favors titles and “who you know” The only way to move up is favoritism and kissing up to leadership Company is so concerned about accolades and looking good to the outside, enough so that they don’t allow interns/co-ops and contractors to participate in annual surveys. Too many meetings, and checks/balance system to accomplishing tasks - imagine being handheld the entire time
Advice to Management
Learn how to recognize talented people who may not look like mirror images of yourselves and maybe the talented folks will stop leaving the company as fast as they join.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-10-05 "Best work culture within Big Pharma"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for less than a year
Pros
Simply the best work culture due to co-located team, strong internal cross-functional rotations, price premium in monopoly market and good leadership
Cons
Might not be the most digitally savvy, because of the lack of competition in current therapeutic areas
Advice to Management
Never let hold of your work culture. Be careful while hiring new people with string technical expertise that can help manage categories like pain, but lacks Vertex values.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-09-20Vertex Pharmaceuticals Response
September 26, 2019 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Thank you for your positive review. We appreciate the feedback.
- Helpful (15)
"STOP!"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookDisapproves of CEOI worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for more than 8 years
Pros
-Benefits -Pay -Location -Some people are smart and fun to be around
Cons
-Work/life balance STILL non-existent -Required to multitask to ineffiency and burn out -The churn of logistics disables the science -Constant chaos, constant sprint, very disorganized
Advice to Management
To top management: STOP! We.need.more.mid-level.scientists.in.CMC.to.work.here.to.meet.the.timelines.otherwise.slow.them.down! Stop putting CMC management in a bind! Without CMC you have NOTHING to put into the clinic, NOTHING! Hire more full time, mid-level employees at RSL! Why do you think your model works to keep burning people out? It is NOT productive, NOT sustainable, and A COMPLIANCE RISK! Stop making... people stressed out and suffer, causing them to lash out at their direct reports, peers, and their own management!
Show MoreVertex Pharmaceuticals2019-09-12Vertex Pharmaceuticals Response
September 16, 2019 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Thank you for your review. We will make sure that we provide your review to the proper department and will try and improve on what you have pointed out.
- Helpful (9)
"Sometimes Diversity is Discriminatory"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookNo opinion of CEOI worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for more than 10 years
Pros
Had some great years here until the new crew took over.
Cons
Currently it is a rudderless ship full of manipulative self promoting snakes. If you are a white male BEWARE. Their diversity model does not include you. In fact, the more they hold down, the more "diverse" they appear. Best move I made was leaving.
Advice to Management
Good luck. The Boston area is about to get much more competetive and you people are going to have difficulty hiring legit workers instead of shmoozers.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-09-19Vertex Pharmaceuticals Response
September 26, 2019 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Thank you for taking time and providing feedback on your experience at Vertex. Diversity and Inclusion for EVERYONE is important to us. Good luck in your future roles.
- Helpful (16)
"Want a life? Don't work here"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for more than 10 years
Pros
Benefits, PTO, compensation, location, facilities
Cons
- Some parts of the company work all the time - including Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you're not working nights and weekends, you're "not committed." - Outdated model of needing to see "butts in the chair" despite the craziness this causes employees (who are working around the clock) - Lack of leadership in some functions - Micromanagement from all levels of leadership, yet senior managers are overwhelmed and... can't make decisions - Favoritism
Show MoreAdvice to Management
None - They're not interested in what the peanut gallery thinks.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-09-09Vertex Pharmaceuticals Response
September 16, 2019 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Thank your for taking the time to write your review. We take feedback very seriously and will make sure yours is provided to the right departments.
- Helpful (17)
"All talk, no walk"
StarStarStarStarStarI have been working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for more than 5 years
Pros
Great salary and benefits: -10%+ yearly bonuses with 20-50% stock awards that vest over 3 years. -4 weeks vacation to start and company shut down between Christmas and New year -$300/month commuter benefit, charitable donation matching, and $125/month student loan payment -401k is just OK with 100% match for up to 3% and 50% match for an additional 1-3% I am lucky that I work on a team with a manager who is... supportive, empathetic, and reasonable. The people I work closest with are smart, helpful, and generally easy to work with. Like most places, your experience will vary depending on the department and immediate team. Vertex as a whole is extremely successful, and I take pride in working for a company that focuses on rare genetic diseases and research.
Show MoreCons
All the comments about senior management in GMDA are spot-on. The comment about adding barriers instead of value is particularly accurate. Extra layers of process and review add inefficiencies and confusion. Decision makers are either unresponsive, unreasonable, or can't agree with each other. They also want their hands in every. little. thing. Vertex talks a big talk about wanting to support its employees, help... them grow, maintain work-life balance, "push decision making down and out" (please), but never follows through. There is a lot of unnecessary pressure and finger-pointing that leads to fear and burnout. They badger and bribe employees to complete an "optional" development plan so that they can say they got 100% participation and claim they did something to support employee development; whether the content of these plans is actually useful is another story. Vertex also talks big about innovation and excellence, but, in my department in particular, opportunities are decided by seniority instead of merit. I am told time and again that I'm ahead of my peers who have been here longer, and yet they get most of the choice projects and growth opportunities. People are ridiculously sensitive about fairness.
Show MoreAdvice to Management
You can't keep pushing drugs through the clinic at back-breaking speed by having employees work (and re-work) endlessly. You need to get MORE EFFICIENT. Stop changing things at the last minute. Establish clear processes and STICK TO THEM. Listen to your seasoned workers and you might actually get it right the first time. Invest in technology.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-08-24Vertex Pharmaceuticals Response
September 3, 2019 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Thank you for taking the time in posting your review. We take feedback seriously and are working on the issues you wrote about. We will make sure your feedback is sent to the leadership team and HR.
"EXCELLENT COMPANY TO WORK FOR"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for more than 3 years
Pros
Competitive salary. Incredible benefits. Free stock options. Perfect Seaport location. State of the art amenities. Wonderful culture and environment to work
Cons
Uncertainty of executive leadership and future pipeline goals
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-09-05Vertex Pharmaceuticals Response
September 9, 2019 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Thank you for your review. We appreciate the positive feedback.
"Stay miles away from this company"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookDisapproves of CEOI have been working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals full-time for more than a year
Pros
There are few (very few) true professionals left in the company
Cons
Micromanagement, harassment by Senior Management, mediocre talent at executive leadership.
Advice to Management
Please disband the whole senior and executive leadership. Things will fall into place.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-10-09- Helpful (2)
"No one would work here if it weren't for the good pay."
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookDisapproves of CEOI worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals part-time
Pros
The benefits are decent, and the facilities are nice. The company also provides a competitive salary.
Cons
I'm sure no one would work here if the pay wasn't good. Management is unable to effectively assign tasks and handle employees. This means that employees are often overwhelmed with tasks and do not get support from management. Also, advancement is almost impossible here, and there is very limited room for growth. Management runs the company like authoritarians. .
Vertex Pharmaceuticals2019-10-05
Join the Vertex Pharmaceuticals team
Found 313 reviews
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Response
October 2, 2019 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Thank you for your review. We are always happy to hear that our employees feel they work in an innovative environment. We will make sure to provide feedback to our management team on your advice to management.