Senior Specialist, Data Analysis

Merck Gruppe - MSD Sharp & Dohme; Hyderabad; Hybrid; INR 1,800,000 - 2,700,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Gruppe - MSD Sharp & Dohme in Hyderabad, India, is seeking a Senior Specialist in Data Analysis to drive data-led decisions. The role combines functional analysis, data investigation, testing coordination, and Scrum Master responsibilities across one or two squads in a hybrid setup (3 days onsite, 2 days remote).

The incumbent will translate business needs into functional specs and user stories, perform SQL-driven data validation, and support UAT planning with global teams.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience
• Data analysis and investigative problem solving
• SQL query writing for extraction, validation, reconciliation, testing, and root-cause analysis
• Data validation, reconciliation, and data-quality assessment
• Functional analysis and functional specification writing
• User story, acceptance criteria, business rule, and process-flow definition
• Functional testing and requirement-to-test traceability
• UAT planning, coordination, defect clarification, retesting, evidence collection, and sign-off support
• Scrum Mastery and Agile ceremony facilitation

Responsibilities

• Analyze and validate data from relevant databases and sources to identify trends, anomalies, data-quality issues, and business impacts.
• Write SQL queries for data extraction, validation, reconciliation, defect analysis, functional testing, and root-cause assessment.
• Triage data questions, defects, and functional issues; communicate findings clearly and coordinate with teams through resolution.
• Partner with Value Team Business Analysts and Product Managers to clarify business processes, requirements, and expected outcomes.
• Convert requirements into functional specifications, user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, business rules, test scenarios, and traceability artifacts.
• Ensure functional specifications are complete, testable, aligned to business priorities, and ready for squad implementation.
• Define and execute functional test scenarios using data analysis and SQL where appropriate.
• Coordinate functional testing across business, QA, and technology teams, including test-data readiness, execution tracking, defect clarification, retesting.
• Support UAT planning, business-user coordination, execution guidance, defect management, evidence collection, and business sign-off.
• Validate delivered functionality and data outputs for quality, timeliness, compliance, and user experience.
• Act as Scrum Master for one or two squads; facilitate sprint planning, daily stand-ups, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
• Work with Product Owners and Product Managers to maintain a prioritized, ready backlog with clear acceptance criteria.
• Help squads remove impediments, manage dependencies, maintain delivery transparency, and achieve sprint goals.
• Track sprint progress, risks, actions, dependencies, and improvement commitments; provide concise updates to stakeholders.
• Build trusted stakeholder relationships and collaborate effectively across global teams and matrix organizations.

Skills

Scrum Master

Functional analysis

Data analysis

UAT coordination

SQL

Stakeholder management

Communication

Tools

Jira

Azure DevOps

Rally

Job description

Job Description

Specialist: Senior Specialist, Data Analysis

The Opportunity:

Join a global biopharma company with a 130-year legacy and mission to achieve new milestones in healthcare. Be part of a technology-driven, data-led organization supporting a diversified portfolio of medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. Work alongside passionate teams that use data, analytics, and insights to drive decisions and tackle some of the world’s greatest health threats.

Our Technology Centers are globally distributed hubs that enable our digital transformation and business outcomes across IT. They bring together diverse teams to collaborate, share best practices, and deliver solutions that save and improve lives.

This role is based at our Hyderabad Tech Center and follows a hybrid working model (3 days onsite, 2 days remote). Candidates are expected to reside within commuting distance of the Hyderabad office.

Role Overview:

We are looking for Senior Specialist with strong Functional analysis, data analysis, functional testing, UAT coordination, stakeholder communication, and Scrum Master responsibilities for one or two squads. Understand business data needs and perform descriptive and investigative analysis across relevant solution-delivery phases. Query, explore, and validate data to identify patterns, anomalies, quality issues, business rules, and functional impacts. Work with Value Team Business Analysts and Product Managers to translate business needs into functional specifications, user stories, acceptance criteria, and validation requirements. Support functional testing and UAT to confirm delivered solutions and data outputs meet agreed business requirements. Serve as Scrum Master for one or two squads by enabling Agile ceremonies, backlog readiness, impediment removal, transparency, and continuous improvement.

What will you do in this role

• Analyze and validate data from relevant databases and sources to identify trends, anomalies, data-quality issues, and business impacts.

• Write SQL queries for data extraction, validation, reconciliation, defect analysis, functional testing, and root-cause assessment.

• Triage data questions, defects, and functional issues; communicate findings clearly and coordinate with teams through resolution.

• Partner with Value Team Business Analysts and Product Managers to clarify business processes, requirements, and expected outcomes.

• Convert requirements into functional specifications, user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, business rules, test scenarios, and traceability artifacts.

• Ensure functional specifications are complete, testable, aligned to business priorities, and ready for squad implementation.

• Define and execute functional test scenarios using data analysis and SQL where appropriate.

• Coordinate functional testing across business, QA, and technology teams, including test-data readiness, execution tracking, defect clarification, and retesting.

• Support UAT planning, business-user coordination, execution guidance, defect management, evidence collection, and business sign-off.

• Validate delivered functionality and data outputs for quality, timeliness, compliance, and user experience.

• Act as Scrum Master for one or two squads; facilitate sprint planning, daily stand-ups, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.

• Work with Product Owners and Product Managers to maintain a prioritized, ready backlog with clear acceptance criteria.

• Help squads remove impediments, manage dependencies, maintain delivery transparency, and achieve sprint goals.

• Track sprint progress, risks, actions, dependencies, and improvement commitments; provide concise updates to stakeholders.

• Build trusted stakeholder relationships and collaborate effectively across global teams and matrix organizations.

What Should you have:

• 8+ years of experience

• Data analysis and investigative problem solving

• SQL query writing for extraction, validation, reconciliation, testing, and root-cause analysis
• Data validation, reconciliation, and data-quality assessment
• Functional analysis and functional specification writing
• User story, acceptance criteria, business rule, and process-flow definition
• Functional testing and requirement-to-test traceability
• UAT planning, coordination, defect clarification, retesting, evidence collection, and sign-off support
• Scrum Mastery and Agile ceremony facilitation
• Backlog readiness, dependency tracking, impediment removal, and delivery transparency
• Stakeholder relationship management across business, product, QA, and technology teams
• Clear written and verbal communication for technical and non-technical audiences
• Global matrix collaboration and influencing without direct authority

• SQL and relational databases
• Data-analysis and data-validation techniques
• Agile work-management tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps, Rally, or equivalent
• Testing, defect-management, and UAT coordination practices
• Demonstrated experience in data analysis, data validation, and issue investigation using SQL.
• Experience partnering with Business Analysts and Product Managers to create functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Hands-on experience with functional testing and UAT support or coordination, including defects, retesting, and sign-off readiness.
• Experience performing Scrum Master responsibilities for one or more Agile squads.
• Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working with globally distributed teams in a matrix organization.
• Scrum Master certification such as CSM, PSM, SAFe Scrum Master, or equivalent is preferred.

Primary Skills:

Scrum Master, Functional analysis, data analysis, functional testing, UAT coordination, SQL

Secondary Skills:

Data analyst

Who we are

We are known as well-known org Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the foothold of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging