Associate Director, US Marketing Ophthalmology, Patient Experience Measurement & Engagement

Merck; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k)

Paid holidays

Vacation

Sick days

Job summary

Merck is seeking an Associate Director for US Marketing Ophthalmology, focusing on patient experience measurement and engagement. The role leads development of patient-centric strategies across the treatment journey, combining data, analytics, and engagement channels to improve outcomes.

The position requires ophthalmology expertise, cross-functional leadership, and a strong track record in program development and execution within a regulated healthcare setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required; MBA preferred.
• Experience in ophthalmology or retina, and product launch expertise is highly desirable.
• Strong cross-functional leadership, strategic thinking, and communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of the US Ophthalmology patient experience measurement framework.
• Define critical moments that matter across access, initiation, onboarding, and treatment.
• Develop differentiated engagement strategies across the patient journey and channels.
• Ensure compliant program design with regulatory and privacy requirements.
• Collaborate with legal, compliance, and analytics to monitor KPIs and improvements.

Skills

Ophthalmology

Cross-Functional Leadership

Product Launch

Patient Engagement

Metrics Development

Strategic Thinking

Health Care

People Leadership

Diabetic Retinopathy

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS)

MBA or equivalent preferred

Job description

Job DescriptionAssociate Director, US Marketing Ophthalmology, Patient Experience Measurement & Engagement Job Description:Our US Ophthalmology team is dedicated to improving the lives of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) through a pipeline of two investigational therapies. We pursue this mission through patient focus, innovation, expanded access to transformative treatments, and collaboration with healthcare systems, governments, and payers. Grounded in scientific rigor and flawless execution, we aim to bring breakthrough therapies to the patients who need them most.

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below. The salary range for the primary location of this role is:$142,400.00 - $224,100.00 This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the US Ophthalmology Patient Support Strategy Lead, the Associate Director, Patient Experience Measurement & Engagement Strategy is responsible for defining how the organization understands, measures, and continuously improves the end-to-end patient experience, while leading the development of differentiated patient engagement strategies across the US Ophthalmology portfolio. This individual will establish an integrated patient experience measurement strategy that brings together patient, caregiver, provider, operational, behavioral, and program data to identify moments that matter, experience gaps, drivers of engagement, and barriers to treatment continuity. The role will translate these insights into actionable engagement strategies designed to support patients from treatment consideration and initiation through ongoing therapy. The Associate Director will lead the strategic development of patient engagement capabilities, including patient onboarding, treatment journey support, patient education, caregiver engagement, appointment adherence, CRM-enabled communications, digital engagement, behavioral interventions, and other approaches designed to strengthen persistence and continuity of care. This individual will work closely with Marketing, Patient Engagement CoE, Data & Analytics, Market Research, Patient Services Operations, Market Access, Field Reimbursement, Provider Strategy, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, and external partners to create an integrated approach to gathering and measuring experience metrics and using those insights to build engagement strategies.

Key Responsibilities:

Patient Experience Measurement Strategy

• Lead the development of the US Ophthalmology patient experience measurement framework
• Establish the critical moments that matter across access, initiation, onboarding, treatment, follow-up, persistence, and ongoing support
• Define a balanced set of patient experience measures incorporating:
  • Patient-reported experience and feedback.
  • Engagement and behavioral measures.
  • Adherence and persistence.
  • Treatment initiation and continuity.
  • Patient support program interactions.
  • Digital and CRM engagement.
  • Access and affordability experience.
  • Caregiver experience, where relevant.
  • Provider and retina-practice insights that illuminate patient friction.
• Partner with Data & Analytics stakeholders to define and oversee measurement frameworks; establish adherence, persistence, engagement, and patient experience KPIs
• Establish appropriate baselines and benchmarks and monitor changes in patient experience throughout launch and post-launch evolution
• Translate measurement into clear strategic implications and recommended actions

Patient Engagement Strategy

• Lead development of the patient engagement vision and strategy for the US Ophthalmology portfolio
• Translate the patient journey, experience measurement, behavioral insights, and patient research into differentiated engagement strategies across key stages of journey
• Develop personalized engagement strategies based on meaningful patient segments, behaviors, barriers, needs, and preferences
• Identify where different channels and interventions can most effectively support patients, including digital, CRM, hub-based, live support and other patient-facing channels
• Establish test-and-learn approaches to evaluate new patient engagement strategies and capabilities
• Establish an ongoing optimization roadmap based on patient needs, business priorities, program performance, and emerging innovations
• Collaborate with the Patient Engagement CoE to identify opportunities to enhance patient support capabilities and incorporate innovative engagement approaches, emerging technologies, behavioral science principles, and industry best practices
• Act as the key ophthalmology subject matter expert within patient engagement program development efforts

Patient Experience & Customer Journey Management

• Lead development of patient-centric engagement strategies that address critical moments throughout the treatment journey
• Partner with patient experience, customer experience, and market research teams to understand patient needs, behaviors, motivations, and barriers
• Design approaches that improve patient confidence, education, empowerment, and treatment persistence
• Ensure engagement strategies account for caregiver needs and the realities of retina clinic workflows
• Champion patient-centered innovations that reduce friction and strengthen long-term engagement

Governance, Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure patient engagement and adherence programs are designed and executed in compliance with applicable requirements, including FDA promotional regulations, privacy and HIPAA considerations, adverse event reporting requirements, and company policies
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Medical, and Regulatory stakeholders to ensure compliant program execution
• Embed governance and oversight processes that enable innovation while maintaining appropriate controls

Hybrid role details

This is a hybrid role based on Upper Gwynedd, PA, with an expectation of working on-site three days per week.

Education Requirement:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS)
• MBA or equivalent preferred

Preferred Experience & Skills:

• Ophthalmology, retina, specialty biologic, or specialty care experience
• Product launch experience
• Experience with CX measurement frameworks

Required Skills:

• Communication Sciences
• Controls Management
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Health Care
• Matrix Leadership
• Metrics Development
• Ophthalmology
• Patient Engagement
• Patient Support
• People Leadership
• Principles of Marketing
• Strategic Thinking

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. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.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 RightsEEOC GINA SupplementWe 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.Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

Job Posting End Date:

11/14/2026

Requisition ID:

R425251PDN-a3260de0-8b9f-43f5-b22d-2ef70d3979fe