Associate Director, Launch Strategy & Operations

Job Description

Join our dynamic team at the forefront of transforming the US market through innovative product launches and launch excellence within our US Market Strategy organization. We are dedicated to improving lives through human-centered healthcare solutions, and we seek individuals who are passionate about driving impactful changes.

As the Associate Director of Launch Strategy and Operations, you will lead the enterprise preparation of multiple product launches in Oncology. You will collaborate closely with marketing leadership, as well as partner with cross-functional teams to develop and implement strategic launch plans, ensuring market readiness and optimizing commercial success. This role requires a blend of strategic thinking, operational excellence, and strong leadership capabilities.

Key Responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership

• Launch Strategy Development: Lead the creation of holistic, integrated launch plans that align with organizational objectives and market dynamics, ensuring best-in-class execution.

• Market Readiness Oversight: Develop and implement robust market readiness frameworks, monitoring key indicators and proactively addressing challenges to ensure successful launches.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with global, marketing, sales, operations, market access, patient and customer experience, manufacturing, and other key functions to ensure alignment and connectivity across all launch activities.

• Governance and Accountability: Establish governance structures for launch planning, tracking milestones, and escalating issues to ensure accountability and ownership of launch performance.

Operational Excellence

• Program Management: Oversee the execution of launch readiness activities within our company's launch planning tool, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and resource allocation.

• Risk Management: Identify potential risks and interdependencies across launch workstreams, developing mitigation strategies to ensure seamless execution.

Continuous Improvement

• Process Optimization: Drive initiatives focused on enhancing launch execution processes, leveraging innovative tools and methodologies to improve efficiency and outcomes.

• Best Practices Integration: Capture lessons learned and best practices from previous launches to inform future strategies and enhance US Human Health and business unit capabilities.

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Biotechnology, or a related field.

• Minimum of 5 years of commercial experience in the biopharmaceutical or life sciences industry, with a focus on marketing, sales, or commercial operations.

• Leadership Skills: Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, influence stakeholders, and drive strategic initiatives in a matrixed organization.

• Project Management: Strong project management skills with a track record of executing complex plans across diverse functions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Launch Experience: Demonstrated success in launching new products or brands within the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in Oncology or related therapeutic areas.

• Analytical Skills: Proficiency in utilizing data and insights to inform decision-making and optimize launch strategies.

• Agile Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile practices and frameworks to enhance launch readiness and execution.

Critical Skills and Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to analyze market trends and competitive dynamics to inform launch strategies.

• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and effectively.

• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills with a proven ability to work collaboratively across functions and levels of the organization.

• Adaptability: Demonstrated agility in managing ambiguity and navigating changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Additional Information:

• Travel: Willingness to travel as needed for meetings and conferences.

• On-Site Requirement: Availability to work on-site 3 days per week.

Required Skills:

Accountability, Accountability, Adaptability, Agile Methodology, Agile Project Management, Biopharmaceutical Industry, Biopharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Continuous Process Improvement, Customer Satisfaction, Data-Driven Decision Making, Developing Proposals, Employee Performance Evaluations, Environmental Scanning, Feasibility Studies, Innovation, Launch Strategy, Leadership, Market Research, Market Trends, Operational Excellence, Pharmaceutical Market, Portfolio Management, Project Management, Resource Allocation {+ 5 more}

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.

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

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

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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:

Domestic

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:

04/10/2026

*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.