Executive Director, Medical Affairs, ID/ Vaccines

Job Description

The U.S. Executive Director of Medical Affairs (US EDMA), position resides in the Value & Implementation (V&I) organization, which includes Global Medical and Scientific Affairs as well as Outcomes Research.

The US EDMA understands our company’s enterprise-level strategies and leads cross-functionally with the V&I Global Medical and Scientific Affairs Therapeutic Area (V&I GMSA TA) teams to translate Global V&I goals into the relevant U.S. country-level goals and priorities. 

The US EDMA level of responsibility and accountability is in alignment with the U.S. Medical Affairs (USMA) core vision of advancing medical innovations that improve patient outcomes in the US and setting the foundation for impact around the globe. Thus, the US EDMA is responsible for the creation and execution of the overall therapeutic-aligned U.S. strategy and Country Medical Affairs Plans (CMAPs).

The US EDMA is also responsible for the Strategic Scientific Engagement Plan for the U.S., including tactical execution by the field Regional Medical Scientific Director (RMSD) teams and is accountable for ensuring field teams execute on Integrated Field Medical Plans (FMPs) to achieve field medical priorities in alignment the Scientific Exchange Field Medical Policy. The US EDMA will focus half of their time leading U.S./Global strategic TA needs and the other half of their time leading and managing the U.S. RMSD Field Medical strategy and execution.

Primary Responsibilities:

Leadership and Management

• Serves as a senior leader in the USMA organization, sets the strategic direction for the TA program, and oversees the execution of the field medical team of U.S. RMSDs.

• Assesses and determines U.S. strategy and tactical plans for TA-aligned deliverables that align with V&I Goals and serves as the Lead for the U.S. Medical Affairs Team (MAT) meetings.

• Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships with Health Systems (HS) by leading RMSD medical account planning initiatives to enhance collaboration and alignment across HS accounts.

• Provides scientific consultation to our company’s Research & Development to support scientifically informed and clinically educated decision-making.

• Is responsible for ensuring compliant ways of working from strategy to execution as it relates to our company’s portfolio.

• Collaborates with external alliance partners, where needed, for approved ways of working to bring forth the Alliance Portfolio.

• Leads a complex team of field team leaders and strategic directors of medical affairs roles to provide leadership of full scope of strategic and tactical activities. Supports ongoing development and mentorship to support implementation of individualized employee-development priorities.

• Develops and effectively manages the yearly budget.

• Oversees and ensures appropriate approval of key decisions around program-related expenses (i.e., congress participation, routine travel, and all other expenses).

Strategic Planning and Collaboration  

• Is responsible and accountable for the creation and implementation of the CMAPs in collaboration with the necessary internal stakeholders and ensuring U.S. input into the Global V&I Plans.

• Proactively engages with Country Medical Affairs and TA leadership to lead strategic alignment, optimal resource allocation, and effective representation with senior leadership.

• Assumes leadership of strategic insight collection and ensures that it aligns with the USMA strategy and facilitates the evaluation and effective sharing of actionable insights to drive continuous refinement of medical strategies and support informed strategic decision-making for scientific platform development, V&I strategies, and RMSD Field Medical Plans (FMPs).

• Provides Oversight of Field Medical strategies and tactics that align to the five USMA key pillars of objectives: 1) Scientific Exchange; 2) Company Trials; 3) Investigator-Sponsored Programs; 4) Congresses; and 5) Scientific Insights.

• Coordinates and leads research and scientific field medical capabilities in alignment with Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO) and the broader Global Clinical Development (GCD).

• Coordinates with V&I Global Medical & Scientific Affairs to ensure team support of investigator-initiated studies (IIS) with therapeutically assigned areas.

• Coordinates with Outcomes Research through the USMA Payer Access Teams (PATs) to ensure team support of therapeutic-aligned real-world evidence.

• Coordinates strategy, planning and execution of scientific congress responsibilities to comply with all company policies and applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards.

Education:

• Doctoral degree (MD, PharmD, PhD) with demonstrated ability to effectively lead and coach scientific/medical colleagues at all skill and knowledge levels.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Prior industry experience (at least seven years) preferably within relevant TA programs (infectious diseases/vaccines).

• Five years of front-line field medical leadership in the pharmaceutical industry, with teams having responsibility for scientific exchange and research support, preferably in relevant TA.

• Demonstrated successful leadership of strategic initiatives as evidenced by a successful track record of design/creation of and accountability for implementation of strategic solutions for critical aspects of medical affairs goals and objectives. 

• Proven success operating in a complex, heavily matrixed global organization, adept at balancing priorities across multiple cross-functional stakeholders through strategic networking, partnerships, and enterprise-wide alignment to drive impactful results.

• Embraces an AI-first mindset by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools and demonstrating a willingness to learn and implement new approaches, without requiring deep technical expertise.

• Leads with confidence, proactively and independently, with outstanding executive communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, grounded in integrity and emotional intelligence, to foster collaboration and influence a range of internal and external audiences at all levels.

• Trusted to deliver high-level communications/presentations to senior leadership and key decision-makers on behalf of USMA TA to shape and execute TA-aligned strategies and field medical tactics, leveraging an entrepreneurial mindset to identify growth opportunities and drive innovation.

• In-depth expertise in local regulatory frameworks, ethical standards, and pharmaceutical compliance requirements.

• Proven capability to cultivate and sustain strategic partnerships with top scientific leaders, investigators, and external stakeholders to advance contracted and sponsored research initiatives aligned with business objectives.

• Strong executive leadership with a track record of leading high-performing teams by example, driving accountability, proactively resolving challenges, and inspiring a culture of ownership and excellence.

• Deep therapeutic knowledge and thought leadership in disease areas aligned with TA programs, committed to continuous learning and applying innovative approaches, demonstrating learning agility and an entrepreneurial approach to innovation.

• Comprehensive understanding of the U.S. health-care ecosystem—including acute care, payers, integrated delivery systems, and care coordination—and the ability to apply business acumen and strategic insight to optimize medical affairs strategies and impact.

• Exceptional organizational and prioritization skills, capable of independently leading complex initiatives and motivating teams to excel in a fast-paced, evolving environment, while motivating and inspiring teams to adapt and maintain execution excellence.

• The ability to travel up to 50%.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Scientific/medical research and publication experience in the TA, including knowledge of national/international treatment guidelines, quality measures, and collaboration networks, supporting strategic planning and thought leadership.

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Veeva, and other systems used by field medical teams, with the ability to interface effectively with various technical platforms for the collection, review and dissemination of scientific insights.

• Demonstrated learning agility and experience managing field teams in relevant TAs in the local market, with a focus on execution excellence, continuous improvement, and fostering a culture of ownership and accountability.

Required Skills:

Clinical Trial Support, Coaching Others, Healthcare Delivery Systems, Line Management Experience, Medical Marketing Strategy, Multiple Therapeutic Areas, People Leadership, Professional Integrity, Professional Networking, Research Support, Scientific Communications, Scientific Exchange, Stakeholder Engagement, Teamwork

Preferred Skills:

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The salary range for this role is

$255,800.00 - $402,700.00

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

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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:

50%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Remote

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

06/23/2026

*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.