Senior Administrative Associate

Job Description

We are currently seeking a Lead Assoc, Administrative Services for the VP of International Market Access based in Lucerne.

Main Responsibilities:                             

• Provide high-level administrative support to the Head of International Market Access (VP) and his Regional Leadership Team by managing complex schedules, calendars, travel, expenses, planning, scheduling interviews, onboarding new employees and creating purchase orders with outstanding attention to detail.

• Coordinate meetings and planning worldwide (including agenda generation) and scheduling perspectives in different time zones.

• Schedule travel including domestic and international travel and processing visas as needed.

• Manage expense reporting for multiple senior leaders.

• Monitoring spend vs budget and highlight variances/risks. Supporting accruals, forecasting activities and cost center alignment.

• Support departmental work and initiatives, such as website, TeamSite, global address list, organizational charts maintenance and records management.

• Support and coordinate special projects within the group and division, which will involve skilled use of Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

• Author and distribute departmental communications.

• Perform general administrative and clerical duties.

• Ability to prioritize and perform multiple tasks with attention to detail and operate independently, as daily work is undertaken and reviewed with little supervision.

• Ability to effectively communicate and interact with our Company's executives and internal and external stakeholders both on-site and remotely to maintain workflow worldwide.

• Understanding of the proper handling of confidential information and documents.

• Ability to efficiently execute work activities requiring MS Office computer software and to quickly learn our Company's internal systems.

• Ability to think and act appropriately and with confidence in handling situations, issues and requests; knowing when to make a decision and when to seek help.

• Quickly becomes knowledgeable and stays current on policies and practices of our Company, division and department to apply independent judgment, effectively and serve as an information resource to others.

• Able to rapidly learn and apply our Company's new technology systems and platforms to work duties (such as new videoconferencing, expense reporting, collaboration team spaces, workday).

Your Profile:

Education:

• High School Diploma or Equivalent.

Required:

• Extensive years’ experience as a Senior Administrative.

• Experience in supporting VPs, AVPs & Executives Directors.

• Advanced computer skills using Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point) & SharePoint TeamSite’s, and operation of other peripheral devices.

• Demonstrated experience managing complex calendars with detail orientation.

• Demonstrated experience scheduling and coordinating complex, multi-leg domestic and international travel.

• SAP experience processing Expense Reports, Purchase Orders, and Payment Requests.

• An understanding of the proper handling of confidential information.

• Outstanding, professional communication and people skills.

• Extraordinary attention to detail in all tasks.

• Ability to handle and prioritize a large number of simultaneous assignments.

• Advanced secretarial and clerical abilities with a history of high performance.

• Documented experience as a strong performer in current and past positions.

Preferred Experience:

• Advanced education or certifications (e.g., Certified Administrative Professional, Project Management Professional Certification, Professional in Human Resources Certification, etc.)

• Event Planning and Coordination.

The Company

Our Company is a leading biopharmaceutical company employing over 1,000 people in Switzerland at three sites. The company’s headquarters are in Lucerne. At the site in Zurich, the company operates a global innovation and development hub. In addition, we manufacture medicines for global clinical trials and operate a forensic laboratory in Schachen (Canton Lucerne). We conduct around 40 clinical trials annually in Switzerland. The main therapeutic areas include oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. We also have a broad portfolio of vaccines for the prevention of diseases in children, adolescents, and adults and we are one of the leading companies in veterinary medicine. Furthermore, we take our responsibility to the local community seriously and have been involved for many years in initiatives such as the «Trendtage Gesundheit Luzern» and the «Alliance Health Competence».

We are proud to be certified as a “Top Employer Switzerland” and “Top Employer Europe” showing the company’s commitment to our employees and the community around us.

One Roof is our new Swiss headquarters in Lucerne designed to bring teams together and make collaboration easier. Across 15,000 m² of modern office space, we unite colleagues from national, regional and global functions within different functions under one roof to strengthen cross‑functional cooperation and a ONE Team culture. The site is centrally located, a short walk from Lucerne train station, supporting sustainable commuting.

Required Skills:

Data Entry, Document Management, Event Planning, File Management, Financial Budgeting, Financial Tracking, Job Descriptions, Office Applications, Office Equipment, Process Improvements, Project Management, Public Administration, Purchase Order Management, Reporting and Analysis, Scheduling, Supplier Management, Travel Scheduling, Vendor Management, Vendor Relationship Management

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

06/10/2026

*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.