Executive Director, Talent Enablement Lead

Job Description

Reporting to the Chief Talent Strategy Officer, we are looking for a seasoned Human Resources (HR) professional to establish and lead the evolution of the Talent Enablement Lead (TEL) function to partner with HR leadership teams on creating comprehensive talent strategies and optimizing the pull through and realization of talent solutions. The Executive Director, Talent Enablement provides an opportunity for highly impactful work by playing a thought leadership and expert consulting role in addition to hands-on execution support and strategy realization across a broad talent management portfolio. This role will oversee a team of Talent Enablement leads and ensure the appropriate systems and ways of working are in place to drive effective collaboration and successful outcomes in support of our enterprise and divisional/functional talent strategies. The role will also support a designated divisional/ functional HR leadership team.

The ideal candidate will have a broad understanding of Global Talent Management (GTM) functions, including the tools and processes associated with Talent Products & Services, Global Learning & Development, and Enterprise Transformation & Organizational Development. In addition, the ideal candidate will have a proven consultative approach, ability to navigate a matrixed operating model, solid organization skills, results-focused execution, and business and data analytics acumen.

Primary Responsibilities:

Lead the Talent Enablement function

• Provide strategic direction and people leadership for the TEL function, spanning across divisional/functional and geographic boundaries

• Implement efficient practices/ways of working and establish clear accountability for team performance, capability, succession, talent development and inclusive ways of working.

• Establish disciplined operating rhythms, decision rights, escalation paths and measures that enable transparency, responsiveness and consistent execution

• Represent TEL perspectives in HR forums

Execute the strategic agenda

• Act as a strategic thought partner to HR leadership, Organization & Talent Partners (OTPs) to help define and execute integrated talent strategies and high-touch talent experiences and support the shaping of integrated human capital strategies and coordinated pull-through across GTM CoEs, translating business needs into strategic and operational talent actions.
• Oversee prioritization and navigate across the HR Model to direct TEL capability and resources to the most critical enterprise, divisional and local priorities as needs evolve.

Deliver expertise and insights

• Activate and oversee end-to-end pull-through of executive and critical talent experiences across GTM products, including succession planning, executive recruiting, assessments, transition support, and leadership development.
• Serve as the connection between GTM COE leads and HR leadership teams, keeping HR teams informed of GTM priorities and roadmap while translating business needs into strategic and operational talent actions.
• Facilitate voice-of-the-business and OTP/ETHR feedback into GTM product design, ensuring programs are relevant, responsive, and effective. Drive alignment and measurable pull-through across GTM functions, using talent insights and collaboration to improve outcomes and scale best practices.

Experience, capabilities and leadership characteristics

The successful candidate will bring deep strategic HR experience in a large, complex business organization and a record of shaping outcomes through influence. The role requires the following capabilities and leadership characteristics:

• Influence: Creating and executing influence strategies that gain commitment to one’s ideas and persuade key stakeholders to take action that will advance shared interests and business goals.
• Execution Excellence: Translating strategic priorities into operational reality per compliance standards; establishing high standards, communication, accountabilities, resource capabilities, internal processes and ongoing measurement systems to ensure that strategic priorities yield measurable sustainable results.
• Networking & Partnerships: Initiating and maintaining strategic relationships with stakeholders and potential partners inside and outside the organization to advance understanding of business issues and achieve business goals.
• Change Catalyst: Driving organizational and cultural changes needed to achieve strategic priorities; catalyzing new approaches to improve results by transforming organizational culture, systems or products/services; helping others to overcome resistance to change. 
• Ownership and Accountability: Sharing ownership authority and responsibilities with others to move decision making and accountability downward through the organization to stretch individual capabilities while accomplishing the business unit’s strategic priorities.
• Data Analytics Aumen: Utilizing available data to better understand and communicate current-state practices, trends, and issues and draw meaningful conclusions.  The ability to proactively use data to anticipate and suggest meaningful improvements
• Talent Experience Orchestration: Activating global talent management products and services to shape end-to-end solutions and experiences in support of organizational capability and workforce planning strategies, across complex matrixed organizations
• Customer Orientation & business acumen: Strong ability to absorb, understand, & leverage business strategies and guide, consult with executives and stakeholders

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business or a related discipline required

Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of twelve (12) years of progressive HR or closely related business experience, including significant strategic HR partnership experience in a complex, global environment.
• Experience establishing strategic direction and plan to achieve short-term and long-term goals, proven ability to drive results and catalyze new ideas approaches to improve outcomes for customers
• Ability to negotiate and influence effectively at all levels of the organization through collaboration, consulting and building relationships with leaders, maintaining relationships with partners within and outside immediate job function in consultative and collaborative style
• Demonstrated broad-reaching experience in strategic workforce planning, organization capability planning, organization design and development, talent and succession. Proficient in Global Talent Management tools and practices
• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, life sciences, manufacturing, research, commercial or other science-based organizations.
• Ability to commission work through a networked operating model and experience working globally and across complex transformations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, business judgment and analytical capability.
• Demonstrated people management experience or matrix leadership, including leading, coaching and developing experienced HR professionals and building a high-performing, inclusive team.
• Broad global perspective and the ability to lead with cultural sensitivity across a broad, matrixed, global organization

Required Skills:

Benefits Administration, Benefits Administration, Candidate Sourcing, Change Management, Compensation Program Design, Compensation Strategies, Corporate Recruiting, Creativity, Employee Development, Enterprise Solutions Sales, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resource Management, Human Resources (HR) Technology, Learning and Development (L&D), Organizational Effectiveness, People Leadership, People Management, People Performance Management, Policy Development, Recruitment Marketing, Sales Enablement, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Sales Process Development, Sales Strategy Development {+ 8 more}

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:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

NA

Job Posting End Date:

10/9/2026

*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.