Regional Franchise Director Pharma & NPP

Merck; Singapore; On-site; SGD 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck, a leading science and technology company, is seeking a Regional Franchise Director Pharma and New Product Planning to shape franchise strategy and pipeline decisions across Asia Pacific. You will own the regional brand strategy, coordinate cross-functional execution, and translate global ambition into local actions.

In this role, you will collaborate with markets, global teams and regional leadership to balance near-term performance with long-term growth, oversee forecast, lifecycle

Job description

Lead the strategic choices across inline brands and future pipeline assets, influencing where we play, what we prioritise, and how we invest across Asia Pacific.

Connect market realities with global ambition, bringing the AP perspective into critical decisions while turning global strategy into relevant, actionable plans across diverse markets.

Shape future assets from early commercial assessment through launch readiness, while driving the strategy, cross-functional execution and lifecycle decisions that deliver sustainable growth.

Role Overview

The Regional Franchise Director Pharma and New Product Planning is the regional commercial owner and ambassador for the Pharma franchise and all early assets in our pipeline (excluding Oncology) across Asia Pacific. The role is responsible for shaping franchise strategy, brand planning, portfolio prioritization, forecasting, and lifecycle strategy while driving strong cross‑functional execution to deliver business results.

Operating as a regional commercial leader, the Regional Franchise Director is a trusted commercial strategy partner to markets, global teams, and regional leadership-bringing clarity, discipline, and momentum to strategy, launch readiness, and ongoing performance. The role requires strong strategic thinking, business judgment, analytical discipline, and cross-functional leadership. Together with the regional marketing team, the Regional Franchise Director will translate market insights, competitive intelligence, access realities, customer needs, and financial assumptions into clear strategic recommendations, brand/asset planning, actionable brand plans, and high-quality business decisions including tough trade-offs between assets and markets across Asia Pacific.

What will you do :

Franchise / Brand Strategy & Ownership

• Own and articulate the regional strategy for the Pharma franchise and its brands, aligned to global direction and adapted for AP market realities.
• Serve as the regional ambassador and subject‑matter expert across the franchise, providing clear strategic direction to markets.
• Define what is standard vs. localised across messaging, campaigns, and execution.
• Own the brand narrative and storytelling, translating strategy into clear, executable plans.

Pipeline Strategy & Strategic Choices

• Lead the development and continuous refinement of the regional Specialty, Pharma & Infectious Disease pipeline strategy across Asia Pacific, aligned with enterprise and global SP&ID priorities in close collaboration with the Regional Franchise Director for Vaccines & Infectious Diseases and other functions.
• Define and communicate strategic choices across inline brands and pipeline assets, including prioritization, sequencing, market focus, and resource allocation.
• Integrate lifecycle management and new product planning into a cohesive pipeline/portfolio roadmap that balances near-term business performance with long-term growth.
• Continuously assess market trends, competitive developments, customer needs, and access dynamics to inform strategic recommendations and portfolio decisions.

New Product Planning

• Lead regional new product planning for priority SP&ID pipeline assets, from early commercial assessment through launch readiness.
• Guide opportunity assessment, market prioritization, commercial assumptions, and strategic framing for future assets across Asia Pacific.
• Partner closely with global, regional, and local teams to ensure Asia Pacific perspectives are reflected in development, value strategy, and launch planning.
• Oversee key forecasting, Stage Gate, and Enterprise Go-to-Market (EGTM) deliverables for selected pipeline assets.

Regional-Global-Local Orchestration

• Act as the primary connector between global, regional, and local teams for the Pharma franchise and NPP.
• Adapt global strategies and campaigns to ensure local relevance without strategic dilution or duplication.
• Ensure markets understand not just what to do, but why -making strategy practical and actionable.

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Execution

• Mobilise and align cross‑functional teams (marketing, sales, access, medical, finance, policy, etc.).
• Drive executional excellence across launch preparation, brand activation, and lifecycle management.
• NAVIGATE competing priorities while maintaining focus, alignment, and momentum.

Market & Stakeholder Partnership

• Be a high‑value partner to markets, enabling MDs, BU Heads, and local teams through clarity and support.
• Partner closely with marketing, sales, and access colleagues to drive brand and business performance.
• Build trust as a commercial thought partner, not a service/activity provider.

Commercial Leadership

• Demonstrate commercial and P&L awareness for the Franchise/asset.
• Partner with Business Unit Directors and escalate to MDs when appropriate and value‑adding.
• Solve problems pragmatically, balancing strategic intent with execution realities.

People Leadership and Capability Building

• Guide, coach, and supp