Director, Medical Affairs, Implementation and Strategic Execution (Remote)

Job Description

Role Summary:

• The US Medical Affairs Implementation and Strategic Execution Director (DISE) plays a critical leadership role in advancing the strategic priorities of US Medical Affairs across a dynamic and growing ID/Vaccine (ID/V) portfolio. 

• Reporting to the Senior Director, Scientific Director Medical Affairs, this role is a key member of the ID/Vaccines/Virology Field Medical Leadership Teams and drives alignment, innovation, and execution across the ID/Vaccine ecosystem.  The Director will work in conjunction with the Executive Directors and Team Leads (TL) to support field execution.

• Key responsibilities include optimizing Field Execution Plans within designated TAs, devising opportunities for execution partnerships across USMA, and establishing implementation strategies to support portfolio life cycle management, within the framework of our policies.  Additional responsibilities will include creation of reports and presentations that effectively represent the impact of Field Medical teams.  

Responsibilities and Primary Activities:

Strategic Planning and Execution Leadership

• Influence field medical planning through collaboration with TLs, HS PASLs, HS SaMIs and SDMAs to ensure prioritization and coordinated execution of USMA Goals/Objectives and Country Medical Affairs Plans.

• Partner with leadership on culture-shaping initiatives, new hire onboarding, team development, and performance enablement to ensure a high-performing, innovative, and agile field medical organization.

• Work with Field Medical Leadership Team to plan and execute high priority projects and critical departmental/team meetings and events.

• Partner with the US Lead, Medical Modernization to create innovative solutions for scientific exchange mastery.

• Work with SDMAs and TLs to develop and lead implementation strategies throughout product life cycles and maximize synergies across programs and Scientific Leaders.

• Lead pull-through of leadership skills training workshops.

• Continuously scan the healthcare environment and analyze emerging trends to determine individual skills and competencies to drive future organizational capabilities.

• Serve as the strategic partner to CSEE to ensure services/resources are aligned to needs of the Team, including engagement tools, techniques, and best practices.

Operational Excellence 

• Serve as the primary ID/V point of contact for all operational and logistical stakeholders for aspects impacting the team.

• Drive simplification, innovation, efficiency and effectiveness across field medical systems, tools, and processes to increase agility and measurable outcomes.

• Provide strategic leadership to the Digital Innovation, Operations, and Compliance Council, including responsibility of organization/maintenance of MS Teams/Sharepoint, and other sites where Teams access information.

• Exhibit expert understanding of company and organizational policies and procedures and be a resource for team.

• Support team value creation by identifying areas of high impact and translating into messaging via executive presentations that resonate with senior leadership.

• Develop and assess team data and analytics via dashboards, scorecards, and other analytics systems to track performance against team goals and impact metrics.

• Identify strategic opportunities to embed an AI-first mindset within ID/V.

Required Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

Minimum:

• Advanced healthcare/science doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., Pharm.D., Ph.D.)

• At least 3 years medical affairs experience, including a demonstration of leadership in the role

• Minimum of 2 years working in the relevant therapeutic area

• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, strategic, tactical planning, project leadership and communication skills

• Ability to handle a demanding and changing workload and respond efficiently to timelines and changing market events

• Ability to work across a diverse portfolio along the product life cycle

• Ability to effectively communicate information to internal and external stakeholders at all levels (e.g., senior leadership, management, and individual contributors)

• Business acumen with a superior understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare arena

• Proven ability to work with cross-functional highly matrixed teams and collaborate across multiple stakeholder groups (e.g., therapeutic areas)

• Proven track record of contribution to medical development strategies within the pharmaceutical industry

• Full proficiency in Microsoft Suite (Excel, PPT, Word, etc.) and understanding of the capabilities of AI and its potential application to field medical effectiveness.

Preferred:

• Strategy lead and/or additional experience in a strategy and operations type role, including experience working in managed care/health systems

• Previous people or functional leadership, requiring executive-level presentations, creating communications for impact/action, and highly-matrixed, cross functional orgs.

#eligibleforERP

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US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The salary range for this role is

$187,000.00 - $294,400.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Remote

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Required Skills:

Infectious Disease, Medical Affairs, Operational Excellence, Pharmaceutical Medical Affairs, Pharmacoeconomics, Population Health Management, Process Management, Project Leadership, Scientific Communications, Strategic Leadership, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking, Vaccinations, Vaccine Development, Vaccine Research, Vaccine Safety

 Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

08/13/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.