Launch Excellence Leader (Assoc. Dir.)

Merck; Ireland; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, is seeking a Launch Excellence Leader to drive cross-site improvements enabling successful NPI and RU readiness. You will lead multi-disciplinary teams, guide process enhancements, and ensure alignment with global stakeholders while maintaining quality, safety, and cost objectives.

You will apply structured problem solving, translate learnings into best practices, and embed changes into standard procedures and governance forums across the biologics network.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years in pharma/biologics manufacturing with leadership experience.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction and Launch Readiness.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and change-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver sustained improvements to NPI and RU Readiness processes.
• Align global and local stakeholders to implement holistic improvements.
• Lead cross-functional Launch Excellence sub-teams on priority initiatives.
• Apply Lean Six Sigma, root-cause analysis, A3 thinking, and PDCA.
• Translate lessons into actionable improvements and best practices.
• Incorporate improvements into procedures, standards, and docs.
• Coordinate with Launch Project Scheduling to adjust schedules and resources.
• Represent Launch Excellence in Site Leadership and governance meetings.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Lean Six Sigma

GMP knowledge

Microsoft Office

Education

Tools

Microsoft Office

MS Visio

Job description

Job Description

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Launch Excellence Leader (AD Project Mgmt.) at our site in Dunboyne, Co. Meath.

The Launch Excellence Leader is a cross-site, cross-functional transformation role within the GBO Network Launch Readiness organization, focused on improving key business processes that enable effective New Product Introduction (NPI) and Receiving Unit (RU) Readiness execution across the biologics network. The role leads Launch Excellence workstreams, partners with site and global stakeholders, and translates launch execution learnings into sustainable best practices, procedure updates, and standard schedule improvements to support consistent, efficient, and repeatable launch readiness while maintaining quality, safety, cost, resource, and timing objectives.

Our facility in Dunboyne is a premier, state-of-the-art facility that enables and advances our best work. By integrating leading-edge technology with a dynamic, activity-based workspace, the facility supports seamless connection and collaboration within and across teams and functions. Our Dunboyne facility provides Biologics Drug Substance manufacturing for Clinical Supply, Registration, and Commercial Launch.

Responsibilities

• Deliver sustained and measurable improvements (through defined KPIs, leading indicators, and performance measures) to key business processes required for the execution of NPI and RU Readiness.
• Drive effective alignment with global and local stakeholders and all involved departments to develop truly holistic improvement concepts.
• Lead one or more cross-functional sub-teams within the GBO "Launch Excellence" to advance prioritized improvement initiatives.
• Apply MPS problem-solving techniques, including structured root cause analysis, A3 thinking, PDCA, Kaizen, and other continuous improvement tools to resolve complex business process and launch readiness challenges.
• Transform lessons learned from RU Readiness execution into actionable improvement opportunities and scalable best practices.
• Integrate improvement concepts into written procedures, standards, best practices, or other controlled documentation to support sustainable implementation by Launch Readiness Leaders.
• Partner with the Launch Project Scheduling group to translate improvement opportunities into changes to standard schedule blocks, including timing assumptions and resource requirements.
• Represent launch excellence activities in relevant Site Leadership or GBO Governance meetings and in any required escalation or issue-resolution meetings.

General Competencies

• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to manage through influence in a matrixed environment.
• Strong stakeholder management capabilities to foster alignment and enable holistic implementation of solutions across sites and functions.
• Strong ownership, sense of urgency, and willingness to elevate and proactively resolve issues.
• Proven ability to lead and collaborate within cross-functional teams.
• Ability to influence across organizational levels and work effectively with internal and external partners.
• Excellent communication skills with a strong commitment to execution discipline and delivery of results.
• Strong change management, conflict resolution, negotiation, and project management skills.
• Good business acumen and ability to make clear recommendations in the face of ambiguity.
• Collaborative mindset with a strong focus on internal customers and enterprise-wide outcomes.
• Skilled facilitation of MPS problem-solving workshops and cross-functional improvement sessions.
• Results-oriented mindset with strong ownership, accountability, urgency, and follow-through.
• Demonstrate candor and courage, make rapid disciplined decisions, drives results, and act with ethics and integrity.

Technical Competencies

• Considerable experience and critical skills in a relevant area of expertise that add value to the business; ideally in manufacturing and commercialisation of NPI, preferably in a GMP setting.
• Knowledge of cGMP and GDP preferred.
• Good working knowledge of current business processes for launch excellence and the underlying quality systems.
• Basic knowledge of aseptic processing, drug substance and/or drug product manufacturing, formulation, and filling of biologics required.
• Experience in process technology transfers and process validation required.
• Technical writing skills i.e., reports, standards, and policy writing skills required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and job-related computer applications required.
• Lean Six Sigma methodology experience preferred.

Education & Experience

Minimum of 8 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or biologics manufacturing industry with at least 4 years of demonstrated leadership experience leading in a cross-functional manufacturing or launch-related environment.

Demonstrated experience supporting New Product Introduction, Technology Transfer, Launch Readiness, Commercialization, Manufacturing Excellence