AI & Cybersecurity Legal Strategy Director

Merck & Co.; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 191,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid holidays

Vacation

Compassionate and sick days

Job summary

Merck & Co. in Rahway, NJ seeks a Director of AI and Cybersecurity Legal to provide strategic legal counsel on AI/ML governance, cybersecurity risk management, and regulatory compliance across the enterprise.

You will lead AI contract negotiations, advise on data rights for generative AI, and collaborate with IT, risk management and business teams in a highly regulated pharmaceutical environment.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Minimum 10 years of legal experience, with at least 5 years focused on cybersecurity, technology, and/or AI/emerging technology law.
• Deep understanding of cybersecurity legal frameworks (HIPAA, GDPR, NIS2, SEC disclosure rules, state breach notification laws).
• Extensive experience managing cybersecurity incident response from a legal perspective.
• Experience advising on AI governance, responsible AI principles, and technology transactions.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal counsel on AI/ML design, development, procurement and deployment across functions.
• Advise on AI governance frameworks, including responsible AI, bias mitigation, and human oversight requirements for high-risk systems.
• Monitor evolving AI regulations globally (EU AI Act, FDA guidance) and advise on compliance.
• Lead AI contract negotiations and counsel on technology transactions; advise on data rights and generative AI concerns.
• Serve as primary legal advisor to CISO and IT Risk Management on regulatory matters; support incident response and breach notification.
• Support cybersecurity policies, vendor security assessments, and cybersecurity provisions in agreements.
• Partner with privacy, compliance and legal teams on AI, cybersecurity and data protection intersections.
• Assist with data governance, data-sharing, M&A and collaboration due diligence in cybersecurity and AI contexts.

Skills

Business Consulting Services

Compliance Activities

Compliance Monitoring

Compliance Reporting

Confidentiality

Cybersecurity Risk Management

Data Breach Response

Data Privacy

Data Protection

Data Security

Data Security Management

Ethics

Executive Presence

Exercises Judgment

General Data Protection Regulation

Governance Framework

HIPAA Compliance

Information Technology (IT)

Legal Compliance

Legal Research

Legal Strategies

Multilingualism

Negotiation

Job description

Merck & Co. in Rahway, NJ seeks a Director of AI and Cybersecurity Legal to provide strategic legal counsel on AI/ML governance, cybersecurity risk management, and regulatory compliance across the enterprise.

You will lead AI contract negotiations, advise on data rights for generative AI, and collaborate with IT, risk management and business teams in a highly regulated pharmaceutical environment.