Director Communications Clinical Trials

Job Description

Summary:
This role would support our Research and Development Division's BD&L Communications with clinical trial communications to help accelerate recruitment across priority clinical trials and to help increase representation of participants in clinical trials. Clinical trials are an essential component to bringing new investigational medicines and vaccines to patients and communities. The key areas of focus include: (1) clinical trial recruitment (2) representation in clinical trials and (3) general education and awareness of clinical trials. This job is the ultimate reminder that timely completion of carefully controlled trials is critical to the development of medicines and vaccines and to our business.

Reporting to: Research and Development Division Communications  
Candidate’s location would be in the Rahway, NJ, location – hybrid. Not a fully-remote role.
This role is responsible for the following:

• Lead the strategic communications and project management for community engagement events and activations to educate on the importance of representation in clinical trials

• Lead customized communication strategies to support priority clinical trial programs across the portfolio spanning  CV, HIV, infectious diseases, immunology, oncology, neuro and vaccines to enable timely recruitment and to align to Action Plans and FDA draft guidance

• Generate awareness and education around the importance of clinical trials among underrepresented populations through targeted communications that includes paid, earned, owned and shared media

• Lead collaborations with global stakeholders to integrate clinical trials communications into strategic planning

• Regularly analyze data and optimize targeted communications tactics

• Lead agency/vendor strategy implementation across priority clinical trial programs and community events/activations

• Manage health literacy and legal/regulatory/compliance reviews

• Manage patient advocacy group and community-based organization agreements/activations to elevate clinical trial programs and to educate on clinical trials

• Lead thought leadership communications for senior leaders within Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO)

• Manage budget across programs

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Bachelor’s Degree required

• A minimum of 8-10 years of communications experience working in the bio/pharmaceutical or healthcare related industry 

Required Experience and Skills: 

• Experience managing tight deadlines

• Experience working with community events/activations

• Ability to collaborate with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders 

• Ability to handle multiple tasks, and possess strong organization, analytical, and interpersonal skills

• Ability to work independently and problem solve 

• Strong oral and written communication skills

• Strong analytical skills

• Must be detail-oriented, highly organized, self-starter

• Positive attitude and proactive approach

Preferred Experience and Skills: 

• Knowledge of pharmaceutical business and our company is preferred.

• Bi-lingual in Spanish.

Required Skills:

Accountability, Collaborative Spirit, Content Creation, Data Analysis, Event Management, Internal Communications, Leadership, Management Process, Marketing Communications Planning, Media Publishing, Media Relations, Medical Communications, Online Content Development, Public Health Communications, Public Speaking, Reputation Management, Strategic Planning, Trade Media Relations

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:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

04/13/2026

*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.