Associate Director, Launch Excellence & Portfolio Capability Management

Merck & Co.; Rahway (NJ); On-site; USD 129,000 - 203,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ is seeking an Associate Director for Launch Excellence & Portfolio Capability Management to lead end-to-end launch coordination across animal health portfolios. You will drive governance, capability development, and cross-functional collaboration with R&D, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and Finance, enabling informed leadership decisions.

The role requires strong program management, stakeholder engagement, and a bias for continuous improvement in a global, hybrid work

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years in Launch Operations, PMO, or related roles.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional programs in a global matrix.
• Experience developing governance models and toolkits.
• Strong understanding of commercialization, launch management, and portfolio processes in animal health or related industries.

Responsibilities

• Lead KRD launch squads and govern launch programs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and Finance.
• Develop mechanisms to consolidate launch status, risks, milestones, and decisions.
• Monitor launch performance and escalate issues as needed.
• Develop and deploy Launch Excellence capabilities, tools, and playbooks.
• Coordinate governance forums and leadership reviews.
• Support training of project managers on methodologies and tools.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder leadership

Executive communication

Data analysis

Governance facilitation

Continuous improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Strategic thinking

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or MS preferred

Tools

Excel

Power BI

MS Project

Smartsheet

Planisware

Job description

Job Description

The Associate Director, Launch Excellence & Portfolio Capability Management will be a key member of the Global Launch Excellence and Portfolio Management team within Global Commercial Operations. The team is responsible for end-to-end coordination of product launches and portfolio management across Livestock and Companion Animal species.

This role will drive the mobilization and execution of Key Revenue Driver (KRD) launch squads, support launch governance processes, and lead the development and continuous improvement of Launch Excellence capabilities, tools, and methodologies, including New Product Prioritization, Control Tower, IRIS administration, and related frameworks.

Reporting to the Executive Director, Launch Excellence & Portfolio Management, this individual will partner across Commercial, R&D, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Regulatory Affairs, Finance, and regional teams to provide a consolidated view of launch progress, enhance organizational transparency, and enable informed leadership decision making.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, project management, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Key Revenue Driver (KRD) Launch Management

• Partner with cross-functional teams to mobilize and govern Key Revenue Driver (KRD) launch squads.
• Serve as the primary Launch Excellence point of contact for designated KRD product launches.
• Collaborate with Marketing Leadership to identify Launch Leads and align Project Management resources to support launch execution.
• Develop and manage mechanisms to consolidate launch status, risks, milestones, and key decisions across all KRD programs.
• Provide leadership with a holistic and transparent view of launch performance and execution progress.
• Support onboarding and training of new Project Managers on Launch Excellence methodologies, tools, governance, and best practices.

Launch Governance & Portfolio Coordination

• Serve as a key interface between Launch Excellence and Portfolio Management to ensure alignment across launch programs and portfolio priorities.
• Coordinate and facilitate Launch Excellence governance forums, including leadership reviews, regional touchpoints, and internal operating meetings.
• Monitor launch performance, risks, dependencies, and critical milestones, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Support portfolio decision-making by providing launch-related insights, progress updates, and recommendations.

Capability Development & Continuous Improvement

• Own the development, deployment, and continuous enhancement of Launch Excellence capabilities, frameworks, and operating models.
• Lead ongoing refinement of tools and processes, including New Product Prioritization, Control Tower, IRIS, and other launch management solutions.
• Capture and institutionalize lessons learned from launches to continuously improve methodologies and ways of working.
• Identify and drive functional and cross-functional process improvement opportunities across the launch ecosystem.
• Measure and track Launch Excellence KPIs to evaluate performance and identify areas for optimization.
• Organizational Enablement & Communications
• Drive Launch Excellence awareness, adoption, and organizational capability building across global teams.
• Partner with Learning & Development and functional stakeholders to design and deliver training, communications, and enablement programs.
• Develop toolkits, playbooks, best practices, and knowledge-sharing resources that strengthen launch capabilities across the organization.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and operational excellence.

Operational Support

• Manage day-to-day IRIS administrative activities and related governance processes.
• Maintain launch data integrity, reporting standards, and portfolio visibility tools.
• Support special projects and strategic initiatives sponsored by the Launch Excellence and Portfolio Management leadership team.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Advanced degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Launch Operations, PMO, Process Excellence, Commercial Operations, Capability Building, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex cross-functional programs in a matrixed global environment.
• Experience developing and implementing frameworks, methodologies, toolkits, or governance models.
• Strong understanding of commercialization, launch management, portfolio management, and product development processes within Animal Health or related industries.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong project and program management capabilities.
• Proven ability to influence and lead without direct authority across stakeholder groups.
• Excellent executive communication, presentation, and storytelling skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insights for senior leadership.
• Experience facilitating governance forums and decision-making processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset.
• Proficiency in Excel, Power BI, and other reporting and visualization tools.
• Experience with project management platforms such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Planisware, or similar solutions is preferred.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment.
• Growth mindset with a passion for continuous improvement, innovation, and organizational capability building.

Required Skills

• Adaptability
• Business Case Development
• Change Management
• Data Analysis Tools
• Financial Management
• Operations Management
• Pharmaceutical Industry
• Project Management
• Results-Oriented
• Six Sigma
• Strategic Planning
• Systems Analysis

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.

The salary range for this role is $129,000.00 - $203,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits .

San Francisco Residents Only:

We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only:

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully-

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. -No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation: Domestic/International

VISA Sponsorship: Yes

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Hybrid

Shift: Not Indicated

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): N/A

Job Posting End Date: 10/19/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE -the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R420550