Associate Director, Strategic Programs

Job Description

As our company continues to modernize content, customer engagement, and AI-enabled ways of working, we are taking a "One our company" approach to simplify processes, accelerate value delivery, and enable scalable, reusable capabilities across teams.

We are seeking an Associate Director, Strategic Programs, to join our Strategic Programs and US Activation team. This role is pivotal in driving execution in support of key programs, including Content Accelerator and the One our company's Marketing Model (OMM) as part of Digital Human Health (DHH) strategic programs.

The Associate Director drives execution by leveraging GenAI and agentic AI capabilities, ensuring these are embedded into workflows and actively used to support delivery, adoption, and ongoing improvement of content and customer engagement processes E2E.

Responsibilities

• Drive execution of Content Accelerator and DHH strategic programs
• Translate strategic priorities and leadership direction into actionable execution plans, milestones, and measurable outcomes
• Support development and operationalization of future-state business processes, operating models, and capability roadmaps
• Ensure alignment between strategic initiatives and broader DHH transformation priorities
• Act as a key integrator across DHH, DCCE, CEI, Content Accelerator, Product Management, Engineering, and Delivery teams
• Coordinate program activities, dependencies, risks, and decisions across multiple workstreams and stakeholder groups
• Facilitate governance forums, working sessions, and leadership reviews to maintain alignment and momentum
• Partner with Product Owners and Product Line Leads to ensure strategic priorities are incorporated into product roadmaps and delivery plans
• Drive adoption of GenAI, agentic AI, automation, and other emerging capabilities to improve efficiency and effectiveness across content and customer engagement workflows
• Partner with business, product, and technical teams to identify opportunities to embed AI into future-state processes and experiences
• Support experimentation, scaling, and value realization of AI-enabled capabilities
• Help establish repeatable approaches for integrating AI into enterprise workflows and operating models
• Leverage GenAI and agentic AI capabilities to enable execution across the content and marketing lifecycle
• Build strong partnerships with leaders across Content Accelerator, CEI, Marketing, and DHH organizations
• Lead cross-functional communication, alignment, and change management activities supporting strategic initiatives
• Develop executive-ready materials, summaries, and recommendations to support leadership decision-making
• Ensure stakeholders have visibility into program progress, risks, dependencies, and business outcomes
• Coordinate with strategic partners as required (Adobe, Veeva, Accenture, Google) to ensure aligned delivery
• Establish and monitor program success measures, KPIs, adoption metrics, and business outcomes
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and increase reuse across capabilities
• Promote standardization and scalable approaches that support enterprise transformation objectives
• Support continuous improvement efforts to optimize delivery effectiveness and stakeholder experience

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree
• Five or more (5+) years of experience in strategic programs, digital transformation, capability deployment, or product/program leadership
• Proven track record of driving execution and delivering outcomes in complex, cross-functional environments
• Strong systems thinking across people, process, technology, and partner ecosystems
• Strong technical foundation in AI/ML, including GenAI and agentic AI concepts, with the ability to understand capabilities, constraints, and practical application within enterprise workflows
• Experience implementing AI-enabled capabilities (GenAI and/or agentic AI) within content, marketing, or digital ecosystems
• Ability to translate technical AI capabilities into practical execution approaches and business-aligned solutions
• Ability to translate strategy into execution plans and operational delivery
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence across Product, Engineering, Compliance, Marketing, and business teams
• Strong stakeholder leadership and ability to influence without direct authority

Preferred

• Experience with Commercial Operations or enterprise content supply chain ecosystems
• Familiarity with DAM, MLR, workflow tools, and marketing platforms
• Experience working with external partners to deliver integrated solutions
• Experience in regulated environments with compliance and governance awareness
• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Data Science, Information Systems, Marketing, Communications, or a related discipline

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Agile Project Management, Automation, Business Processes, Capability Development, Continuous Process Improvement, Cross-Functional Communications, Customer Engagement, Data-Driven Decision Making, Developing Proposals, Digital Healthcare, Digital Transformation, Digital Transformation Strategy, Employee Performance Evaluations, Environmental Scanning, Feasibility Studies, Information Systems, Marketing, Market Research, Pharmaceutical Market, Portfolio Management, Product Lifecycle, Product Management, Product Management Leadership {+ 6 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.

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

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

08/5/2026

*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.