Merck KGaA Posted July 27, 2026

Senior Director, Head of Inspection & TMF Center of Excellence (all genders)

Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany FULL_TIME
Senior Director

Merck KGaA is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Your role

We are seeking a Director-level leader to head its Inspection & Trial Master File (TMF) Center of Excellence within the Global Development Operations (GDO) Clinical Quality Management (CQM) organization. This office-based (3 days on site per week) role is open across Germany, Switzerland and the US, and represents a high-impact senior strategic position for an experienced GCP quality, inspection, and TMF leader in the clinical trial operations space.

The Head of Inspection & TMF Center of Excellence encompasses three core areas of responsibility. In the area of Inspection Excellence, the successful candidate will establish and lead a global "Always Inspection Ready" operating model, providing GDO strategic oversight of Health Authority inspections. This includes sponsoring GDO training programs, leading portfolio-wide GDO inspection simulations, acting as GDO Executive Inspection Lead for Health Authority inspections, and continuously improving readiness frameworks through trend analysis and cross-functional collaboration.

As head of the TMF Center of Excellence, the role owns the global TMF governance framework, ensuring alignment with key regulatory standards including ICH E6(R2/R3), FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EMA, MHRA, and PMDA requirements and serves as the business lead for the TMF system. Core responsibilities include maintaining the TMF Reference Model, establishing a global TMF health metrics dashboard, driving digital modernization through automation and AI, and leading continuous improvement of TMF processes, tools, and systems. Across Quality Excellence more broadly, the leader will oversee GDO-wide audits and quality management, ensuring risk-based, data-driven decision-making while fostering a strong culture of proactivity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The position involves managing a high-performing, multinational team, setting objectives, conducting performance reviews, defining team structure, and supporting career development and capability building across varying seniority levels.

Who you are

PhD or MS in Life Sciences with 15+ years in Pharmaceutical R&D and 10+ years in multinational line management.

Deep expertise in GCP, global Health Authority inspections, TMF governance, and eTMF platform design and implementation.

Proven track record in Risk-Based Quality Management and delivering digital solutions for inspection readiness.

Strong leadership capabilities with experience building, mentoring, and advancing a high-performing, diverse team.

Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience guiding senior leadership and cross-functional partners.

Demonstrated ability to sponsor training programs, drive inspections simulations, and manage readiness initiatives end-to-end.

Familiarity with ICH, FDA, EMA, MHRA, and PMDA regulatory expectations and modern QA frameworks.

Fluency in English

Department: HC-RD-DQ Clinical Quality Management

Job evaluation: AT - Manager 5

Job details

Seniority
Senior Director
Function
Not listed
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We don't have enough classified peer data for this role yet, so there's no comparison to show. This happens when a posting's title/category doesn't match any taxonomy rule -- it's excluded rather than compared against the wrong peer group.

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.