Job Description
The Commercial & Medical Affairs Domain Enablement Lead owns enterprise-wide data governance and Master Data Management (MDM) for the Commercial and Medical Affairs domains, with primary focus on the Customer data domain and a mandate to scale across additional domains over time.
This role serves as the subject matter expert for Commercial & Medical Affairs data, setting strategy and driving standards, governance, and adoption to ensure high-quality, scalable, and compliant data across all business units and platforms. This Leader operates the domain governance model; oversees data quality, integrity, and lifecycle management; and directs the implementation of modern customer MDM capabilities to deliver a single, trusted source of truth.
The role also orchestrates the ingestion demand, supporting the delivery of batch integrations, identity resolution, and data activation into downstream systems. It works closely with data solutions, data strategy, product owners, and governance teams to ensure high-quality, privacy-compliant, business-ready data that drives measurable business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
1. Domain Governance & Operating Model
Deploys and lead the enterprise-wide data governance framework for Commercial and Medical Affairs domains and sub domains, with emphasis on Customer data.
Define and maintain the domain operating model including roles, responsibilities, decision rights, escalation paths and operating performance measures and OKR’s
Chair or co-chair domain governance forums, ensuring transparent decision-making and alignment across business and technology stakeholders.
Develop key stakeholder relationships and peer network to ensure enterprise needs, domain goals, and data community expectations are collaboratively met.
Responsible for ensuring compliance awareness and audit readiness.
2. Data Quality, Integrity & Lifecycle Management
Be accountable for the quality, integrity, and lifecycle management of the Customer enterprise data domain and associated reference data, metadata, taxonomies, and hierarchies.
Define and oversee lifecycle processes (creation, updates, merges, deactivation, archival) for customer and related domain entities.
Establish and monitor domain-level data quality KPIs; drive remediation plans and continuous improvement initiatives.
Lead end-to-end data enablement across strategy, standards, architecture, ingestion, quality, schema governance, metadata, catalog, lineage, lifecycle, and retention.
Partner with delivery and downstream teams to drive measurement, continuous improvement, stakeholder enablement, and clear communication
3. Domain Requirements & Standards
Manage requirements for Commercial and Medical Affairs domain-specific data (e.g., quality thresholds, business rules, access needs, stewardship), ensuring alignment with business strategies and regulatory constraints.
Deploy and maintain domain standards and feedback, including business definitions, data models, naming conventions, coding schemes, and validation rules.
Collaborate with business stakeholders to translate domain requirements into technical specifications for data, analytics, and platform teams.
4. Metadata, Taxonomies & Discovery
Ensure good quality metadata catalogues for the domain are maintained, including business and technical metadata, lineage, ontologies, controlled vocabularies, and taxonomies.
Ensure standardize classification of Customer and related domain data to support consistent reporting, analytics, and regulatory compliance.
Enable enterprise search and discovery by ensuring key data assets are well-documented, easily discoverable, and clearly described for business users.
5. MDM Strategy & Implementation
Direct the implementation and evolution of global MDM platforms, tools, and practices for the Commercial and Medical Affairs domains.
Define authoritative data sources, golden record rules (matching, survivorship), and integration patterns to maintain a single source of truth for Customer and related entities.
Partner with architecture and delivery teams to ensure MDM capabilities are embedded into solutions, platforms, and workflows
Collaborate with stakeholders across divisions to ensure MDM is implemented consistently across the organization.
6. Change Management & Cross-Functional Leadership
Facilitate change management for data, metadata, and business rules by establishing standard processes, communication plans, governance checkpoints, and stakeholder alignment
Drive cross-functional alignment on changes that affect domain data (e.g., new attributes, revised rules, hierarchy changes, new external data sources).
Ensure downstream impact assessments are performed and that affected teams are prepared and supported through changes.
7. Data Issue Management & Quality Incidents
Support data investigations triggered by user-reported issues or system-generated quality incidents.
Oversee root-cause analysis, remediation planning, and prevention measures for recurring data quality problems.
8. Domain Expertise & Stakeholder Engagement
Act as a senior domain expert for Commercial and Medical Affairs data, particularly Customer data, providing guidance to business, analytics, and technology teams.
Be accountable for providing access to the appropriate domain experts (e.g., stewards, SMEs) to support key initiatives, projects, and investigations.
Build strong relationships with Commercial, Medical, Field teams, Analytics, IT, and Governance functions to drive adoption and unlock value from domain data.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science (or equivalent) in Data Science, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, IT, MBA, or an equivalent scientific/commercial discipline
Minimum 7 years in data governance and MDM, preferably within Commercial and/or Medical Affairs or related life sciences domains.
Experience leading teams
Experience working with life sciences data
Demonstrated experience defining and operating data domain governance models, including stewardship and escalation processes.
Strong understanding of Customer domain data (e.g., HCP/HCO, accounts, affiliations, channels) and associated regulatory/compliance considerations.
Hands-on experience with MDM platforms and data catalog/metadata tools.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders.
Preferred:
MS (or equivalent) in Data Science, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, IT, MBA, or an equivalent scientific/commercial discipline
Experience in a global or matrixed organization.
Familiarity with privacy and compliance frameworks relevant to Commercial and Medical Affairs activities.
Background in analytics, CRM, or omnichannel engagement platforms is a plus.
Required Skills:
Accountability, Business Analysis, Business Strategies, Change Management, Customer Data, Customer Data Management, Data Governance, Data Science, Demand Management, Escalation Management, Innovation, Integrity Management, Leadership, Medical Affairs, Metadata Management, Quality Management, Regulatory Compliance, Requirements Management, Sourcing and Procurement, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning
Preferred Skills:
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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
$190,800.00 - $300,300.00
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.
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Employee Status:
Regular
Relocation:
No relocation
VISA Sponsorship:
No
Travel Requirements:
25%
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid
Shift:
1st - Day
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
N/A
Job Posting End Date:
03/6/2026
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