Associate Director, D&A Strategy

Job Description

Associate Director, Business Insights & Analytics - US Vaccines and Infectious Disease

This role sits within the DHH US Market Engagement Team for Vaccines & Infectious Disease, a core part of the US Commercial organization.  The Associate Director, Business Insights & Analytics will be responsible for developing and communicating data-driven and actionable insights that drive greater customer and market understanding to inform launch brand strategies, help meet in-line brand growth and commercial objectives.

This hybrid role integrates advanced data science, forecasting, targeting and segmentation, health policy analytics, and AI/ML enablement to influence decision making at scale. This person will be business facing and will “connect the dots” across the broader DHH capability ecosystem, partnering closely with teams in market research, forecasting, payer insights & analytics, data science, data strategy, and data solutions.

The preferred candidate should have intellectual curiosity, entrepreneurial spirit, consultative mindset, strong understanding of healthcare & pharma marketing and will serve as a thought partner to the BIA and AA leaders.  The person should be able to identify the data, analytics and research needs to define, enable, and inform commercial strategies of our brand and business leaders.

In partnership with the Advanced Analytics team members, the candidate will identify, introduce, and operationalize cutting edge methodologies—including AI, machine learning, and causal inference techniques—to elevate the scientific rigor and innovation of the team’s work.  The person will have a growth mindset and embody a culture of continuous learning. Effective communication skills are essential for a candidate to be successful in this role.

 

Primary Job Function and Key Responsibilities

• Thoroughly appreciate the assigned internal stakeholder business needs and priorities to help build analyses promoting business objectives by delivering actionable insights

• Be accountable for ensuring delivery of analyses with high quality standards, timeliness, compliance, and excellent user experience (routinely keep client base updated on progress)

• Mine and analyze data leveraging advanced analytical/statistical techniques from disparate databases/sources (claims data/EMR Data and other sources) to drive optimization and improvement of therapy area commercial business strategies

• Comprehend the complexity/dependencies between multiple teams, platforms (people, technologies)

• Convey new trends/methodologies being implemented/considered within the company ecosystem and bring new ideas forward that will enhance analytic capabilities of the organization

• Contribute to innovative experiments, specifically to idea generation, idea incubation and/or experimentation, identifying tangible and measurable criteria

• Effectively convey and positively influence stakeholders

 Minimum required education:

A minimum of BS (or equivalent) in Marketing, Business Strategy, Business Consulting, Data Science, Computer Science or an equivalent scientific/commercial discipline. MBA or Master’s or Doctorate degree in Decision Science, Marketing, Engineering, Public Health, Biological Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy, Mathematics, Economy, Statistics, Computer Science, Medical Sciences is preferred.

Required Experience & Skills:

• Minimum of 3 plus years of relevant knowledge using data science and/or analytical techniques to deliver measurable impact in commercial pharma landscape.

• Knowledge in mining medical claims/EMR, social media, etc. data with a strategic/inquisitive mindset and proven record of being able to produce actionable business insights that drive positive commercial results

• Provide actionable insights through analytics to commercial franchises brands at various stages of product life cycle (development, launch, maturity, end of life cycle)

• Strong communication skills using effective storytelling grounded on data insights

• Provide guidance, help define tactics and strategies to implement targeting and segmentation scheme using predictive and machine learning models

• Ability to extract data from various database tables using tools such as SQL to develop features to be used in analysis

• Comfortable with formulating actionable insights and recommendations from commercial analytics into presentations (using PowerPoint, Tableau, etc.) and presenting results to various levels of franchise management

• Proven knowledge of business processes and industry/market trends within the pharmaceutical/healthcare space

• Motivational and ethical stakeholder management and communication skills, along with the ability to convey appropriately and confidently with colleagues from different backgrounds and seniority levels

• Effective organizational skills, with ability to navigate a complex matrix environment and organize/prioritize work efficiently and effectively

• Knowledge in developing both machine learning and descriptive algorithms/modeling using such languages as Python, R etc.

Work location: Upper Gwynedd, PA or Rahway, NJ (role will be hybrid and chosen candidate is expected to be in the office at least 3 days/week).

Our Human Health Division maintains a “patient first, profits later” ideology. The organization is comprised of sales, marketing, market access, digital analytics and commercial professionals who are passionate about their role in bringing our medicines to our customers worldwide. 

Required Skills:

Accountability, Biological Sciences, Brand Growth, Brand Strategy, Business Analysis, Business Strategies, Communication, Computer Science, Data Science, Demand Management, Digital Analytics, Forecasting, Immunochemistry, Infectious Disease, Innovation, Leadership, Product Lifecycle, Python (Programming Language), Requirements Management, Social Media, Sourcing and Procurement, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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:

EEOC Know Your Rights

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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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is

$156,900.00 - $247,000.00

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:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/a

Job Posting End Date:

06/16/2026

*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.