Gulf Health Partnerships & Projects Leader

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 400,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp in the Gulf region seeks a Gulf Strategic Partnerships & Projects Lead to design and execute strategic partnerships and projects that align with the company’s vision and priorities. You will collaborate with Regional Alliances and Business Development to lead transformational initiatives and ensure governance and regulatory compliance.

The role requires leading multi-stakeholder projects, strong communication, and the ability to drive progress with external authorities

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Pharmacy, Medicine, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in management consulting, strategic projects, and/or business development within healthcare or pharmaceutical industries.
• Outstanding project management skills, including timeline definition, budget management, and proactive risk/opportunity identification.
• Strong business acumen and a can-do attitude to navigate complex challenges and overcome barriers.
• Deep knowledge of Gulf healthcare systems, regulatory frameworks, and strategic priorities.

Responsibilities

• Identify and plan high-impact initiatives aligned with our vision and local authorities’ ambitions.
• Oversee end-to-end execution of strategic initiatives with quality, compliance, on-time delivery and budget adherence.
• Identify risks and opportunities and develop actionable mitigation plans.
• Develop dashboards and progress reports for senior leadership across divisions.
• Present project updates to governance bodies and external steering committees to drive decisions.
• Monitor execution of commitments and report local value contribution and impact.
• Build and maintain relationships with internal teams and external healthcare authorities for smooth execution.
• Benchmark external environment and internal priorities to propose value-adding partnerships.

Skills

Building Partnerships

Business Acumen

Health Care Systems

Pharmaceutical Industry

Project Implementations

Project Management

Project Management Leadership

Regulatory Frameworks

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Planning

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp in the Gulf region seeks a Gulf Strategic Partnerships & Projects Lead to design and execute strategic partnerships and projects that align with the company’s vision and priorities. You will collaborate with Regional Alliances and Business Development to lead transformational initiatives and ensure governance and regulatory compliance.

The role requires leading multi-stakeholder projects, strong communication, and the ability to drive progress with external authorities