Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence Regional Lead

MSD; Zürich; On-site; CHF 117,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) retirement

Paid holidays

Vacation

Sick days

Job summary

MSD is seeking a Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence Regional Lead to drive end-to-end strategies and governance for budgets and payments across the assigned region. You will partner with finance, IT, and regional teams to translate global direction into compliant, scalable regional execution.

The role requires seven years in clinical research operations, strong data analysis, and experience with B2P processes.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of clinical research experience in pharma/biotech.
• Experience with site budgets, site payments, and financial operations.
• Knowledge of B2P processes, systems, data, FMV principles, and regional requirements.
• Ability to document requirements, analyze data, coordinate cross-functional resolution.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management and change leadership in a global matrix.
• Knowledge of GCP/ICH and regulatory/compliance requirements.
• Technical aptitude with Excel, analytics/BI tools, automation, and responsible AI concepts.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation of regional Site Budgets & Payments strategy and roadmap.
• Serve as primary regional point for budgets, payments processes and systems.
• Promote globally consistent end-to-end processes and identify local variations.
• Coordinate triage and containment of budget/process issues; escalate for remediation.
• Define business needs, rules, and acceptance criteria; support solution design and testing.
• Capture regional requirements for enhancements across platforms, reporting, and integrations.
• Participate in user acceptance testing, readiness assessments, pilots, and post-implementation review.
• Use data and stakeholder feedback to identify gaps and prioritize improvements.
• Lead regional enablement through training, communications, onboarding, and knowledge management.
• Identify automation and AI opportunities with governance before deployment.
• Represent region in governance forums and cross-functional initiatives.

Skills

Trial Management

Collaboration

Cross-Functional teamwork

Data Analysis

GCP

Influencing

Problem Solving

Process Improvement

Responsible AI

Strategic Thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Tools

Excel

BI tools

Automation

Job description

Job Description

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and consumer health products, as well as animal health products. Today, we are building a new kind of healthcare company – one that is ready to help create a healthier future for all of us. Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, and teamwork of people like you. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork. As part of our global team, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career.

The Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence Regional Lead supports implementation of the global Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence strategy and roadmap within the assigned region. The role serves as a regional connection point for the end-to-end processes and systems through which the Site Budgets and Site Payments capabilities operate, helping translate global direction into effective regional and country execution.

The role brings regional and country requirements, operational experience, risks, dependencies, and improvement opportunities into global process and system governance. It supports consistent, scalable, compliant, and sustainable ways of working across budgets, payment setup, payment execution, systems, and downstream processes while identifying regional or local needs that require evaluation or an approved variation.

The role partners closely with the Head of Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence, the B2P Process & Systems Lead, Site Budgets, Site Payment Operations, country and regional delivery teams, Digital/IT, Business Enablement, Finance, Tax, Compliance, vendors, and other functional owners to support integrated solution design, implementation, adoption, and continuous improvement.

Primary responsibilities:

• Support implementation of the global Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence strategy and roadmap within the assigned region, aligned with the Head of Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence and the B2P Process & Systems Lead.
• Serve as the primary regional connection point for Site Budgets & Payments process and system matters, bringing country requirements, user experience, risks, dependencies, and improvement opportunities into global governance and prioritization.
• Promote globally consistent end-to-end processes, documentation, controls, and ways of working while identifying regional or local variations that require evaluation, approval, or incorporation into the operating model.
• Coordinate regional triage of complex or recurring budget and payment process or system issues; ensure immediate operational containment remains with the relevant delivery or capability owner and elevate systemic issues for cross-functional root-cause analysis and permanent remediation.
• Partner with Site Budgets and Site Payment Operations to clarify business needs, rules, functional requirements, controls, and acceptance criteria, then support integrated solution design, testing, implementation, adoption, and validation.
• Gather, document, and translate regional business requirements and operational insights for enhancements across site budget and payment platforms, supporting applications, reporting tools, automation, and relevant upstream and downstream integrations.
• Participate in user acceptance testing, operational-readiness assessment, controlled pilots, release evaluation, and post-implementation monitoring; confirm that approved solutions work effectively in regional and country contexts.
• Use operational data, trend analysis, quality findings, stakeholder feedback, and user experience to identify recurring issues, capability gaps, and improvement priorities and to measure adoption and benefits.
• Lead or support regional enablement through training, communications, onboarding, knowledge management, office hours, job aids, and self-service resources; reinforce approved support and escalation pathways.
• Identify and help scale practical automation, analytics, and AI-enabled solutions, ensuring appropriate business, technology, compliance, and governance review before broader deployment.
• Represent the region in governance forums, working groups, vendor discussions, and cross-functional initiatives, and communicate decisions, risks, dependencies, and actions back to affected stakeholders.
• Foster accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, organizational learning, and responsible digital and data-driven ways of working.

Required Education:

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required (scientific, business, finance, technology, or related discipline preferred)
• Advanced degree a plus.

Required Experience and Skills:

• A minimum of seven (7) years of clinical research experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, including meaningful experience in site budgets, site payments, clinical financial operations, process improvement, implementation, or related operational-excellence work.
• Strong working knowledge of B2P processes, systems, controls, data flows, Fair Market Value principles, and regional or country operating requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to gather and document requirements, analyze data and recurring issues, support testing and validation, coordinate cross-functional resolution, and translate global process or system changes into practical regional execution.
• Strong collaboration, influencing, stakeholder management, communication, presentation, change leadership, and prioritization skills in a global matrixed environment.
• Knowledge of GCP/ICH and applicable regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Technical aptitude with Excel, analytics or BI tools, automation, and responsible AI-enabled ways of working.

Required Skills:

• Clinical Trial Management
• Collaboration
• Cross-Functional Teamwork
• Data Analysis
• Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
• Influencing Skills
• Problem Solving
• Process Improvements
• Responsible AI
• Strategic Thinking

Preferred Skills:

Clinical Research

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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: EEOC Know Your Rights EEOC GINA Supplement

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

The primary location for this posting is:

USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This range reflects the Company’s reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Additional location(s):

Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

11/7/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.