Associate Director, Launch Excellence PMO

Job Description

The Associate Director, Launch Excellence PMO will work closely with cross-functional stakeholders, including BU/Brand teams, Market Access, Medical, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Commercial, and KA, to support priority new launch brands through disciplined planning, tracking, and follow-through, ensuring launch-related actions, risks, and dependencies are actively managed across functions. 

Launch PMO Support 

• Provide PMO support to priority launch brands across different launch stages. 

• Maintain integrated launch plans, timelines, action trackers, and key milestone views for supported assets, to keep aligned to launch framework and global guidance. 

• Work closely with asset teams to ensure launch priorities are clearly tracked and progressed. 

Drive Readiness & Follow-Through 

• Drive readiness on key launch items and support launch review. 

• Follow through on launch review outputs to ensure issues, decisions, and action items are translated into execution. 

• Coordinate with cross - functional team to drive execution, maintain visibility on what is on track, what is at risk, and what requires leadership attention. 

Cross-Functional Experimentation & Learning  

• Work with BU/Brand teams and cross-functional stakeholders to test and experiment with improved launch approaches in real business settings. 

• Accumulate learning from pilots, execution feedback, and practical launch challenges across supported brands. 

• Provide actionable insights for reiteration, helping teams refine launch frameworks/ plans, improve execution, and strengthen future launch practices. 

 

Requirements

Education / Professional Certificate  

• Bachelor’s degree (Master or MBA is plus) 

Working Experience 

• 8+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, PMO, commercial operations, consulting, or cross-functional business management. 

• Hands-on experience in launch execution, readiness tracking, project/program management, or complex cross-functional coordination is preferred. 

• Experience supporting new product launches or launch-related governance in a matrix organization is strongly preferred. 

• Consulting background is a plus. 

Professional knowledge and skill 

• Strong PMO discipline, including milestone management, action tracking, risk identification, issue escalation, and follow-through. 

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work closely with BU/Brand teams and multiple cross-functional partners. 

• Strong sense of execution, accountability, and urgency, with the ability to keep teams focused on closure and outcomes. 

• Strong organization and communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear status updates and leadership-ready materials. 

• Resilient, proactive, and detail-oriented, with strong ownership and persistence. 

• Professional proficiency in English and Mandarin. 

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Agile Project Management, Collaborative Development, Cross-Team Collaboration, Detail-Oriented, Portfolio Management, Project Management, Resource Allocation, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking

Preferred Skills:

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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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

06/30/2026

*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.