Job Description
Strategic Supply Chain Planning Lead
The Global Clinical Supply (GCS) organization manages the “end-to-end” clinical supply for the company’s portfolio. GCS is accountable for the planning, sourcing, labeling, packaging and delivery of clinical supplies to clinical sites across more than 60+ countries, in compliance with worldwide regulations, company policies and standard operating procedures.
The Strategic Supply Chain Planning Lead is a senior individual contributor accountable for shaping and executing end-to-end supply chain planning strategies across the overall GCS clinical supply portfolio. This role partners with Pharmaceutical Sciences, GCS internal stakeholders, and external entities to drive alignment and deliver high-quality, compliant, and efficient outcomes. As a recognized subject matter expert, the successful candidate will help define strategic direction, lead and collaborate on critical initiatives and special assignments, and advance enterprise-level process improvements. The role is also responsible for helping to establish and oversee planning principles across raw materials, packaging and labeling, and global release planning, while developing KPIs in partnership with GCS stakeholders and partner areas to assess, communicate, and continuously improve overall supply chain health.
Primary activities include, but are not limited to:
- Define, maintain, and continuously improve key performance indicators for the GCS end-to-end supply chain planning team, ensuring metrics provide clear visibility to portfolio health, planning effectiveness, supply continuity, risk exposure, and operational performance.
- Partner with GCS stakeholders and cross-functional partner areas to establish consistent KPI definitions, data sources, reporting cadences, and governance routines that enable fact-based decision making and transparent communication of supply chain performance.
- Create and champion principles for siting, capacity planning, and portfolio prioritization across raw materials, packaging and labeling, and global release planning, ensuring planning decisions are aligned to portfolio priorities, operational feasibility, compliance expectations, and business needs.
- Lead and collaborate on cross-functional initiatives with GCS internal stakeholders, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Quality, Operations, external partners, and other key functions to strengthen end-to-end planning discipline and drive alignment across the clinical supply network.
- Serve as a subject matter expert for strategic supply chain planning practices, providing guidance on planning standards, governance expectations, KPI interpretation, scenario planning, issue resolution, and continuous improvement opportunities.
- Mentor junior staff, support onboarding and training, and contribute to change management activities that build planning capability, reinforce standard work, and promote adoption of improved planning practices across the organization.
Experience and Skills:
- BS with at least 10 years experience, MS with at least 8 years experience, or PhD with 6 years experience or equivalent in scientific, business or related discipline with.
- Knowledge of supply chain planning
- Strong strategic thinking and business acumen
- Proven ability to lead and influence in a matrix environment without direct authority
- Experience driving process improvements and transformation initiatives
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement and collaboration skills
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities and adapt to changing business needs.
- Ability to lead, coach and develop team members.
Continuous improvement:
- Recommends & leads process improvements to enhance the efficiency of the E2E Supply Chain Planning team
- Contributes to process harmonization across raw material, packaging, distribution, capacity and release planning.
- Coordinates training of new and junior employees.
Required Skills:
Clinical Supply Chain Management & Planning, Driving Continuous Improvement, EU Regulations, Logistics Management, Operations Management, Pharmaceutical Packaging, Planning Operations, Plan of Correction, Process Improvement Projects, Process Improvements, Project Planning, Project Leadership, Quality Oversight, Stakeholder Collaboration, Supply Chain Processes, Critical Thinking
Required Skills:
Business Alignment, Business Alignment, Business Process Improvements, Competency Management, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Customer-Focused, Expectation Management, Materials Procurement, Mentoring Staff, Operations Management, Planning, Planning Ability, Process Alignment, Process Implementations, Process Improvements, Production Planning, Project Management Leadership, Scenario Planning, Strategic Leadership, Strategic Objectives, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking, Strategy Development, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Processes {+ 1 more}
Preferred Skills:
Current Employees apply
Current Contingent Workers apply
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 if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.
The salary range for this role is
$173,200.00 - $272,600.00
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 .
You can apply for this role through (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:
10%
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid
Shift:
1st - Day
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
n/a
Job Posting End Date:
09/9/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.
