Associate Director, Launch Strategy & Operations

Job Description

Associate Director, Launch Strategy & Operations

US Human Health – US Pharma, Rare Disease Business Unit
Location: North Wales (Upper Gwynedd), PA | Hybrid (3 days on‑site)

About the Role

We are looking for a high‑potential launch leader to join our US Human Health Specialty Business Unit as an Associate Director, Launch Strategy & Operations. This role sits at the center of how we prepare, align, and execute product launches—working across marketing, access, sales, operations, medical, and enterprise partners to ensure our launches are thoughtful, connected, and built for long‑term success.

This is an ideal role for someone who enjoys both strategic thinking and hands‑on execution, and who is motivated by seeing the full picture of how launches come together across a complex organization. You’ll gain a front‑row seat to enterprise launch decision‑making, exposure to senior leaders, and experiences that can translate into future roles across marketing, access, sales leadership, operations, and beyond.

What You’ll Do

Lead Launch Strategy & Readiness

• Shape and drive integrated US launch plans across one or more US Pharma and Rare Disease assets, ensuring clarity, alignment, and readiness across functions

• Partner with launch teams to translate strategy into executable plans, milestones, and decision points

• Provide thought partnership and launch advisory support—helping teams anticipate risks, navigate tradeoffs, and stay focused on what matters most

Enable Cross‑Functional Alignment

• Serve as a connective tissue across marketing, access, sales, operations, medical, manufacturing, and enterprise partners

• Help establish clear launch governance, roles, and operating rhythms to support timely decisions and accountability

• Elevate issues, risks, and interdependencies early—offering structured options and recommendations

Drive Operational Excellence

• Oversee launch readiness activities, tracking progress against key milestones and highlighting areas needing attention

• Apply strong program management skills to keep complex efforts moving forward in a matrixed environment

• Support consistent use of launch tools, frameworks, and best practices while allowing flexibility where needed

Strengthen Launch Capabilities

• Capture learnings from launches and apply them to future efforts

• Contribute to the evolution of launch processes, playbooks, and ways of working across US Human Health

• Act as a trusted advisor to launch teams—balancing guidance with empowerment

Who You Are

You are curious, collaborative, and comfortable operating in ambiguity. You enjoy connecting dots across functions, asking good questions, and helping teams move from discussion to action. You bring enough launch or commercialization experience to add value quickly, and the learning mindset to grow into broader enterprise leadership.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (Business, Marketing, Life Sciences, or related field)

• ~5+ years of experience in the biopharmaceutical or life sciences industry

• Experience working in commercial, launch, or adjacent functions (e.g., marketing, market access, sales operations, commercial operations, strategy)

• Ability to on-site at the North Wales (Upper Gwynedd), Pennsylvania office at least 3 days per week

• Strong collaboration, communication, and stakeholder‑influencing skills

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex work across multiple teams and priorities

Preferred (not required):

• Prior experience supporting or leading product launches

• Experience in a Specialty or complex therapeutic area

• Background in launch planning, commercialization strategy, or cross‑functional program leadership

• Comfort using data and insights to inform decisions and recommendations

Why This Role

This role offers:

• Enterprise visibility into how launches are planned and governed

• Exposure to senior leaders and critical launch decisions

• A chance to build portable launch and leadership skills applicable across many future career paths

• Meaningful impact on how we bring important medicines to patients

Required Skills:

Accountability, Adaptability, Agile Project Management, Data-Driven Decision Making, Developing Proposals, Employee Performance Evaluations, Environmental Scanning, Feasibility Studies, Innovation, Leadership, Market Research, Pharmaceutical Market, Portfolio Management, Project Management, Resource Allocation, Risk 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

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, Monday - 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 salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

04/4/2026

*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.