Associate Director, Strategic Operations & Commercial Solutions (m/f/d)

Job Description

Associate Director, Strategic Operations & Commercial Solutions (m/f/d)

Fulfilling our company’s purpose to save and improve lives around the world inspired the formation of the H&EP team. H&EP focuses on developing commercially sustained business models that expand access to our medicines and vaccines in low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs). We are a high-visibility, externally facing team working across franchises, markets, and corporate functions to operationalize scalable, sustainable solutions.

Role summary:

We are seeking a hands-on Associate Director, Strategic Operations & Commercial Solutions (m/f/d) to serve as the VP’s primary strategic and operational partner while leading Commercial Solutions & New Launch Execution across priority L&MIC markets. The role will initially focus on establishing effective executive support and operational rhythms for this new and dynamic team, then quickly transition to lead design, activation, and execution of commercial partnership solutions and new product launches. The ideal candidate combines rigorous strategic thinking, strong program management, and hands-on execution experience in large, matrixed organizations, preferably in life sciences, healthcare, or technology.

The position can be based in Switzerland or in any country within the EMEA time-zone.

Time allocation (typical)

• Executive partnership & strategic operations: ~60%

• Commercial solutions, partnerships & new launch execution: ~40%

Key responsibilities:

Executive partnership & strategic operations (~60%)

• Act as the VP’s primary strategic and operational partner: manage priorities, prepare executive-ready briefings, and ensure follow-through on decisions and commitments.

• Plan and drive preparation for senior leader meetings (internal and external): create agendas, pre-reads, talking points, and action logs; track and close follow-ups.

• Maintain a forward-looking view of milestones, deadlines, and risks; proactively surface issues and recommended actions to the VP.

• Represent the VP in selected internal and external meetings within agreed parameters; escalate or make decisions as appropriate.

• Build and sustain ways of working across the enterprise: create and maintain team operating rhythms (meeting cadences, reporting templates, governance mechanisms) and performance dashboards that improve clarity, enable faster decision-making, and reduce friction across franchises and markets.

• Improve team effectiveness by identifying and removing operational bottlenecks, converting strategic intent into executable workplans with clear owners and milestones, and recommend resource trade-offs to protect the team’s highest-value work.

Commercial solutions & new launch execution (~40%)

• Lead design and activation of commercial partnership models that unlock sustainable access in L&MICs—engaging health systems, private-sector partners, NGOs, and financing bodies.

• Drive end-to-end project execution for new product launches in priority markets: scoping, planning, cross-functional alignment (Market Access, Medical, Regulatory, Finance, Regional Commercial), launch readiness, and post-launch review.

• Negotiate and structure partnership agreements that align incentives, clarify roles, and create clear pathways to scale and sustainability.

• Build and maintain project tracking systems and KPIs to give leadership real-time visibility into status, decisions, and risks.

• Conduct rigorous market and situational analyses—synthesizing commercial, epidemiological, financing, and competitive data—to prioritize opportunities and inform recommendations.

• Manage external partner relationships through the project lifecycle: maintain momentum, resolve escalations, and ensure alignment on objectives and timelines.

Team leadership & stakeholder management

• Coach, mentor, and support team members; identify capability gaps and help shape hiring and onboarding to build a high-performing team.

• Coordinate cross-functional and cross-regional stakeholder engagement to ensure organizational readiness and accountability for initiatives.

• Serve as a thought partner on team strategy, reputation, and organizational dynamics—bringing recommendations and options for key stakeholder conversations.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of professional experience with a strong mix of strategy and operations in large, matrixed organizations; experience in life sciences, healthcare, or technology preferred.

• Demonstrated experience in strategy-to-execution roles: program management, new product launch, or commercial strategy in multiple L&MIC markets.

• Prior experience supporting senior leaders (e.g., Chief of Staff-like responsibilities), or operating in a strategic planning/senior coordination capacity.

• Proven ability to lead external partnership engagements—from scoping to execution—and to align different internal and external stakeholders.

• Strong analytical skills, including commercial opportunity assessments, scenario analysis, and structured problem solving.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (additional languages are beneficial; ability to synthesize complex topics into executive-ready materials.

• High emotional intelligence, political savvy, discretion, and the ability to build relationships across levels and geographies.

• Comfortable working in ambiguity and fast-evolving environments.

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Preferred:

• Experience building governance structures, performance dashboards, and operating rhythms for new teams or functions.

• Demonstrated success launching products or scaling partnerships in frontier or high-growth markets.

• Working knowledge of regulatory and commercial considerations in life sciences/healthcare.

Working conditions & other notes:

• Flexibility to support meetings across time zones and occasional travel to partner or market sites.

Why join:

• High-impact role shaping commercial access and launch strategies at enterprise scale in frontier markets.

• Significant exposure to senior leadership and external partners, with the opportunity to build and operationalize a new, high-performing function.

• Collaborative, mission-driven environment committed to measurable impact.

Our Marketing team are passionate about bringing our medicines and vaccines to our customers around the world. Through digital listening and patient analytics, we are able to understand our customers’ needs and strive to provide solutions to meet them.

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:

Asia Pacific Markets, Asia Pacific Markets, Commercial Strategies, Cross-Functional Alignment, Customer Experience Optimization, Dairy Science, Direct Marketing, Driving Sales, Executive Briefing, Health Equity, Market Development, Marketing Program Management, Market Research, Omnichannel Strategy, Partner Relationship Management (PRM), Partnership Agreements, Performance Dashboards, Pricing Strategies, Product Launch Support, Product Management, Program Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking, Structured Problem Solving {+ 1 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

06/9/2026

*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.