Merck & Co, Inc

Executive Director, Organization & Talent Partner R&D Division

Merck & Co, Inc • $231K — $365K *
Business Services
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field required
  • Minimum of 12 years of progressive HR or closely related business experience
  • Significant strategic HR partnership experience in a complex, global environment
  • Experience advising and coaching senior executives and leadership teams
  • Broad experience in strategic workforce planning, organization capability planning, and talent management
  • Proven ability to influence senior leaders and manage sensitive matters
  • Demonstrated people leadership experience, including building high-performing teams

Responsibilities

  • Shape the long-term organization and talent agenda based on business strategy
  • Lead organization capability planning to align structures and roles with business goals
  • Drive strategic workforce planning linked to business transformation
  • Connect organization, workforce, and talent implications across leadership teams
  • Enable talent development strategies, including succession and leadership development
  • Coach senior leaders to enhance organizational effectiveness and talent decisions
  • Oversee macro-level organizational change and ensure successful execution through partnerships

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision healthcare benefits for employees and families
  • Retirement benefits including 401(k)
  • Paid holidays and vacation days
  • Compassionate and sick leave
  • Flexible work arrangements with a hybrid model
Full Job Description

Job Description

The Executive Director, Organization & Talent Partner (OTP), Research & Development Division reports to the Vice President, Human Resources, Research & Development (R&D) Division and serves as the senior strategic organization and talent advisor to senior leaders and their leadership teams. Operating with a divisional as well as an enterprise mindset, the leader architects the long-term view that connects priorities and business needs into organizational capability planning solutions that help ensure these organizations have the structures, capabilities, leadership, talent pipelines and ways of working needed to deliver their priorities. The role operates across complex scientific, pipeline, workforce, geographic and organizational priorities; co-creates strategy; frames organization and workforce choices; and establishes governance and ways of working across multiple leadership interfaces.


The Executive Director leads a team of Organization & Talent Partners. Operating with an enterprise mindset, the role connects priorities across our Research & Development Division, partnering with Talent Enablement and commissioning the right expertise from Centers of Excellence (COEs), Enterprise Team HR (ETHR) and HR Solutions & Operations to bring strategy into execution. As a people leader, the role is accountable for the direction, development, performance and effective deployment of a team of Organization & Talent Partners.


Primary Responsibilities:

Shape the agenda:

  • Understand, anticipate and translate business strategy into the long-term organization and talent agenda
  • Lead organization capability planning so structures, roles and capabilities are ready for where the business is going
  • Drive strategic workforce planning linked to business direction and transformation
  • Bring an enterprise perspective to leadership and business planning, connecting organization, workforce and talent implications across leadership teams and the broader enterprise.

Develop the organization and its leaders:

  • Enable talent development strategy, including succession and leadership development for critical populations
  • Coach senior leaders to improve organizational effectiveness, leadership impact and talent decisions
  • Support transformational efforts from an organization and talent perspective
  • Act as steward in organizational effectiveness, driving stronger collaboration across functions and clarity in interfaces, so priorities connect rather than compete

Leverage the HR operating model to bring strategy into execution

  • Be accountable for the strategy and execution of macro-level organizational change and transformation and ensure the right partnerships are activated to deliver successful execution.
  • Engage with TELs, COEs, ETHR, HR Solutions & Operations and other partners to deliver the highest-value business priorities, leveraging expertise and capacity where they reside. Across these partnerships, provide context on business priorities and dynamics, connect organization and talent priorities across divisions and countries
  • Seek to understand local nuances and considerations when defining organization and talent strategy and execution plans

Experience, capabilities and leadership characteristics

The successful candidate will bring deep strategic HR experience in a large, complex organization and a record of shaping outcomes through influence. The role requires the following capabilities and leadership characteristics:

  • Business savviness: bring the depth of advanced business understanding needed to build differentiated talent strategies and workforce plans leaders will trust.
  • Organization development and effectiveness: diagnose how well the organization is working and take action to close the gaps and strengthen effectiveness, using the OCP playbook and OD team resources.
  • Talent growth and senior-leader coaching: anticipate talent and capability gaps in critical populations well before they become urgent, and shape the succession and development plans that close them
  • Influence and executive communication: effectively frame and communicate complex or sensitive issues clearly and confidently to stakeholders and partners to ensure effective action is taken, and align senior stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
  • Change catalyst leadership: drive the organizational and cultural shifts your strategy requires, championing new approaches and helping people move through resistance to get there
  • Networking, partnerships: effectively navigate the organization, delivering through trusted partnerships across the HR Operating Model
  • People leadership: Demonstrated success as a people leader, ability to build an inclusive, high-performing OTP team with clear direction and shared accountability.
  • Systems Thinking: see the organization as a connected system deep understanding of the interdependencies between businesses, functions and regions, and read data and signals across them to find the patterns that shape the org and talent agenda

Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business or a related discipline required

Required Experience and Skills:

  • Minimum of twelve (12) years of progressive HR or closely related business experience, including significant strategic HR partnership experience in a complex, global environment.
  • Demonstrated experience advising and coaching senior executives and leadership teams.
  • Demonstrated broad-reaching experience in strategic workforce planning, organization capability planning, organization design and development, talent and succession.
  • Experience supporting a pharmaceutical, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial or other science-based organization.
  • Proven ability to influence senior leaders, manage high-risk and sensitive matters, and coordinate outcomes across organizational boundaries. Ability to commission work through a networked operating model. Broad global perspective and the ability to lead with cultural sensitivity across a matrixed and global organization
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, business judgment and analytical capability.
  • Demonstrated people leadership experience, including leading, coaching and developing experienced HR professionals and building a high-performing, inclusive team

Required Skills:

Change Management, Confidential Data Handling, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Functional Expertise, HR Information Management, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resource Management, Leadership Development Programs, Learning and Development (L&D), People Leadership, Recruiting Processes, Strategic Thinking, Succession Planning, Talent Acquisition, Talent Analytics, Talent Assessments, Talent Development, Talent Management, Talent Strategy, Workforce Analytics, Workforce Planning

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply

Current Contingent Workers apply

The salary range for this role is

$231,900.00 - $365,000.00

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 employees 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.

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

NA

Job Posting End Date:

10/9/2026

*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.

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.

Merck & Co, Inc Careers

Join the visionary team at Merck & Co, Inc, a global leader in healthcare dedicated to advancing the world of medicine. As part of our professional community, you'll find dynamic job opportunities that foster innovation and leadership across various fields. Merck & Co, Inc is not just a company; it's a place where you can make a difference.

Work You’ll Do

At Merck & Co, Inc, we are committed to improving global health through groundbreaking research and innovative healthcare solutions. Our team is at the forefront of developing new therapies and vaccines that significantly impact public health worldwide. By joining us, you will collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry, using your skills to contribute to projects that save and improve lives around the globe.

Explore Career Paths

Whether you're seeking an internship, a graduate opportunity, or a professional position, Merck & Co, Inc offers a range of career paths in environments that promote rapid professional growth and development. Explore job opportunities in research, digital transformation, manufacturing, and more, all while benefiting from a culture that supports diversity and inclusion.

Innovate and Lead

Merck & Co, Inc is an ideal environment for those who lead with curiosity and the drive to innovate. Our leadership is committed to fostering a culture where inventive thinking and collaboration are encouraged, making it a perfect place for professionals who seek to make an impact through their work.

Develop Your Skills

With Merck & Co, Inc, you are not just getting a job; you're gaining access to unparalleled career development opportunities. Enhance your skills through diverse training programs, workshops, and continuous learning courses designed to help you grow at every stage of your career.

Benefits and Culture

We understand that our employees are our greatest asset, which is why we offer competitive benefits designed to support the health and well-being of you and your family. From comprehensive health care coverage and retirement plans to flexible working conditions and wellness programs, our benefits package is designed to meet the diverse needs of our team members.

Join Our Team

Ready to advance your career at Merck & Co, Inc? Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We are continuously hiring and looking for passionate, creative, and solution-driven team players. Prepare your resume, sharpen your interview skills, and become part of a company that's dedicated to making a difference.

Stay Connected

Keep up to date with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here. Engage with us through our careers blog and by participating in networking events and employment fairs. Subscribe to receive personalized job alerts and the latest news tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding opportunities that await at Merck & Co, Inc. Join us in our mission to improve health and wellness around the world.
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

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Merck & Co, Inc

More Business Services Jobs

Find similar Executive Director, Organization & Talent Partner R&D Division jobs: