Merck KGaA Posted October 2, 2026

Global Head of Medical Operations

Billerica, Massachusetts, United States FULL_TIME
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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

Work Your Magic with us!  Start your next chapter and join EMD Serono.

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.

This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

Your Role

Medical Affairs delivers its greatest impact when the right people, processes, and data come together at the right moment, and this role is the architect of that precision. As Global Head of Medical Operations, you will set the strategic direction and operating model for a global function spanning Managed Access Programs, Medical Study Operations, and Project Management, leading a team of approximately 20 professionals across regions. You will serve as the integrator of the Medical Affairs organization, bridging product and functional planning, enabling cross functional collaboration, and ensuring that operational infrastructure keeps pace with an evolving portfolio.

In this role, you will own the full governance and performance of Medical Operations across the product lifecycle: designing centralized, decentralized, or federated support models that balance global consistency with regional needs; driving continuous improvement of procedures, workflows, and governance frameworks; and translating operational data into clear insights and recommendations for senior leadership. You will oversee compliant, timely execution of expanded access and compassionate use programs, and ensure that Medical Affairs sponsored evidence generation, including interventional, non interventional, and investigator initiated studies, meets the highest standards of quality, regulatory compliance, and scientific integrity. As a member of the Global Medical Affairs leadership team, you will partner with Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Compliance, Finance, Procurement, and Information Technology, while retaining Medical Affairs ownership of operational standards and championing the responsible adoption of technology and automation across the function.

Who You Are

Basic / Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in life sciences, healthcare, business, operations, project management, or a related field.

12+ years of experience in Medical Affairs, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or clinical research operations within a regulated environment, including direct experience in Medical Affairs study operations, managed access programs, or Medical Excellence functions.

5+ years of experience leading teams, including matrix and global leadership across regions and functions.

Deep working knowledge of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and ICH E6, and the operational requirements of Medical Affairs evidence generation, including interventional studies, non interventional studies, investigator initiated studies, expanded access, and external collaborative research.

Proven experience in operating model design, process improvement, budget management, vendor and contract research organization management, and performance measurement.

Advanced proficiency with operational systems, dashboards, and reporting tools, including working knowledge of artificial intelligence and analytics applications and their compliance implications.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree such as an MBA, MS, or PharmD.

Project management certification such as PMP or PRINCE2, or equivalent.

Experience in Oncology, Fertility, Immunology, or Neurology therapeutic areas.

Familiarity with grants, sponsorships, and investigator initiated study governance systems.

Experience with regulated operational platforms and business intelligence solutions.

Pay Range for this position: $ 251,000 - $ 409,300

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites. For more information click  here .

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Medical Affairs
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Billerica, Massachusetts, United States
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

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

We currently track 1694 comparable Medical Affairs roles across 180 biopharma companies.

1694Comparable roles tracked
1596Currently active
180Companies hiring similar roles
64Countries represented

Salary context

374 of 1694 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject $251,000/yr – $409,300/yr
Lowest disclosed · 2027 Future Talent Program - Global Medical Affairs - Intern · Merck $39,908/yr – $111,111/yr
Peer group range $75,510 – $454,000 (median $214,550)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 1694 comparable roles

United States750
China178
Japan101
Germany69
India62
United Kingdom62

+ 58 more countries

Seniority mix

1039 of 1694 peers have a known seniority level

Senior269
Director252
Manager238
Associate Director86
Associate76
Senior Director39
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc38
Executive/VP26
Principal15

Therapeutic area mix

595 of 1694 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology262
Neuroscience87
Rare Disease54
Immunology53
Cardiovascular / CVRM43
Dermatology & Aesthetics37
Respiratory22
Vaccines & Infectious Disease16
Gastroenterology13
Ophthalmology8

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

40%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Director
Same function Same country
40%similar
AbbVie Director
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Open in 3 locations

Mettawa, United StatesSan Francisco, United StatesFlorham Park, United States
40%similar
AbbVie Mettawa, IL Director
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40%similar
ViiV Healthcare UK Limited Durham Blackwell Street, United States Principal
Same function Same country
40%similar
Amgen Inc. Seattle, United States
Same function Same country
40%similar
Amgen Inc. Chicago, United States Director
Same function Same country

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.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Medical Affairs job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

40%
Associate Medical Director (Physician Development Program - Hematology)
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Scientific Director / Senior Medical Director, Medical Affairs - Global Oncology Pipeline (Prostate Cancer)
AbbVie · Florham Park, NJ · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Medical Science Liaison-Bone Health-WA, OR, MT, ID, AK
Amgen Inc. · Seattle, United States · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Manager, U.S. Medical Affairs Liver Strategy
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.