Executive Director, Chief of Staff, Global Clinical Trial Operations
Merck
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Merck is seeking an Executive Director, Chief of Staff to partner with the SVP of Global Clinical Trial Operations. The role translates enterprise priorities into focused execution, strengthens operating rhythms, and surfaces issues needing leadership attention.
The ideal candidate will lead governance, drive data‑driven decisions, and accelerate adoption of AI-enabled ways of working across a regulated global organization.
Qualifications
- Proven ability to influence, integrate, and drive alignment with senior leaders and cross-functional teams in a complex, matrixed, regulated environment.
- Demonstrated experience leading strategic initiatives, operational excellence, transformation, productivity, cost, or simplification programs from strategy through execution.
- Strong digital and AI leadership, including experience applying enterprise-approved AI, automation, predictive analytics, and data-driven approaches to modernize clinical trial delivery and ways of working.
- Maintains relevant digital curriculum completion or certification expectations, such as GCTO Elevate for internal applicants, with role‑appropriate progression over time.
- Strong judgment, decision‑making, and prioritization skills; able to operate autonomously in ambiguous, fast‑moving, and sensitive contexts.
- Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with ability to manage multiple priorities, surface trade‑offs, and drive closure.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with ability to synthesize complex information into clear executive messages, recommendations, and decision materials.
- Strong change leadership and global collaboration skills; able to influence adoption and drive outcomes across geographies, cultures, and reporting lines.
Responsibilities
- Translate enterprise and GCTO priorities into clear execution plans, measurable outcomes, and disciplined operating rhythms.
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the SVP, bringing external landscape awareness and data-driven recommendations to advance trial operations.
- Identify and mobilize high-impact initiatives that improve trial delivery, quality, speed, simplicity, productivity, cost, and organizational effectiveness.
- Lead annual priority setting, goal tracking, risk identification, mitigation planning, and senior leadership reporting for GCTO priorities.
- Design and facilitate leadership governance, including Leadership Team meetings, barrier-removal discussions, and decision forums; ensure clear owners and follow‑through.
- Surface issues, elevate barriers, and drive timely resolution of risks or decisions affecting portfolio execution and regulatory readiness.
- Drive modernization of trial operations through simplification, quality by design, and responsible use of AI and digital capabilities.
Skills
Education
Job description
The Executive Director, Chief of Staff serves as a senior strategic partner and transformation integrator for the Senior Vice President (SVP), Head of Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO). The role helps accelerate best-in-class global trial operations by translating GCTO and enterprise priorities into focused execution, strengthening operating discipline, surfacing issues that require leadership attention, enabling timely decisions, and driving adoption of simplified, AI-enabled ways of working across a complex, regulated organization.
The Executive Director, Chief of Staff serves as a senior strategic partner and transformation integrator for the Senior Vice President (SVP), Head of Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO). The role helps accelerate best-in-class global trial operations by translating GCTO and enterprise priorities into focused execution, strengthening operating discipline, surfacing issues that require leadership attention, enabling timely decisions, and driving adoption of simplified, AI-enabled ways of working across a complex, regulated organization.
- Partner with the SVP and GCTO Leadership Team to translate enterprise and GCTO priorities into clear execution plans, measurable outcomes, and disciplined operating rhythms.
- Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the SVP, bringing external landscape awareness, business judgment, and data-driven recommendations to advance best-in-class trial operations.
- Identify and mobilize high-impact initiatives that improve trial delivery, quality, speed, simplicity, productivity, cost, and organizational effectiveness.
- Lead annual priority setting, goal tracking, risk identification, mitigation planning, and senior leadership reporting for GCTO strategic priorities.
- Design and facilitate leadership governance, including Leadership Team meetings, barrier-removal discussions, business reviews, and decision forums; ensure clear agendas, decisions, owners, and follow-through.
- Surface issues, elevate barriers, and drive timely resolution of risks or decisions that affect portfolio execution, quality, inspection readiness, transformation, or operational performance.
- Serve as Global Clinical Development (GCD) Risk Lead representing GCD on the Research and Development (R&D) Risk Governance Committee; identify emerging risks, align mitigations with senior leaders, and prepare leaders for R&D risk reviews.
- Drive modernization of clinical trial operations through simplification, quality by design, and responsible use of AI, automation, predictive analytics, and other digital capabilities.
- Ensure modernization efforts deliver measurable improvements in portfolio delivery, global consistency, cycle time, quality, productivity, and user experience.
- Partner with functions to identify capability, training, digital upskilling, and knowledge development needs that support adoption of new ways of working.
- Promote continuous improvement, process simplification, responsible AI use, innovation, and knowledge sharing across the organization.
- Act as a cross-enterprise integrator across GCTO, GCD, R&D, Finance, HR, IT, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Learning and Development, and other partners to align priorities, resources, and execution.
- Develop executive communications, presentations, leadership messages, and engagement materials that mobilize leaders around priorities, decisions, and change expectations.
- Lead the GCTO communications and organizational engagement team to support Town Halls, Leadership Team meetings, Leader Forums, and other enterprise-facing forums.
- Promote a collaborative, inclusive, high-performing culture that supports transparency, accountability, learning, and disciplined execution.
- Partner with Chiefs of Staff and operational leaders to align ways of working and accelerate adoption of enterprise practices.
- Bachelor’s degree and > 10 years of relevant clinical trial delivery experience OR
- Master’s degree and > 8 years of relevant clinical trial delivery experience OR
- Ph.D. or doctorate and > 6 years of relevant clinical trial delivery experience
- Advanced degree
- Certification in AI
- Proven ability to influence, integrate, and drive alignment with senior leaders and cross-functional teams in a complex, matrixed, regulated environment.
- Demonstrated experience leading strategic initiatives, operational excellence, transformation, productivity, cost, or simplification programs from strategy through execution.
- Strong digital and AI leadership, including experience applying enterprise-approved AI, automation, predictive analytics, and data-driven approaches to modernize clinical trial delivery and ways of working.
- Maintains relevant digital curriculum completion or certification expectations, such as GCTO Elevate for internal applicants, with role‑appropriate progression over time.
- Strong judgment, decision‑making, and prioritization skills; able to operate autonomously in ambiguous, fast‑moving, and sensitive contexts.
- Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with ability to manage multiple priorities, surface trade‑offs, and drive closure.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with ability to synthesize complex information into clear executive messages, recommendations, and decision materials.
- Strong change leadership and global collaboration skills; able to influence adoption and drive outcomes across geographies, cultures, and reporting lines.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Acumen, Clinical Trials Operations, Collaboration, Cross-Functional Leadership, Digital Capabilities, Digital Transformation, Executive Communications, Executive Leadership, Matrix Leadership, Operational Excellence, Project Management, Risk Mitigation, Strategic Initiative
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:
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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.
Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts
The salary range for this role is
$255,800.00 - $402,700.00
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.
We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
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
Regular
Domestic
No
25%
Hybrid
Not Indicated
No
n/a
10/6/2026
- 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.
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