Merck & Co, Inc

Executive Director, Center for Scientific Exchange Excellence

Merck & Co, Inc$255K — $402K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • PharmD, PhD, or MD with at least 10 years of relevant experience.
  • Extensive leadership experience in guiding multi-team organizations.
  • Proven success in managing complex, cross-functional initiatives globally.
  • Strong strategic development and operational execution skills across diverse groups.
  • High familiarity with pharmaceutical industry regulations and compliance frameworks.

Responsibilities

  • Set strategic direction and performance expectations for the CSEE organization.
  • Accountable for the strategic impact and effectiveness of the CSEE department.
  • Build and develop a high-performing organization with clear accountability.
  • Serve on the V&I GMVC Leadership Team, contributing to overall enterprise strategy.
  • Lead and mentor CSEE leaders on talent management and capability building.
  • Drive global strategies for scientific exchange across different regions.

Benefits

  • Flexible work arrangements, including remote work options.
  • Opportunity for leadership development and coaching.
  • Exposure to senior leadership forums and industry best practices.
  • Access to a well-structured performance management system.
  • Engagement with external organizations for professional networking.
Full Job Description
Job Description

The Executive Director, Center for Scientific Exchange Excellence (ED CSEE), position resides in the Value & Implementation (V&I) organization, which includes Global Medical and Scientific Affairs (GMSA), Global Medical and Value Capabilities (V&I GMVC), as well as Outcomes Research.

This position is a leadership role within V&I GMVC that reports directly to the Vice President, V&I GMVC Lead. The ED CSEE is an integral member of the V&I GMVC Leadership Team providing insight and advice on strategic direction and is accountable for assisting and driving execution of the vision of V&I GMVC and CSEE.

This position oversees the CSEE team, integrating both scientific/ therapeutic and engagement/ leadership skills for optimal scientific exchange. This includes the ongoing development and enhancement of Global scientific exchange capabilities by ensuring that appropriate processes, procedures, guidance documents, and tools are in place to enable consistent high quality compliant practices in alignment with company policies.

This position leads several core V&I global initiatives, including, but not limited to:
  • Ensuring CSEE support of high-performing teams that engage in scientific exchange, who are viewed by external stakeholders as preferred scientific peers who support their patient care efforts.
  • Collaborating with the network across the V&I organization, including but not limited to, V&I GMSA Therapeutic Areas (TAs) and the V&I GMVC organization (e.g., V&I Operations, Global Scientific & Value Content (GSVC), Global Medical Information (GMI), Global Expert Management and Strategy (GEMS) Consulting & Medical Education, and V&I GMVC Hubs [Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada Region (EMEAC); Latin America (LATAM); and Asia Pacific Region (AP)].
  • Implementing CSEE programs that impact across all regions of the V&I organization. CSEE staff in the V&I GMVC Hubs will have a dotted-line reporting relationship into this role.


Primary Responsibilities:

Leadership
  • Set the strategic direction, priorities, operating model, and performance expectations for the CSEE organization across U.S. and global scientific exchange.
  • Accountable for the performance, effectiveness, resource stewardship, and strategic impact of the CSEE department across U.S. and global regions.
  • Lead through managers to build a high-performing, scalable organization with clear accountability, priorities, decision rights, and talent strategies.
  • Serve as a senior member of the V&I GMVC Leadership Team, contributing to enterprise strategy, resource planning, operational prioritization, and execution of organizational objectives.
  • Provide leadership, coaching, and development for CSEE leaders and teams, including talent management, succession planning, performance management, recruitment, retention, and capability building.
  • Represent CSEE priorities and progress in senior leadership forums, including leadership team meetings, operations reviews, summits, town halls, and strategic governance discussions.


U.S. and Global Scientific Exchange Strategy
  • Lead execution of the scientific exchange excellence strategy allocating about 50% of time across the U.S. and 50% of time across global-regional scope, ensuring alignment between enterprise standards, regional requirements, and local market needs.
  • Define the enterprise vision and strategic roadmap for scientific exchange excellence, including field medical capabilities, engagement practices, leadership expectations, and capability evolution.
  • Partner with U.S., global, regional, and country Medical Affairs leaders to translate scientific, medical, and business priorities into scalable field medical capability solutions.
  • Provide strategic guidance to regional and country leadership on the planning, deployment, optimization, and evolution of field medical resources and capabilities.
  • Ensure CSEE initiatives enable field medical teams to be recognized by external stakeholders as trusted scientific peers and partners who advance high-quality scientific exchange.


Capability, Standards, Training, and Compliance
  • Lead implementation, governance, and continuous improvement of field medical standards, processes, training curricula, guidance documents, tools, and capability programs.
  • Ensure field medical standards and training programs are globally relevant, regionally adaptable, and aligned with company policies, SOPs, legal, privacy, regulatory, and compliance requirements.
  • Collaborate closely with Legal, Compliance, V&I GMVC Operations, GSVC, GMI, GEMS, USMA, GSM TAs, and other stakeholders to ensure integrated and compliant scientific exchange practices.
  • Establish and oversee quality controls, KPIs, monitoring processes, audits, and remediation activities to ensure effective, compliant, and continuously improving scientific exchange practices.


Insights, Technology, and Operational Excellence
  • Set the strategic direction for field medical insights collection, evaluation, and knowledge-sharing processes that inform scientific exchange priorities and business decision-making.
  • Partner with V&I GMVC Ops stakeholders to ensure field medical technology solutions are informed by SMEs and support evolving U.S. and global business needs.
  • Identify process improvement opportunities, operational risks, and scalable approaches that enhance efficiency, consistency, and impact across regions and stakeholder groups.
  • Apply strong business and financial acumen to prioritize work, steward resources, evaluate trade-offs, and support sustainable capability delivery across multiple markets and geographies.


External Engagement and Industry Leadership
  • Maintain awareness of evolving field medical, scientific exchange, capability development, compliance, and industry best practices, translating relevant trends into actionable organizational improvements.
  • Serve as a company representative with external organizations, industry forums, and benchmarking groups to advance scientific exchange excellence and strengthen organizational credibility and influence.
  • Develop and sustain strategic relationships with internal and external stakeholders to advance scientific exchange priorities, influence organizational decisions, and drive adoption of best practices globally.


Education:
  • PharmD, PhD, or MD plus at least 10 years of relevant experience


Required Experience and Skills:
  • PharmD, PhD, or MD plus at least 10 years of relevant experience
  • Extensive people leadership experience, including demonstrated success leading leaders, managers, directors, or multi-team organizations.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead complex, concurrent, cross-functional initiatives with both U.S. and global/regional scope and impact.
  • Proven ability to set strategy, translate priorities into operational plans, and drive execution across multiple groups, geographies, and stakeholder networks.
  • Strong business and financial acumen, including ability to evaluate tradeoffs, manage resources, and make recommendations that have long-term organizational impact.
  • High level of familiarity with relevant pharmaceutical industry ethical guidelines, compliance expectations, SOPs, risk assessment, and control frameworks.
  • Executive presence, strong interpersonal communication and presentation skills, and demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders internally and externally.
  • Demonstrated ability to identify process gaps, build scalable solutions, manage change, and innovate practical approaches
  • Ability to travel up to 50% of the time, including national and international travel.


Preferred Experience and Skills:
  • Minimum of 10 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience with demonstrated excellence in leading, coaching, or enabling field medical/scientific teams.
  • Minimum of five years of direct management experience with scientists, clinicians, or field-based medical professionals.
  • Deep understanding of Medical Affairs, demonstrated excellence in field medical/scientific exchange, scientific training, engagement excellence, and compliant field medical operating practices.


Required Skills:
Cross-Functional Leadership, Execution Excellence, Executive Leadership, Field Training, Global Experience, Medical Affairs, Operational Business Planning, Pharmaceutical Compliance, Resource Management, Scientific Exchange, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Influence, Training and Development

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
50%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Remote

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Job Posting End Date:
08/26/2026
*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.

About Merck & Co, Inc

Schering-Plough Corporation is a major U.S.-based manufacturer of pharmaceuticals. It operates in three segments: Prescription Pharmaceuticals, Animal Health, and Consumer Health Care. Schering-Plough develops products targeting on allergy, cancer, hepatitis, cardiovascular, central nervous system, respiratory system, and more.  It was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering as Schering AG in Germany. Schering-Plough manufactured several pharmaceutical drugs, the most well-known of which were the allergy drugs Claritin and Clarinex, an anti-cholesterol drug Vytorin, and a brain tumor drug Temodar. It also developed drugs targeting on central nervous system and the respiratory system. Schering Plough also owned and operated the major foot care brand name Dr. Scholl's and the skin care line Coppertone. These also became a part of the new company. Schering-Plough was a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), a membership which is also maintained by the new Merck.

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Learn more about Merck & Co, Inc
Size
68,000 employees
Market Cap
$282.6 billion
Industry
Net Income
$7 billion
Founded
1668
5 Year Trend
+4.1%
Revenue
$47.9 billion
NASDAQ

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