Director, Global Launch Excellence Strategic Capabilities Leader

Job Description

Director, Global Launch Excellence Strategic Capabilities Leader

The Director, Global Launch Excellence Strategic Capabilities Leader, is responsible for evolving and advancing our company Launch Excellence strategy, capabilities, and operating model across the full portfolio of pipeline assets (Oncology, Immunology, Vaccines, Infectious Diseases, Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Cardiometabolic & Respiratory Diseases and more).

This leader drives the evolution & modernization of launch preparation practices across Global, Regional, and Market organizations, ensuring consistent, scalable, and impactful launch readiness across this full portfolio of assets.

This role serves as the strategic owner of our company Launch Excellence capability ecosystem, including the Global Launch Planning Tool (LPT), Launch Playbooks and Frameworks, Launch Excellence Library, and future launch readiness capabilities. The incumbent will lead the design, implementation, governance, and continuous improvement of launch methodologies, tools, and best practices that enable successful launch planning and execution worldwide.

As a key leader within Global Commercial & Launch Excellence Organization, this role will partner closely with Business Unit Launch Leaders, Global & US Brand Teams, Regional organizations, and Market teams to establish a modern, data-driven, and scalable approach to launch preparation. The position will lead a Global team and partner closely with additional market level launch leaders, in particular, the US Market leaders.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Launch Excellence Strategy & Transformation

Define and lead the long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap for Global Launch Excellence capabilities, ensuring alignment with our company commercial strategy, transformation priorities, and portfolio needs.

Drive the evolution of our company launch preparation methodology by modernizing harmonized frameworks, standards, and best practices that can be adopted consistently across Global, Regional, and Market organizations.

Serve as the enterprise owner for launch readiness capabilities, ensuring a differentiated and best-in-class approach to launch planning and execution.

Continually assess industry best practices, emerging technologies, AI-enabled capabilities, and external benchmarks to modernize our company launch excellence model.

Capability & Tool Development

Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the Global Launch Planning Tool (LPT), Launch Playbooks and Frameworks, Launch Excellence Library, and future launch readiness capabilities.

Lead the prioritization, design, and implementation of new launch tools, methodologies, and planning capabilities that improve launch effectiveness and accelerate value realization.

Ensure launch excellence capabilities remain relevant and aligned with evolving business needs, commercial models, and organizational priorities.

Establish capability governance, performance measures, and adoption metrics to evaluate effectiveness and continuously improve business impact.

Enterprise Leadership & Stakeholder Management

Act as a strategic partner to Business Unit Launch Leaders, Global Brand Teams, Regional organizations, and Market teams on launch excellence priorities and capability needs.

Influence and align senior stakeholders across the enterprise to drive adoption of launch excellence tools, methodologies, and standards.

Lead cross-functional collaboration among Commercial, Medical, Market Access, Analytics, Digital, and Regional stakeholders to strengthen launch readiness and execution excellence.

Represent Launch Excellence strategy and capabilities at enterprise governance forums, launch reviews, leadership meetings, and launch excellence communities.

Continuous Improvement & Knowledge Management

Translate launch insights, post-launch evaluations, market feedback, and organizational learnings into enhancements to launch tools, frameworks, and methodologies.

Establish mechanisms to capture, scale, and institutionalize launch best practices across the global launch portfolio.

Drive a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and knowledge sharing throughout the launch community.

People Leadership

Lead and develop a team responsible for day-to-day capability development, tool management, and chair the Launch Excellence Community.

Foster a high-performing, innovative, and collaborative team culture focused on capability excellence, the application of AI and centered on customer-centric solutions.

Coach and develop talent while ensuring alignment to broader team priorities in line with corporate strategic business objectives.

Qualifications & Skills:

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.

10+ years of experience in Global & US Launch Excellence, Commercial Strategy, Commercial Operations, Marketing Excellence, Capability Development, or related biopharmaceutical functions.

Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, change leadership, and organizational influence skills.

Demonstrated success leading enterprise capability development, commercial transformation initiatives, or launch excellence programs across multiple markets and business units.

Deep expertise in launch planning, launch readiness, commercialization, and cross-functional launch execution.

Experience designing and implementing capability frameworks, business processes, tools, and governance models.

Strong people leadership experience, including management and development of high-performing teams.

Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive enterprise-wide change in complex matrix organizations.

Experience overseeing technology-enabled capabilities, digital platforms, and data-driven solutions that support commercial excellence and launch effectiveness.

Global mindset with demonstrated ability to operate effectively across multiple geographies, markets, and organizational structures.

Required Skills:

Building Capability, Business Transformation, Competency Development, Digital Marketing, Direct Marketing, Enterprise Leadership, Executive Leadership, Executive Presence, Global Leadership, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Sharing, Leadership Management, Market Development, Market Research, Operational Excellence, Performance Metrics, Product Rollouts, Professional Networking, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking

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

$190,800.00 - $300,300.00

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

10/12/2026 *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.

Requisition ID:R418701