Executive Director, Development Project Management

Job Description

Global Project and Alliance Management (GPAM) sits in the Research and Development organization. The Project Managers and Alliance Managers in GPAM are core members of development and alliance teams. Project Managers drive these cross-functional teams to deliver projects and products that improve human health and our company's business, and Alliance Managers ensure successful collaborations with our R&D alliance partners.

Position Description:

This position may be based in either Rahway, NJ, or Upper Gwynedd, PA. Under the broad guidance of the AVP/VP, Global Project and Alliance Management (GPAM), the incumbent will spend 50-70% of their time focused on one or more of the following: 

• Leading the project management efforts to support a set or series of therapeutically aligned development programs

• Acting as a PM and Drug Development Advisor to staff and project teams

• Leading and/or directing a critical change project relating to systems and operations or our company's strategic planning

• Governance processes or processes within the development sphere

• Identifying and evaluating PM best practices

• Representing our companyh through participation and/or leadership in external PM societies and organizations and overseeing implementation of identified best practices within our company. 

​In performing these responsibilities, the incumbent is expected to demonstrate enterprise leadership through strategic planning, execution excellence, and the cultivation of internal and external networks and partnerships to advance our company's long‑term development and business objectives. The remaining 30-50% of time will be devoted to developing talent in GPAM and in ensuring that the operations of the department are running smoothly.  Emphasis will be on development of PM talent through management of project managers and those who manage PMs, as well as effective communication and collaboration with all stakeholder groups.

Management of Development/ Change Projects:

• The Executive Director, Development PM (General and Specialty Medicine) will be expected to be expert in the principles of project management and must be able to apply these skills effectively, with relatively broad managerial direction and minimal oversight, to the management of development or change projects which are of significant impact to our company. 

• Assigned development projects and/or project portfolios would be those that require extensive experience with drug development across divisions and company processes and procedures related to drug/ vaccine/ biologics development due to their significant importance to the company or complexity. 

• The incumbent is expected to plan strategically by obtaining and integrating relevant information, identifying key issues, interdependencies, and risks, and evaluating alternative approaches before committing to a course of action that supports long‑range organizational goals, available resources, constraints, and company values.

• Change projects and/ or strategic planning efforts would be those that significantly impact the functioning of Development Teams, company processes relating to the progression of the development pipeline, or company operations overall.  This includes identifying, designing and implementing efficient and effective project and portfolio management systems and information sharing modalities.

• The incumbent will inspire excellence and drive execution by translating strategic priorities into compliant operational plans, establishing clear standards, roles, accountabilities, and governance, and ensuring that execution is supported by appropriate resources, internal processes, and performance measurement systems that yield measurable and sustainable results.

• The incumbent will be expected to represent our company and be active in external PM societies and organizations, actively identifying new trends and/ or best practices in project management and determining which should be evaluated and/ or implemented within our company.  This includes leveraging external insights and relationships to continuously strengthen our company's project management capabilities. A view towards improving PM skills and fostering a more widespread use of useful PM tools more fully within our company is expected.

• The incumbent will be expected to lead and/ or actively participate in change/ process improvement initiatives within our company that require extensive product development experience and understanding of our company's procedures and policies. The incumbent will be expected to be networked within our company and work effectively across divisions

Networking and Partnerships:

• The Executive Director is expected to actively cultivate and sustain strategic networks and partnerships across our company and with external stakeholders, including alliance partners, vendors, professional organizations, and industry peers. These relationships are used to obtain critical information, ideas, expertise, and influence needed to advance understanding of business issues, enable effective decision‑making, and achieve development and business goals.

• The incumbent will initiate and maintain trusted relationships with key stakeholders across R&D, manufacturing, commercial, regulatory, quality, and corporate functions, and will leverage these partnerships to resolve issues, align priorities, and accelerate execution.

Talent Development:

• The incumbent is expected to contribute to the setting of the tone and direction, within the context of the broader GPAM extended leadership team, for the development of project management professional staff within the department. 

• This will include development of and continued re-evaluation/ refinement of competency models and job descriptions for Project Management Staff, new requests for additional staff roles within the broader organization, assignment of projects and opportunities such that development of staff is optimized and ensuring that PM staff have meaningful and actionable development plans.

• Talent development responsibilities will be executed with a strategic, enterprise mindset, ensuring that current and future capability needs are anticipated and addressed.

• The incumbent will be expected to direct and develop a group of PM Directors and hold these employees accountable for developing their own staff groups (line or matrix).  In particular, the Executive Director will be responsible for ensuring they as well as their PM Directors understand the projects of their staff as well as the developmental needs of their staff.  They will be held accountable for ensuring performance of their staff consistent with objectives and expectations, and for ensuring that if expectations are not met, appropriate corrective measures are taken.  Ensuring the development of this next set of PM Leaders is a critical component of the Executive Director role.

• As a member of the GPAM Extended Leadership Team, the incumbent will be an active member of the Development PM Leadership Team, expected to actively participate in departmental administrative processes which relate to talent development/ management and improving the standards of the PM organization, act as a PM and Drug Development Advisor and coach to PM professionals and other development leaders within the broader R&D organization.

• The incumbent is also expected to demonstrate courage of conviction, constructively challenging assumptions, raising enterprise level issues, and influencing decisions to support our company's long-term strategy and execution excellence

Education:

• Required: Bachelor's degree with a concentration in a scientific-related discipline

• Preferred: Advanced scientific degree (e.g., MS, PharmD, Ph.D.)

Required Experience and Skills:

• Eight (8) years of experience in PM or related role/expertise in pharma and/or biotech required.  

• Extensive experience with the planning and execution of strategies for drug/ vaccine product registration and commercialization/ life-cycle management (can be R&D, manufacturing or commercial perspective) strongly preferred, with demonstrated ability to translate knowledge and expertise to other development teams and areas.

• Demonstrated experience as a people manager, including leading and developing managers and/or senior professionals, with accountability for performance management, coaching, succession planning, and building high‑performing teams in a complex, matrixed environment

• Effective at conveying a vision, energizing others, establishing goals, delegating responsibility, mentoring and coaching.

• Demonstrated ability to plan strategically, translate strategy into execution, and build collaborative networks and partnerships across organizational boundaries.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Fifteen (15) + years of relevant experience preferred, or equivalent combination of advanced education and relevant experience and/or training. 

• Project Management certification/ training (PMP) and / or coursework & training in Project Management preferred. 

• Demonstrated ability to establish networks, build connections and work across boundaries. Must be connected in external PM/ pharma related networks/ organizations.

• Proven ability to analyze, integrate, recommend, contribute to development of conceptual plans for, and lead implement of, strategic, process, and team improvement and change initiatives cross-functionally.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage scope, time and cost of assigned projects; is business savvy and results oriented.

• Advocate for best practices / change agent - successful in working with other functions/divisions to create excellence in PM and drug development.

• Well-developed and effective team facilitation and leadership skills; consistently establishes cooperative team environments.

• Knows when and how to appropriately raise issues and drive discussion within peer group and with management.

• Demonstrated courage of conviction - able to speak up/ contribute in all circles; comfortable challenging ideas or proposals, including senior management.

• Brings forward creative ideas and contributes to setting strategic plans for assigned projects.

• Excellent communicator. Demonstrated accomplishment and skill in oral and written communication.

• Keeps relevant stakeholders fully apprised of project/ initiative status and issues.

Travel:

• Yes, 10% of the time

Required Skills:

Budget Development, Change Management, Clinical Trial Management, Construction, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Detail-Oriented, Drug Registration, Feasibility Studies, Performance Monitoring, Pharmaceutical Project Management, Project Management, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, Team Management, Technical Mentoring, Visionary Thinking

Preferred Skills:

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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

$231,900.00 - $365,000.00

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

04/17/2026

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