Job Description

The Executive Director, Policy Development and Strategy is a key leadership role in the Global Public Policy Strategic Planning & External Engagement team, with responsibility for ongoing monitoring of policy and geo-political trends, and proactively directing policy development activities to mitigate risk and leverage opportunities in support of our company's business priorities.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Strategic Planning & External Engagement, this person will be responsible for facilitating proactive and impactful engagement on global cross-cutting policy and political concerns that will impact our company and industry and serving as a strategic partner to the Associate Vice President (AVP) on engagement across Good Pharmacoepidemiology Practices (GPP) and the broader enterprise on above product policy and political issues, working closely with the Executive Director, Global Policy and Multilateral Engagement and therapeutic area and regional policy teams.

The Executive Director will work with the AVP to identify potential synergies across therapeutic area and regional policy advocacy plans and develop a global view of policy priorities for GPP. The Executive Director will direct development of internal and external policy positions on above-product issues with the potential to impact our company and targeted efforts on these issues in global industry associations and business groups. Additionally, the Executive Director will create and maintain digital tools to support best-in-class strategic planning and performance management across the policy function and work with the AVP, Strategic Planning & External Engagement leadership team (LT) and Director, Strategic Operations Team to conduct regular, actionable analysis and generate insights to improve efficiency and impact of strategic plan execution. The role is based in US (Washington, DC, Rahway, NJ), Belgium (Brussels), or Switzerland (Zurich, Lucerne, Geneva).

Scope of work and core responsibilities include:

Leadership :

• Guide and manage the Policy Development and Strategy team, ensuring high performance, collaboration, and alignment with organizational objectives.

• Provide mentoring and guidance to team members, fostering their professional development and growth.

• Develop a high-performance culture within the team, promoting proactivity, accountability, innovation, and excellence.

• Collaborate with GPP and cross-functional teams and stakeholders to contribute to strategic engagement initiatives.

Strategic Planning and Capabilities:

• Develop and execute global strategy for monitoring global, cross-cutting policy and geopolitical risks and opportunities, working collaboratively with GPP and cross-functional teams, and direct the creation of proactive and actionable intelligence to inform global policy priorities, tactical plans, and business strategy.

• Assess current strategic planning platform and tools, identify and execute plan for enhancing user experience and enabling more rapid and efficient analysis of activities and progress for GPP LT performance management and decision-making. Direct maintenance of platform, building and leveraging relationships with IT and other corporate functions as appropriate.

• Partner with AVP, Strategic Planning & External Engagement LT, and GPP LT to develop annual Executive Team policy engagement plan.

• Direct a team of policy subject matter experts (SME) with responsibility for proactively identifying and assessing policy and industry trends, emerging areas for cross-cutting policy development, and for generating and sustaining relationships with global thought leaders, US-based international policy think tanks, and consultants on key policy concerns including artificial intelligence (AI), climate and environment, health care policy, and supply chains and localization.

• Develop acumen on cross-cutting business topics, including manufacturing and localization, AI, go to market approaches, and build internal relationships with senior SMEs in Research and Development, Manufacturing, and Human Health in order to effectively leverage knowledge and network to support policy development and external engagement opportunities.

• Direct and provide oversight of process for developing and updating public-facing policy positions on company websites. Develop efficient SOPs for creating new positions, updating existing positions, and securing appropriate stakeholder approvals. Represent GPP in presenting positions for approval to Strategic Policy & Sustainability Council.

• Serve as the GPP representative in senior-level cross-functional working groups and leadership teams focused on above product policy-relevant issues, including participation in in-person headquarters meetings as needed.

• Provide timely, concise, and accurate upward communication to AVP on emerging policy issues to keep GPP LT and ET abreast of policy and political dynamics that are critical for our company's business and make recommendations for new policy topics that need to be prioritized by the GPP LT.

• Contribute to quarterly and annual strategic planning and evaluation processes for GPP organization.

• Manage consultants as required.

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree required; Higher-level degree candidates preferred

Required Experience and Skills:

• Accomplished public policy professional with at least 15 years’ experience in international government affairs in governments, think tanks or business associations responsible for healthcare, commercial trade, regulatory, or intellectual property. Government experience preferred.

• Pharmaceutical sector, medical device, or related policy background preferred with specific emphasis on access, pricing/reimbursement, intellectual property, and trade policy

• Strong people management skills and experience, ability to inspire and influence transformation initiatives.

• Demonstrated experience in leading strategic planning and performance management processes in large, complex organizations.

• Ability to master complex policy, regulatory and legislative issues, think creatively and develop innovative strategies and solutions.

• Experience in proactively identifying policy risks to business and working across the organization to develop policy positions and strategies to mitigate risks.

• Demonstrated ability to work within diverse teams and achieve results, influence with and without authority, and contribute toward a common agenda with defined action.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills to influence and effectively lead internal and external audiences to desired outcomes

• Ability to communicate effectively with senior leadership and high-level external stakeholders

• Fluent in English, verbal and written

• Self-starter with innovative spirit, highly effective at proactively identifying policy risks and opportunities and identifying new ways to addressing policy challenges

• Ability to manage conflicting priorities, often in time-sensitive environments, with effective project management skills

• High degree of ethics and ability to build effective internal and external working relationships

• Demonstrated experience working across culturally diverse and matrixed teams with a high degree of collaboration

• Exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills in relevant business environments

• Effective in collaborating with people at all levels of an organization and willing to contribute wherever needed, providing leadership to operational activities as well as senior executives

NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

Employees working in roles that the Company determines require routine collaboration with external stakeholders, such as customer-facing commercial, or research-based roles, will be expected to comply not only with Company policy but also with policies established by such external stakeholders (for example, a requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access a facility or meet with stakeholders). Please understand that, as permitted by applicable law, if you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and an essential function of your job is to call on external stakeholders who require vaccination to enter their premises or engage in face-to-face meetings, then your employment may pose an undue burden to business operations, in which case you may not be offered employment, or your employment could be terminated. Please also note that, where permitted by applicable law, the Company reserves the right to require COVID-19 vaccinations for positions, such as in Global Employee Health, where the Company determines in its discretion that the nature of the role presents an increased risk of disease transmission.

Current Employees apply HERE (https://wd5.myworkday.com/msd/d/task/1422$6687.htmld)

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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, generally Tuesday, Wednesday and either Monday or Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence. This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this job in certain states and cities within the United States. Final determinations with respect to salary will take into account a number of factors, which may include, but not be limited to the primary work location and the chosen candidate’s relevant skills, experience, and education.

Expected US salary range:

$200,200.00 - $315,100.00

Available benefits include bonus eligibility, long term incentive if applicable, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. A summary of benefits is listed here (https://www.benefitsatmerck.com/) .

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

09/27/2024

*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.

Job Posting End Date: 09/27/2024

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: R310414