Director, Organizational Development

HireLifeScience; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 173,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long-term incentive

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Retirement benefits (401(k))

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. in Rahway, NJ seeks a Director of Organizational Development to lead the OD COE, drive end-to-end product ownership of OD offerings, and build enterprise capability across HR and leadership teams.

You will balance strategic guidance with hands-on execution to deliver measurable business impact. You will shape OD roadmaps, apply change management principles, and partner with enterprise Change specialists to ensure sustained adoption and performance improvements across the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in organizational development, HR consulting, or related areas.
• Experience leading large-scale organizational effectiveness and transformation initiatives in matrixed environments.
• Expertise in organizational design, strategic workforce planning, change management, and talent intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Own OD product suite end-to-end from design to adoption and continuous improvement.
• Build scalable, self-service resources, templates, and playbooks for HR teams.
• Lead enterprise capability building by coaching HRBPs and leaders.
• Align OD roadmaps with enterprise objectives and talent strategies.
• Partner with change experts to embed change methodologies into transformation efforts.

Skills

OD Strategy

Change Management

Executive Coaching

Stakeholder Management

Leadership Development

Strategic Thinking

Education

Bachelor's Degree in HR/Business

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Job Description

The Director, Organizational Development (OD) is a key leader within the newly established Enterprise Transformation & Organizational Development Center of Excellence (CoE). The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in organizational effectiveness, transformation, and workforce strategy, along with the ability to translate emerging research and leading practices into practical, value-added solutions to continually improve upon existing strategies and toolkits. This role requires a strategic and consultative professional who can balance thought partnership with hands‑on execution to deliver measurable business outcomes. The Director operates with an end-to-end product ownership mindset, maintaining single-point accountability for the vision, design, deployment, measurable business effectiveness, and continuous improvement of existing enterprise OD offerings. In addition to delivering high‑impact solutions, this leader plays a critical role in developing organizational capability, equipping HR and business teams with the mindset, tools, and skills needed to drive agility, scalability, and sustained performance.

Primary Accountabilities

• End-to-End Product Ownership: Serve as the product owner for existing suite of organizational development products, tools and resources, driving the full lifecycle from design through implementation, user adoption, and continuous, data-informed iteration.- Act as the single point of accountability for the operational effectiveness, scalability, and business value of designated OD frameworks.- Build scalable, self-service resources, templates, and playbooks that enable HR teams to apply OD practices consistently and effectively.
• Enterprise Capability Building: Lead enterprise-wide capability building by coaching, upskilling, and enabling HR Business Partners and business leaders to apply core OD methodologies, diagnostic thinking, and change management principles.- Empower HR teams to deliver consistent, high-quality OD support autonomously.-
• Strategic Direction & COE Development: Contribute to the strategic priorities, operating model, and service offerings of the ET&OD CoE.- Align OD product roadmaps directly with overarching enterprise business objectives and talent strategies. Actively research, evaluate, and integrate external market trends, emerging practices, and evidence-based methodologies to evolve existing programs and tools.
• Hands-On Execution & Organizational Navigation: Balance high-level consulting with direct, hands‑on execution; this is a "doing CoE" where you will manage a portfolio of high-impact, high-complexity enterprise initiatives, ensuring clear governance, prioritization, and execution discipline.- Hands on leadership to lead diagnostic sessions, draft organizational designs, and build implementation roadmaps in partnership with divisional HR / divisional leadership.-- Actively navigate complex, matrixed organizational structures to align stakeholders both within and outside of HR, break through silos, unblock execution hurdles, and ensure initiatives are driven to successful completion.
• Change Integration & Partnership: Partner closely with Enterprise Change specialists to embed enterprise change methodologies and toolkits into all major transformation efforts.- Ensure organizational designs, operating models, and capability initiatives are paired with structured change strategies to secure long‑term business adoption.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in human resources, business, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in organizational development, organizational effectiveness, HR consulting, talent strategy, change management, or related areas.
• Proven track record of managing complex, large-scale organizational effectiveness, workforce, or transformation initiatives in complex, matrixed environments.
• Deep expertise in organizational design, strategic workforce planning, change management, talent intelligence, and work/job design.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and operate effectively in a highly collaborative, consultative manner.
• Strong facilitation, executive communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience developing scalable frameworks, tools, and capability building assets.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data, insights, and research into actionable strategies and measurable outcomes.
• Experience contributing to the establishment of a COE is preferred.

Required Skills

Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Benefits Administration, Business Consulting Services, Business Structures, Change Management, Compensation Strategies, Cultural Change Management, Emotional Intelligence, Executive Coaching, HR Information Management, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resource Management, Human Resources (HR) Technology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Leadership Development Programs, Leadership Development Training, Learning and Development (L&D), Management Consulting, Organizational Development (OD), Organizational Management (OM), Policy Development, Presentation Delivery, Services Development, Strategic Consulting {+ 8 more}

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 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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is $173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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

No relocation

Visa Sponsorship

No

Travel Requirements

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Shift

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

NA

Job Posting End Date

10/15/2026

*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

R419654