Executive Director, Digital Transformation & Delivery Excellence

Merck; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 240,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck is seeking an Executive Director to serve as enterprise lead for translating digital strategy into disciplined, multi-divisional execution. The role aligns strategic priorities with investment decisions, delivery governance, and value realization across IT, framing critical choices for the CIDO office.

You will accelerate cross-divisional delivery, modernize IT ways of working, and scale next-generation capabilities including AI; drive workforce modernization and strategic risk management

Qualifications

• 15+ Years of leadership experience in technology for large, matrixed global enterprises.
• Multi-divisional delivery track record across independent units with federated IT groups.
• Turnaround, crisis leadership, and interim leadership experience when needed.
• Executive presence with experience advising C-suite and board-level governance.
• Technical modernization depth: cloud, API-first, modern software architecture, and legacy migrations.
• Data governance, MLOps familiarity, and AI deployment patterns.

Responsibilities

• Direct enterprise transformation initiatives with cross-divisional sponsorship and delivery focus.
• Frame investments, ROI projections, and portfolio governance with Finance and sponsors.
• Lead IT governance, operating rhythm, and cross-functional transparency.
• Oversee end-to-end program delivery and roadmaps with measurable value milestones.
• Champion next-gen capabilities like AI and data pipelines across the IT organization.

Skills

IT Leadership

Strategic IT Planning

Enterprise Transformation

Executive Advisory

Budget & Financial Acumen

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering/Information Systems or related

MBA or MS preferred

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

DevSecOps

CI/CD

SDLC

Job description

Role Summary

The individual in this role serves as the Chief Information & Digital Officer's (CIDO) enterprise lead for translating digital strategy into disciplined, multi-divisional execution. The role connects strategic priorities, investment decisions, delivery governance, and value realization across the IT organization. Balancing enterprise governance with divisional execution, the Executive Director frames critical investment and architectural choices, leads CIDO-sponsored transformation initiatives, accelerates cross-divisional delivery and value realization, modernizes Information Technology (IT) ways of working, scales next-generation capabilities, and advances workforce modernization.

Core Responsibilities & Strategic Accountabilities

Transformation Excellence and Value Realization

• Advisory: Serve as a trusted advisor to CIDO and ITLT framing critical trade-offs, investment options, and ROI projections to shape the IT portfolio and roadmap.
• Roadmap & Value Realization: Translate strategic intent into an actionable, multi-year transformation portfolio with clear value milestones, tracking outcome delivery in close partnership with Finance and executive sponsors.
• Operating Rhythm & Executive Alignment: Facilitate an effective operating rhythm across the IT leadership team, ensuring cross-functional transparency, portfolio governance, and continuous operating model optimization.
• Executive Engagement Support: Partner with CIDO to support transformation progress, value realization metrics, technical debt posture, and strategic risks to the Executive Leadership.

Cross-Divisional Program Delivery

• End-to-End Program Leadership: Direct the delivery of complex enterprise transformation initiatives that require direct sponsorship and delivery focus from the CIDO office
• Bottleneck Elimination: Serve as the designated escalation authority on behalf of the CIDO, resolving cross-divisional friction, resource constraints, and integration roadblocks.
• IT Way of Working Transition: Transform IT delivery organizations from federated, project-based paradigms to agile, value-stream-aligned, AI centric models measured by operational speed, cyber resiliency, and business impact.

Digital Capability Rollout

• Next-Gen Capability Scaling: Work with IT teams to support enterprise-wide definition and rollout and adoption of modern digital capabilities on behalf of the CIDO, including advanced data pipelines and practical agentic AI solutions.
• Market & Capability Sensing: Monitor emerging technologies (including generative and agentic AI), competitive shifts, regulatory developments, and strategic partnership models to capture enterprise-level transformation opportunities.

Workforce and Process Modernization

• IT Talent Acceleration: Partner with divisional IT leaders and HR to develop and maintain an overall talent development plan, execute workforce modernization programs, reskilling talent in modern, next generation skills
• IT Process and Ways of Working: Serve as the central lead for IT processes, defining and optimizing IT processes and related ownership structure to ensure more effective and efficient outcomes; partner with specific IT functions to reimagine IT processes such as Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC); continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), etc.

Experience, Qualifications & Skills

Education

• Required: Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Preferred: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Computer Science, Information Science, or equivalent advanced degree.

Required Experience & Capabilities

• 15+ Years of Leadership Experience: Proven track record in progressive technology leadership, IT strategy, and large-scale enterprise transformation within a complex, matrixed global enterprise.
• Multi-Divisional Delivery Track Record: Demonstrated success leading and delivering global scale programs across independent business units and federated IT groups without direct hierarchical control.
• Turnaround & Crisis Leadership: Verifiable experience serving in turnaround, recovery, or interim leadership roles to rescue distressed technical programs or organizational initiatives.
• Executive Presence & Influence: Extensive background advising C-suite executives, partnering with executive committees, and participating in board-level strategy and governance presentations.
• Technical & Modernization Depth: Hands-on foundational understanding of modern software architecture, public cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP), API-first integration, DevSecOps pipelines, and legacy migration.
• Data & AI Governance: Working familiarity with enterprise data governance frameworks, machine learning operations (MLOps), and generative/agentic AI deployment patterns.
• Financial Acumen: Deep command of technology financial management, including business case development, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) optimiz