Director - Business Unit (Animal Health)

Job Description

Business Unit Director (AH)

•  Do you want to join a market leader: own the P&L, accelerate innovation, and set the standard for Animal Health across ANZ.

• Join a role and turn strategies into commercial wins, launch breakthrough products, and grow a high-performing team in a top-tier Business. Drive market leadership, scale customer-centric growth, and transform a portfolio that powers Australia’s livestock industry.

• Bring your entrepreneurial curiosity and learning spirit into a career of purpose, personal growth and leadership

About Us :
Our Animal Health division is a trusted global leader in veterinary medicine, dedicated to the health and well-being of animals. We are a global team of professionals working together to make a positive difference in animal care and the world’s food supply and have a deep sense of responsibility towards our customers, consumers, animals, society and our planet. We offer one of our industry’s most innovative portfolio of products, services and technologies that serve to prevent, treat, and control diseases across all major farm and companion animal species.

Position Overview :

As the Business Unit Director, your  primary responsibility in this Ruminants & Swine role, is to be accountable for the P&L of the BU. You will be extensively involved in achieving revenue and margin expectations whilst managing expenses to deliver on the Pre-Tax Income (PTI) targets.

Reporting to the General Manager, Australia, you will operate within the livestock Biopharma and Technology industry, which is both highly regulated and very competitive. Our success largely depends on our ability to build customer loyalty and optimize the return on customer segments. Success is often dependent on getting new products into the market quickly and at a price acceptable to both the marketplace and the organization.

Our success also depends on a high level of market penetration and effective management of emerging and existing customers & industry stakeholders. This requires flawless coordination between customers, sales, technical, after-sales, marketing and other internal stakeholders.

This role is based in Sydney (Australia). Business will support relocation.

What will you do

•  Contribute to Biopharma and Technology strategy and long-term operating plan for ruminant & swine portfolios.

• Translate strategy into Sales, After-sales, Marketing, and Technical initiatives at the BU level.

• Lead commercial performance to achieve short- and long-term objectives (sales, market share, evolution index, profitability).

• Prepare P&L budgets and provide monthly updates on revenue, margin, OPEX, and PTI.

•  Optimize pricing, product mix, and promotional investments to maximize gross profit.

• Confirm accurate sales forecasts and ensure efficient supply chain with logistics, customer service, and production.

• Lead brand planning, five-year portfolio planning, and adoption of non-traditional marketing channels.

• Drive new product development and innovation; review underperforming products; strengthen key B2B relationships.

•  Provide vision and strategic direction; build an integrated, engaged, and productive team.

• Lead, develop, and retain talent; recognize performance; hold teams accountable for delivery and results.

• Ensure compliance with relevant acts, policies, legal requirements, ethical standards, and quality systems.

• Maintain required documentation across the business unit.

• Pharmacovigilance and regulatory: ensure PV activities and Australian regulatory requirements are implemented for biopharma and technology portfolios.

• Identify, assess, and control hazards; ensure legal compliance; conduct audits/inspections; complete corrective actions; define monitoring; provide training; set objectives, targets, and KPIs; run improvement projects and review progress.

What should you have :

•  Minimum 7 years of relevant management experience; proficiency in English; tertiary qualification (scientific, marketing, or business preferred).

• Proven commercial track record in regulated environments; strong stakeholder relationship skills.

• Experience managing marketing professionals; strong understanding of sales processes.

• Strong knowledge of the Australian Ruminant & Swine market (desired but not essential).

• Team leadership: set clear, ambitious goals; empower and hold people accountable; lead through change; champion new ways of working.

• Values and culture: foster a safe, inclusive feedback culture; encourage responsibility and diversity; prioritize people development.

• Capability building: identify needs and bridge capability gaps; coach and mentor; create development plans and succession pipelines.

• Commercial and financial acumen: apply sound management principles; use ROI and benchmarking analytics; convert industry insight into executable strategy; understand wider industry and political context.

• Execution Excellence: communicate priorities clearly; translate strategy into milestone-based plans with timelines and KPIs; monitor delivery and course-correct.

• External influence: build and nurture relationships with customers, industry groups, and government; elevate company profile; use customer insights to shape product and portfolio strategy.

• Cross-functional leadership: connect teams across functions and geographies with clear accountability; persist through obstacles; learn and adapt; challenge the status quo; leverage technology to launch innovations.
  
   

Who we are: 

 We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.
 

What we look for:

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

Required Skills:

Accountability, Accountability, Agile Methodology, Animal Health Care, Business Planning, Business Planning and Control System (BPCS), Business Principles, Communication, Corrective Action Management, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, Customer Service Management, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Financial Analysis, Innovation, Management Process, Market Access Strategies, Marketing Management, Market Research, Market Share Analysis, New Product Development, Oncology Marketing, People Leadership, Profit and Loss (P&L) Management {+ 5 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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

06/5/2026

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