Specialist, Emerging Talent programs

Job Description

Specialist, Emerging Talent programs

The Opportunity

• Based in Hyderabad, join a global healthcare biopharma company and be part of a 130- year legacy of success backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

• Be part of an organization driven by digital technology and data-backed approaches that support a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products.

• Drive innovation and execution excellence. Be a part of a team with passion for using data, analytics, and insights to drive decision-making, and which creates custom software, allowing us to tackle some of the world's greatest health threats.

Our Technology Centers focus on creating a space where teams can come together to deliver business solutions that save and improve lives. An integral part of our company’s IT operating model, Tech Centers are globally distributed locations where each IT division has employees to enable our digital transformation journey and drive business outcomes. These locations, in addition to the other sites, are essential to supporting our business and strategy.

Role Overview

The incumbent is responsible for strategizing and operationalizing core business processes associated with Our Company's Hyderabad IT Emerging Talent Program with the intent of identifying and developing the future generation of IT employees. These programs cultivate the technical, business, and professional experience of student and entry-level technologists.

What will you do in this role:

Hiring and Onboarding

• Hire entry-level, full-time, Hyderabad based employees annually as a part of the IT Emerging Talent Program.

• Manage onboarding and pre-onboarding logistics and activities for program members annually.

Program Operations Management, and reporting

• Own program management for multiple and overlapping batches of Emerging talent intakes, including planning, timelines, tracking milestones, and execution while ensuring consistency, quality, and a strong candidate experience.

• Support the lead to execute multi-day virtual and in-person program meetings that advance program members’ learning and development such as staff meetings/ townhalls, and training opportunities for both Emerging talent and supervisors.

• Work with Local program Lead to establish and track program metrics, benchmark against programs across our company and other industries.

• Continuously improve program processes to be more efficient and sustainable as the program expands.

Hiring, Onboarding, Engagement and performance management

• End-to-end Emerging talent hiring for our internship programs and emerging talent rotation program, from workforce planning through onboarding.

• Co-ordinate with the Global Talent Acquisition team for the execution of recruiting plans , workday transactions, offer management etc.

• manage schedule with university calendars, academic cycles, and student ecosystems to ensure timely and effective engagement.

• Partner with the comms team to enable our social media and digital engagement campaigns focused on Emerging talent hiring and programs.

Program Operations Management, and Planning

• Process stewardship including definition, execution, and continuous improvement of core business processes associated with the program such as the pre-onboarding/onboarding processes, rotation matching, rotation supervisors' engagement, end of the year performance process, post-program job placement process, training and support for program members and affiliates.

• Collaborate with leaders to define valuable and meaningful assignments for rotation roles and the final placement process at the end of program. Identify and match employees to these opportunities.

• Plan and execute multi-day virtual and in-person program meetings that advance program members’ learning and development such as onboarding, commencement, staff meetings/ townhalls, and training opportunities for both emerging talent and supervisors.

• Track program budget.

Program Metrics and Process Improvements

• Work with Global Program Lead to establish and track program metrics, benchmark against programs across our company and other industries.

• Continuously improve program processes to be more efficient and sustainable as the program expands.

Relationship Management

• Manage relationship with Recruiting and University Relations Teams, IT Divisional Leaders and IT areas, HR Business Partners, support for Assignment Supervisors, global program leads and emerging talent.

What you should have:

• Education Minimum Requirement: A degree in business, management, information technology, HR or project management preferred.

Required Experience and Skills:

• A minimum 5-7 years of professional experience in HR and/or IT development programs, preferably in talent program/project management and leadership.

• Must possess excellent interpersonal, deliberate communication, collaboration, negotiation, influencing and project management skills.

• Has demonstrated strong leadership, managerial experience, complex problem-solving skills, and team building abilities along with a sensitivity to diverse cultures / backgrounds.

• Demonstrated ability to independently execute innovative ideas within the legal/compliance environment at our Company. Demonstrated ability to execute and improve processes and to drive lasting change.

• Solid and demonstrated commitment to personal and/or direct report development.

• Must possess the ability to work independently with minimal coaching.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Working knowledge of development of new hires at the university level and experience with Next Generation talent.

• Experience in multiple areas across the pharmaceutical business or IT or Leadership experience with the digital transformation strategy across the enterprise preferred.

• Ability to motivate others towards continuous improvement.

Primary Skills (Must have):

• Campus Recruitment / University Hiring

• Emerging Talent Programs / Graduate Hiring Programs

• Program Management

• Stakeholder Management

• Employee Engagement

• Talent Management

• Performance Management

• Internship Program Management

• Candidate Relationship Management

• Communication & Presentation Skills

• Cross-functional Coordination

• Event & Campus Drive Management

Secondary Skills (Nice to have):

• Learning & Development (L&D)

• Early Careers Programs

• Graduate Rotation Programs

• Leadership Development Programs

• HR Business Partnering Exposure

• Talent Development

• Succession Planning

• Employee Experience Initiatives

• Training Coordination

• Change Management

• Workforce Planning

• Employer Branding

• Talent Enablement

• HR Operations Exposure

Who we are

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we are bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

Required Skills:

Campus Management, Candidate Relationship Management, College Recruiting, Employee Engagement, Graduate Recruitment, Internship Program Management, Performance Management (PM), Program Management, Stakeholder Management, Talent Management

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Secondary Language(s) Job Description:

#MSDHYDIT

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:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

09/25/2026

*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.