Merck KGaA Posted August 21, 2026

Senior Manager Group Portfolio Execution (all genders) part/full-time

Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany 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

Your Role:

As Senior Project Manager – Integration & Carve-Out, you will drive post-deal execution for Merck's strategic integrations and carve-outs across our three business sectors. Working closely with program leads, you'll own complex deal work while building expertise across both disciplines. Reporting to the Head of Portfolio Execution, you will join a highly energetic, mission-driven team of experienced integration and carve-out experts.

Key Responsibilities:

Support the development and execution of integration and carve-out strategies, including operating model considerations, aligned with business objectives.

Contribute to comprehensive transaction plans covering timelines, resource allocation, and roadmaps to drive alignment and transparency across stakeholders.

Lead selected workstreams and coordinate cross-functional activities, ensuring all teams remain aligned on priorities throughout post-deal execution.

Establish governance frameworks, including decision-making responsibilities, escalation paths, mechanisms for collecting feedback, and cadence for SteerCo and team meetings.

Proactively identify and resolve risks and issues, escalating where necessary to ensure timely resolution.

Ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements throughout the transaction lifecycle.

Build and maintain strong relationships with senior leaders and key decision-makers across business units and functions to gather requirements, provide updates, and address concerns.

Ensure the needs of the acquired or carved-out business are considered and effectively communicated to relevant stakeholders to secure timely decisions and actions.

Track and report progress against established KPIs, maintaining transparency with senior management.

Develop and maintain internal integration / carve-out execution playbooks with templates, tools, governance frameworks, and standardized KPIs to drive consistency across transactions.

Capture lessons learned, benchmark against industry standards, and translate insights into continuous improvements to execution methodologies.

Build organizational capability through training, coaching, and playbook walkthroughs for business unit and functional leaders.

Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance team environment.

Who You Are:

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree, e.g., in Business Administration, Economics, Finance or related fields.

4+ years of experience with global, matrixed organizations.

4+ years of experience as a consultant or similar position, coordinating different stakeholders and functions.

Solid understanding of operational post-merger integrations and / or carve-outs.

Knowledge of the industries (Life Science / Healthcare and / or Electronics) in which Merck operates – with curiosity about the technologies shaping Merck’s future.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail.

Good balance of strategic and operational strength.

Exceptional organizational skills, with ability to work in an agile manner and change course as required; able to systematically work through ambiguity.

Skilled at managing external and internal stakeholders – from working teams to senior management.

Strong business acumen and understanding of business processes / operating models.

Continuous learning orientation and ability to quickly acquire new skills and domain knowledge in evolving business contexts.

Thriving in fast-paced, complex and high-pressure environments.

Ability to work under pressure, showing resilience and adaptability.

Proven ability to make sound, data-driven decisions with appropriate escalation where needed.

Cross-culturally and politically savvy, with knowledge in change management.

Preferred Qualifications

MBA degree.

Experience in post-merger integrations and / or carve-outs, particularly in chemistry industry, manufacturing environments, or healthcare is a plus.

Multi-year experience in strategy, business development, portfolio management, investment banking, or related field.

Financial literacy and experience in financial due diligence, valuation, and M&A lifecycle.

Strong AI literacy – including critical thinking and hands-on experience with AI tools, concepts and prompt engineering to accelerate project execution and knowledge management.

The position can be based in the USA or Germany

Role Level: Project Manager 3

Department: EF-MA Group Strategy, M&A and Venturing

Job details

Seniority
Manager
Function
BD&L & Strategic Planning
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active BD&L & Strategic Planning role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 52 comparable Manager BD&L & Strategic Planning roles across 20 biopharma companies.

52Comparable roles tracked
48Currently active
20Companies hiring similar roles
11Countries represented

Salary context

23 of 52 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Associate, GOglobal Graduate Program · Merck KGaA $72,100/yr – $126,800/yr
Highest disclosed · Associate Dir, Search & Evaluation (Platforms & AI) · Novartis $160,300/yr – $297,700/yr
Peer group range $99,450 – $229,000 (median $168,090)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 52 comparable roles

United States26
China10
Germany5
India2
Mexico2
Singapore2

+ 5 more countries

Seniority mix

52 of 52 peers have a known seniority level

Manager32
Associate Director17
Associate3

Therapeutic area mix

7 of 52 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Dermatology & Aesthetics5
Oncology1
Cardiovascular / CVRM1

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.

60%similar
Sandoz Holzkirchen (Sandoz International GmbH), Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
45%similar
Viatris Healthcare México S. de R.L. de C.V Mexico City, Mexico Manager
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) Tarrytown, United States Manager
Same function Same seniority

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.

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.

60%
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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.