Job Description
This role resides within the DHH (Digital Human Health) US Market Engagement Team for Vaccines & Infectious Diseases, operating in partnership with the US commercial organization. This team provides strategic thought-partnership to US commercial stakeholders by understanding brand strategy, managing analytics requests, and defining associated business requirements aligned to business priorities. The US Market Engagement team quarterbacks demand fulfillment and leads the activation of DHH products and services to enable data-driven decision making across the Vaccines & Infectious Disease portfolio.
The Director – Business Insights & Analytics – HPV lead will be responsible for developing and communicating data-driven, actionable insights that drive deeper customer and market understanding and support in-line brand growth and commercial objectives. This role will require people management experience and will lead a team consisting of data scientists and analytics , turning insights into action through clear storytelling. The individual will function as a key business-facing analytics partner to marketing leadership supporting commercial insights, analytics and data science needs. The HPV BIA Director will scope, design and deliver well-defined use cases aligned to business objectives and key results.
The preferred candidate will have an entrepreneurial and consultative mindset, strong understanding of the healthcare/pharma space and an AI fluency. They will be comfortable translating complex business questions into analytical problems that require scalable, innovative solutions and will bring forward new ideas and methodologies that enhance the organization’s analytic capabilities. The candidate will need to comprehend the nuances of different product lines, the competitive landscape and be versed in the Life Science commercial space.
The individual who will thrive in this role will demonstrate strong leadership, intellectual curiosity and a growth mindset. Strong communication and storytelling skills are essential to effectively influence stakeholders and drive adoption of data-driven recommendations.
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Primary Job Function and Key Responsibilities
· Serve as a key analytics partner to US vaccines marketing, aligning analyses and insights to brand and portfolio priorities.
· Work directly with business stakeholders to understand key questions, clarify objectives, and translate them into well-defined analytical use cases.
· Enable prioritization and scoping conversations by understanding business demand, requests, and potential use cases.
· Analyze diverse data sources (claims, EMR/EHR, CDC, IQVIA, digital/CRM) to generate clear, actionable insights and recommendations for commercial decision making
· Propose appropriate analytical approaches and AI/ML/NLP/modeling techniques, demonstrating strong conceptual understanding of methods and trade-offs.
· Collaborate with data scientists, engineers, and other DHH teams (on-shore and off-shore) to deliver best-in-class solutions and ensure business questions are addressed with the right data, methods, and insights.
· Support the design, development, and refinement of AI/ML and NLP solutions (including Agentic AI) by providing business context, requirements, and feedback.
· Have accountability for ensuring delivery of analyses with high quality standards, timeliness, compliance, and excellent user experience (routinely keep client base updated on progress)
· Synthesize findings into concise stories and visualizations, and present insights to support data-driven decisions.
· Stay current on vaccines market dynamics and advances in analytics, AI, and machine learning, bringing forward new ideas that will enhance analytic capabilities of the organization.
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Education Requirements
· BS (or equivalent) in Data Science, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Statistics, Decision Science, Marketing, Engineering, or Public Health is required.
· MBA, MS, or PhD degree preferred.
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Required Experience & Skills
· 8+ years of analytics or data science experience in pharma/biotech/healthcare; vaccines experience preferred.
· Proven track record applying advanced statistics, AI, machine learning, NLP, and Agentic AI to solve commercial business problems.
· Proficiency in Python, R studio, SAS, SQL etc. or similar tools for data extraction, feature engineering, and model development.
· Strong experience with patient-level and healthcare data (claims, EMR/EHR, registry, CDC, IQVIA and other secondary sources).
· Demonstrated ability to translate business needs into structured analytical questions and data-driven recommendations.
· Experience supporting products across their lifecycle (development, launch, growth, maturity, and end of life).
· Strong communication and data storytelling skills, including presenting complex findings to senior and non-technical audiences.
· Effective stakeholder management and influence skills within a matrixed, cross-functional environment.
· Solid project and time management capabilities, with experience leading multiple concurrent analytics initiatives and teams.
· Self-directed, adaptable, and curious, with a strong learning mindset in AI/ML, advanced analytics, and evolving healthcare data.
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Preferred Experience and Skills
· Prior hands-on experience working with healthcare data, especially EMR/EHR, claims data, and various IQVIA data offerings.
· Knowledge and experience of the vaccines business is a plus.
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Work location
Upper Gwynedd, PA or Rahway, NJ (role will be hybrid and chosen candidate is expected to be in the office at least 3 days/week).
Required Skills:
Brand Growth, Brand Strategy, Business Analysis, Business Management, Communication, Data Extraction, Data Science, Data Storytelling, Demand Management, Digital Analytics, Healthcare Innovation, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing Data Analytics, People Management, Product Lifecycle, Project Management, Requirements Management, Sourcing and Procurement, Stakeholder Communications, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic PlanningPreferred Skills:
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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, 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
$173,200.00 - $272,600.00This 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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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
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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:
RegularRelocation:
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NoTravel Requirements:
10%Flexible Work Arrangements:
HybridShift:
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03/13/2026*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.