Director, Site Budgets and Payments Operational Excellence

MSD; North Wales (Montgomery County); On-site; GBP 130,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) retirement benefits

Paid holidays

Vacation

Sick days

Job summary

MSD is seeking a Head of Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence to govern end-to-end budget and payment processes globally. You will lead architecture, governance, analytics and enablement, coordinating with regional teams and IT to ensure scalable, compliant delivery across the portfolio.

You will drive regional onboarding, change management and training, ensuring adoption and benefits realization while aligning with regulatory requirements and corporate policies.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of clinical research experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry.
• Experience leading operational teams and driving business outcomes in complex environments.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of clinical trial financial operations.
• Experience managing teams of professional employees and driving performance.

Responsibilities

• Own the global Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence capability and stewardship model.
• Serve as senior authority for end-to-end process stewardship across Site Budgets and Site Payments.
• Establish globally consistent end-to-end process architecture, governance and change control.
• Lead the Regional Support Model and onboarding/implementation across regions.
• Build organizational capability through training, communications, onboarding and change strategies.
• Steward the integrated business process and systems roadmap for budget and payment operations.
• Gather and reconcile requirements; translate into integrated process, governance and change solutions.
• Establish common analytics and use data to guide priorities and measure adoption.
• Lead end-to-end root-cause analysis and continuous improvement for cross-functional issues.
• Represent Regional Operations in governance forums and cross-functional partnerships.
• Ensure processes align with regulations, corporate policies and compliant practices.
• Foster accountability, innovation and data-driven decision making.

Skills

Business Decisions

Clinical Trial Management

Clinical Trials Operations

Ethical Standards

Executive Presence

ICH GCP Guidelines

Motivating People

Multiple Therapeutic Areas

Organizational Leadership

People Leadership

Process Improvements

Relationship Management

Stakeholder Analysis

Strategic Analysis

Strategic Thinking

Strategy Development

Education

Bachelor's degree in scientific, business, finance, technology, or related discipline

Job description

Our Company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and consumer health products, as well as animal health products. Today, we are building a new kind of healthcare company – one that is ready to help create a healthier future for all of us. Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity and teamwork of people like you. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork. As part of our global team, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career.

The Head, Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence

is accountable for stewardship of the end-to-end global processes through which the Site Budgets and Site Payments capabilities operate. The role leads global process architecture, integration, governance, implementation, enablement, analytics, and continuous improvement across budgets, payment setup, payment execution, systems, and downstream processes. It ensures globally coherent, scalable, compliant, and sustainable ways of working to support globally coherent, scalable, compliant, and sustainable ways of working across capability and delivery teams.

The role partners closely with Site Budgets, Site Payment Operations, country and regional delivery teams, Digital/IT, Business Enablement, Finance, Tax, Compliance, vendors, and other functional owners to align functional requirements, operational priorities, local needs, and technology delivery within a common global process.

Primary responsibilities

• Own the global Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence capability and the stewardship model for end-to-end budget and payment processes, defining its strategic direction and ensuring process architecture, systems integration, governance, analytics, enablement, and organizational capabilities evolve to meet changing portfolio, market, and business needs.
• Serve as the senior authority for end-to-end process stewardship across Site Budgets and Site Payments, including process architecture, cross-functional and cross-system integration, governance, implementation, analytics, enablement, organizational effectiveness, and business transformation.
• Establish and maintain globally consistent end-to-end process architecture, documentation, governance, and change control, incorporating ex-US requirements and standardizing ways of working while defining and managing approved regional and local variations.
• Lead the Regional Support Model and regional onboarding and implementation approach, ensuring effective resource deployment, incorporation of country requirements, implementation support, operational flexibility, adoption, and benefits realization across regions and business priorities.
• Build organizational capability through common training, communications, onboarding, knowledge management, and change strategies that improve readiness, consistent adoption, and operational effectiveness across regions.
• Steward the integrated business process and systems roadmap for budget and payment operations, coordinating enhancement intake, cross-functional prioritization, dependencies, and sequencing , in partnership with capability owners responsible for functional requirements and acceptance and technology owners responsible for technical delivery and platform reliability.
• Partner with Site Budgets and Site Payment Operations leadership to gather and reconcile requirements, priorities, risks, and future capability needs; translate them into integrated process, governance, analytics, enablement, and change solutions; and obtain functional acceptance from the accountable capability owner before implementation.
• Establish common analytics and use operational data, performance metrics, and stakeholder insights to guide integrated priorities, measure adoption and benefits, identify recurring issues, and support sound cross-capability and regional decisions.
• Lead end-to-end root-cause analysis, remediation governance, and continuous improvement for cross-functional, cross-system, and recurring process issues, converting operational problems into scalable improvements while ensuring immediate operational containment remains with the relevant delivery owner.
• Represent Regional Operations in governance forums and cross-functional partnerships as the accountable leader for Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence and end-to-end process stewardship, jointly shaping the common global process and integrated roadmap with the Site Budgets and Site Payment Operations capability owners.
• Ensure end-to-end process strategies, governance, documentation, integrations, and controls are aligned with applicable regulations, corporate policies, and compliant business practices.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, organizational learning, and data-driven decision-making.

Education Minimum Requirement

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree is required (scientific, business, finance, technology, or related discipline preferred); advanced degree a plus.

Required Experience and Skills

• 10+ years of clinical research experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, including experience leading operational teams and driving business outcomes in complex environments.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of clinical trial financial operations, including site payments, investigator grants, Fair Market Value principles, and related operational processes.
• Experience managing directly or indirectly teams of professional employees.
• Proven success leading teams, developing talent, and driving operational performance in a matrixed environment.
• Ability to leverage data and insights to support decision-making, continuous improvement, and achievement of business objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues and influence decision-making at senior leadership levels.
• Strong collaboration, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop effective partnerships across functions and geographies.
• Demonstrates initiative, innovative thinking, and a continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to challenge traditional approaches and identify opportunities to simplify, modernize, and transform how work is performed.
• Strong communication, presentation, and change leadership skills.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply Good Clinical Practice (GCP)/ International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and execution management skills.
• Sponsors responsible digital, data-driven and AI-enabled ways of working.

Required Skills

• Business Decisions, Clinical Trial Management, Clinical Trials Operations, Ethical Standards, Executive Presence, ICH GCP Guidelines, Motivating People, Multiple Therapeutic Areas, Organizational Leadership, People Leadership, Process Improvements, Relationship Management, Stakeholder Analysis, Strategic Analysis, Strategic Thinking, Strategy Development

Preferred Skills

• Clinical Research, Global Experience

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:

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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.

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The primary location for this posting is: USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is: $173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation: No relocation

VISA Sponsorship: No

Travel Requirements: 25%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable

Shift: 1st - Day

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): N/A

Job Posting End Date: 10/18/2026*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.