Associate Director, US Strategy & Planning

Job Description

The Associate Director, US Commercial Strategy is a critical contributor on the US Market Strategy team which is responsible for Commercial Strategy, Launch Strategy and Operations and Customer Experience in the US Market. The Associate Director, US commercial strategy, will work in close partnership with leadership across Oncology, Specialty, Pharma & ID, Commercial Excellence & Innovation and Digital Human Health.  As a member of the US Commercial Strategy team, this position partners to develop long-term commercial strategy and identify opportunity spaces by working in close partnership with key stakeholders, to include the US Country Council Leadership Team. This position reports to the Director, US Commercial Strategy Lead.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support the development of a long-term Commercial Strategy to guide the US market’s ongoing commercial transformation.

• Strategy Development: Lead end-to-end strategy support—define opportunity spaces, structure approaches, conduct analyses, translate insights into Commercial Strategy, align stakeholders through workshops, and deliver executive-ready presentations.

• Translate strategic opportunity spaces into now/near/next strategic blueprints with realization owners.

• Partner on high-priority strategic initiatives that will drive transformational impact and position the US market, for future success.

• Resource Prioritization & Optimization: Develop frameworks and models to support data-driven resource allocation decisions across products and functions. Identify critical assumptions and prioritization model logic.

• Ability to generate strategic insights from data and apply those insights to strategic opportunity spaces.

• Work with corporate & global strategy, to ensure tight integration with the US Market.

• Build effective and sustainable partnerships with internal stakeholders, as well as leading external organizations, to ensure that our US commercial strategy is forward looking, well-rounded and represented in the appropriate healthcare context.

Position Qualifications:

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Required: BA/BS degree.

• Preferred: MBA or MPH degree.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 5 years of work experience to include Strategy Development, Marketing, Sales, Access / Policy, Commercial Operations, and/or Organizational transformation.

• Strong executive presence to include advanced written and verbal skills.

• Ability to analyze external and industry trends, form educated opinions and deliver tangible recommendations to key stakeholders.

• Understanding of US / Global Healthcare ecosystem.

• Energized by working in a collaborative, fast-paced environment in strong partnership with peers and key stakeholders, both within and outside the US market.

• Strong vision for the future, with the ability to inspire change, translate data into business implications, gain support, and partner to drive organizational transformation and operating model evolution.

• Exceptional working knowledge of MS Office applications, including PPT, Excel and Word.

• Inspire impact through strong collaborative relationships.

• Ability to lead without direct influence.

• Demonstrates high degree of ethics and integrity.

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Agile Project Management, Business Strategies, Commercial Strategies, Corporate Strategy Development, Customer Satisfaction, Data-Driven Decision Making, Developing Proposals, Employee Performance Evaluations, Environmental Scanning, Executive Presence, Feasibility Studies, Global Strategy, IT Demand Management, Market Research, Pharmaceutical Market, Portfolio Management, Prioritization, Project Management, Resource Allocation, Risk Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Initiative, Strategic Insights {+ 2 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:

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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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The salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

08/15/2026

*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.