Associate Director, Human Resources Business Partner (Hybrid - NJ or PA)

Job Description

Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, and teamwork of people like you. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork. As part of our company's Research Laboratories HR team, you'll have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career, in a true business partner role. This position will support multiple clients within the Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO) organization.   The Human Resources Business Partner serves as a consultant and strategic partner to leaders within Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO), acting as an employee champion and change agent. This role supports multiple client groups experiencing transformation and operational complexity, providing HR partnership across organizational optimization, talent strategy, workforce planning, org design, change management, leader effectiveness, performance management, compensation planning, and employee relations.

Strategic HR Partnership & Leader Coaching

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across multiple organizations -understanding business priorities and translating them into HR strategies and practical execution plans.

• Coach leaders through complex and cyclical people processes (performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, compensation planning, development planning).

• Provide support for leader transitions, onboarding, and leader effectiveness needs, especially where operating model or ways of working changes create new leader/manager expectations.

Organizational Design, Transformation & Change Management

• Lead and support organizational design and alignment activities across a portfolio undergoing evolving capability needs.

• Partner with leaders to plan and execute operating model changes, including communications, implementation planning, and collaboration with legal/HR centers of excellence as required.

Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning & Capability Building

• Drive talent and workforce planning aligned to a complex clinical development portfolio, ensuring “right talent, right place, right focus” approaches within each client organization.

• Support talent and development planning, pipeline/bench strengthening, and succession planning—particularly for leadership roles and critical capabilities.

• Partner with Learning & Development to support capability building priorities referenced in GCTO HR priorities (e.g., leadership forums, manager enablement, capability alignment, and culture reinforcement).

Employee Relations, Risk Management & HR Policy Guidance

• Provide day-to-day performance management guidance (coaching, counseling, employee development, employee relations, risk identification/escalation), especially in environments experiencing transformation and role redesign.

• Provide HR policy guidance and interpretation; ensure decisions and actions reflect compliant and ethical behavior expectations.

• Operate effectively in global contexts and partner with regional/country HR stakeholders .

Data, Insights & Cross-HR Collaboration

• Use HR systems, trend data, and operational insights to inform recommendations and prioritize the highest-impact work (supporting leaders to navigate complexity and execution).

• Collaborate across the HR network (GTA, L&D, Employee Relations, Compensation, WFA, etc.) to resolve escalations and deliver integrated solutions that align to business objectives.

Required Education:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree, or currently in pursuit of degree completion, or  equivalent relevant HR work experience or related discipline.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years HR experience, or related discipline (or 8 years minimum experience with Master’s Degree).

• Demonstrated ability to consult with, coach and advise senior leaders; highly effective written and verbal communicator; proven relationship-building and influence skills.

• Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and projects in parallel, prioritizing most impactful activities and initiatives

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior HR Business Partner experience supporting complex, matrixed organizations.

• Demonstrated experience in organizational development (org design, workforce planning, change management).

• Comfort operating in global environments with distributed teams and multiple stakeholder groups.

• Demonstrated ability to translate business priorities into people and capability strategies

• Conceptual fluency in AI and ability to translate AI strategy into workforce implications

Work Model / Travel

• Hybrid (NJ/PA); travel approximately 10–20%

MSJR

Required Skills:

Human Resource Management, Human Resources (HR), Human Resources Policies

Preferred Skills:

Business Management, Business Strategies, Change Management, Client Management, Clinical Development, Coaching, Compensation Strategies, Conflict Resolution, Incentive Compensation, Learning Strategies, Organizational Alignment, Organizational Change Management, People Management, Performance Management Tool, Prioritization, Project Resource Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Succession Planning, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Teamwork, Trend Analysis, Workforce Planning

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

EEOC GINA Supplement​

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

$129,000.00 - $203,100.00

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:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/15/2026

*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.