Associate Director, Independent Medical Education

Job Description

The Associate Director, Independent Medical Education plays a critical role in advancing patient care by supporting high‑quality, independent, and evidence‑based medical education that addresses gaps in healthcare professional knowledge, competence, and performance. This role is responsible for evaluating IME grant proposals to ensure alignment with identified educational needs, therapeutic area priorities, and external standards for scientific integrity and independence. Working cross‑functionally with Medical Affairs, Value & Implementation, and external stakeholders, the AD IME ensures educational investments are strategically focused, compliance‑appropriate, and designed to translate emerging science and clinical guidance into meaningful improvements in real‑world clinical practice.

Role Summary

• The Associate Director, Independent Medical Education (AD IME), position resides in the Value & Implementation (V&I) organization, which includes Global Medical and Scientific Affairs as well as Outcomes Research.  

• This position sits within the V&I Global Medical & Value Capabilities (V&I GMVC) Global Medical Proficiency and External Affairs (GMPEA) organization and is primarily responsible for planning, coordinating and reviewing IME grant proposals.

• This position is responsible for IME grant-proposal assessment, conducting educational-needs assessments to identify and address gaps in health-care professional (HCP) education, cross-functional collaboration, budget management, and compliance oversight.

Responsibilities and Primary Activities

• Supports innovative, independently created medical education that is aligned with our therapeutic area (TA) priorities to advance HCP knowledge, skills, competence, and performance and help improve patient care and enable optimal outcomes.

• Conducts educational-needs assessments to identify educational gaps of HCP learners ensuring grant support is addressing evidence-based needs, working with regional company representatives to ensure global understanding of educational needs.

• Partners cross-functionally and within GMPEA to understand educational needs from stakeholders including Global Professional Society Affairs (GPSA) and the Healthcare Quality Improvement Center of Excellence (HQI CoE).

• Maintains knowledge of trends in IME and continuing professional development (CPD) along with emerging technological approaches using adult-learning principles.

• Establishes and facilitates Grant Review Committee (GRC) meetings across areas of responsibility to gain insights on medical and scientific alignment of IME grant proposals to areas of educational need (AEN) and TA priorities.

• Liaises with global and U.S. V&I stakeholders to compliantly share outcomes of completed IME initiatives and TA educational-impact summaries.

• Ensures compliance with existing internal and external guidelines as they pertain to continuing medical education, as well as the internal standards of our company based on its interpretation of the applicable laws and regulations.

• Assesses, negotiates and monitors operating budget for approved IME programs throughout the lifecycle of a grant.

• Maintains appropriate processes and financial controls to ensure completion of programs within established budgets.

• Attends, monitors and assesses supported IME programs.

 

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• BA/BS degree.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical medical affairs, professional medical education, or related healthcare organizations.

• Understanding of Independent Medical Education, CME/CPD, and adult‑learning principles.

• High level of business acumen and influence, as well as communication, planning, collaborative, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

• Experience applying adult-learning principles and assessing IME against the seven levels of Moore’s Outcomes of Knowledge and Practice Gaps.

PreferredQualifications, Skills and Experience

• MBA, PhD, or credentialed health-care professional degree (PharmD, NP, PA).

• Previous external-facing position.

• Experience in one or more TAs with company-supported IME.

Required Skills:

Adult Learning Theory, Business Acumen, Educational Strategies, Grant Applications, Grants Management, Healthcare Education, Medical Affairs, Pharmaceutical Medical Affairs, Pharmaceutical Training

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:

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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

$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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:

05/23/2026

*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.