Sr. Spclst, Project Management

Merck; Puerto Bogotá; On-site; COP 194,401,000 - 291,602,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck seeks a Senior Specialist, OR Business Operations & Project Management to coordinate project management, business operations, and execution across Latin America outcomes research. The role partners with cross-functional teams and external researchers to accelerate priority initiatives and ensure timely, governed delivery.

The position requires strong planning, risk management, and multilingual communications in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with experience coordinating regional

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; field related to business/health/project management.
• 5+ years' experience coordinating multiple projects and stakeholders in a corporate/matrixed environment.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and execution discipline.
• Experience preparing executive-ready presentations and portfolio updates.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate project management, business operations, and admin execution across LATAM OR.
• Maintain trackers, dashboards, status reports, action logs, and decisions.
• Translate priorities into structured implementation plans with milestones and owners.
• Coordinate cross-country stakeholders and monitor progress to address barriers.
• Prepare executive updates, roadmaps, and materials for governance discussions.

Skills

Project management

Operations

Portfolio coordination

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Health Administration, Project Management, Life Sciences, or related field

Job description

Senior Specialist, OR Business Operations & Project Management

The Opportunity

Reporting to an OR Regional Director, the Senior Specialist, OR Business Operations & Project Management will coordinate project management, business operations, administrative execution, and the acceleration of priority initiatives across the Latin America Outcomes Research organization.

• OR Portfolio and Project Coordination: Providing integrated visibility of OR projects, timelines, budgets, risks, dependencies, decisions, and deliverables across Latin America.
• Acceleration of priority OR initiatives: translating priorities established by OR leadership into structured plans, coordinating stakeholders, monitoring progress, and facilitating implementation across Latin America.
• Research Partnership Coordination: coordinating institutional landscape mapping, partner-engagement activities, and the organization of regional research-partnership information, under the strategic direction of accountable OR leads.

The position will collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders and external research partners across Latin America to support the timely and structured execution of Outcomes Research activities.

Key Responsibilities

OR Portfolio and Project Coordination

• Support project planning and execution by tracking timelines, milestones, action items, and follow-ups.
• Maintain portfolio trackers, dashboards, status reports, action trackers, and decision logs.
• Consolidate project status, budget information, risks, dependencies, and upcoming decisions.
• Prepare project updates, pre-read materials, and portfolio summaries for governance and leadership discussions.
• Monitor progress against agreed timelines and deliverables and elevate potential delays or operational barriers.
• Support the development and maintenance of project-management tools, templates, and processes.

Acceleration of Priority OR Initiatives

• Translate priority initiatives defined by OR Latin America leadership into structured implementation plans, with clear objectives, milestones, accountable owners, dependencies, required inputs, risks, and success measures.
• Coordinate cross-country and cross-functional stakeholders, working sessions, and implementation activities under the direction of the accountable initiative owner.
• Monitor execution, facilitate the timely exchange of information, and elevate material barriers, gaps, unresolved dependencies, or decisions requiring leadership attention.
• Capture implementation learnings and support the structured adaptation and expansion of successful initiatives across Latin American countries.
• Prepare executive-ready updates, implementation roadmaps, and decision-support materials for initiatives that improve OR portfolio visibility, collaboration, operating models, use of data, digital enablement, knowledge sharing, and regional execution.

Research Partnerships Coordination

• Coordinate the development and maintenance of a regional landscape of research institutions, data partners, academic networks, and healthcare organizations.
• Collect and organize publicly available and internally approved information on institutional capabilities, data assets, research experience, and areas of expertise.
• Coordinate partner-engagement activities defined by accountable OR leads, including meeting preparation, documentation, action tracking, and follow-through.
• Maintain structured records of institutional profiles, interactions, areas of potential collaboration, agreed actions, and next steps.
• Prepare regional partnership landscape updates and materials for OR leadership discussions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Health Administration, Project Management, Life Sciences, or a related field.
• More than 5 years' experience in project management, business operations, portfolio coordination, or administration within a corporate, matrixed, or regulated environment.
• Demonstrated experience independently coordinating multiple projects, stakeholders, timelines, dependencies, and deliverables in parallel.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, communication, sound judgment, and execution discipline.
• Experience preparing executive-ready presentations, portfolio updates, meeting materials, and decision-support documentation.
• Professional proficiency in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with the ability to conduct meetings and prepare business communications in all three languages.
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and multicultural environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in Outcomes Research, Medical Affairs, Market Access, business operations, portfolio management, or organizational transformation.
• Experience coordinating regional or multicountry initiatives across Latin America.
• Experience implementing process improvements, digital enablement initiatives, operating-model enhancements, or cross-functional programs.
• Project-management, agile, change-management, or pr