Executive Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Merck; Rahway (NJ); On-site; USD 210,400 - 331,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical company in Rahway, NJ is seeking an Executive Director for Financial Planning & Analysis. This role will support the Manufacturing and Research & Development divisions, leading a team in providing strategic financial analysis and forecasting. The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of experience, relevant educational qualifications, and a track record of effective leadership and collaboration in a dynamic business environment. Competitive salary and robust benefits offered.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of operations or Finance experience.
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to develop business operations models.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide financial and strategic support to client organization.
• Lead a team of talented professionals in financial planning.
• Collaborate with various finance and business stakeholders.

Skills

Strategic planning

Financial analysis

Relationship management

Detail-oriented

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance/Accounting, Science, or Engineering

MBA or other Masters/PhD

Tools

SAP

BPC

Power BI

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

Our Finance team brings together our financial perspectives into our overall strategic and tactical decision making. We use state-of-the-art techniques for financial analysis, planning, accounting, reporting and performance evaluation. This allows the organization to continue advancing medical innovation and improve lives.

The Executive Director, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) will be a key financial and strategic business partner supporting assigned divisional client organization in our Manufacturing and Research and Development Divisions. The incumbent will lead a team of finance professionals, responsible for forecasting and analytics, supporting both internal and external stakeholders, overseeing monthly close activities, and tracking of actuals.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide financial and strategic support to client organization
• Serve as part of the leadership team of both client and divisional finance organization
• Partner on strategic as well as tactical fronts to manage the progression of the pipeline with due financial considerations
• Support the development of robust and realistic financial plans and help articulate those plans in clear and concise manner to the various stakeholders
• Provide financial support for the formulation and evaluation of capital investment proposals and to help prepare and present the business cases to the various governance bodies
• Develop and maintain strong relationship and partnership with counterparts across the enterprise to support integrated program views
• Collaborate seamlessly with various finance and business stakeholders to help advance business goals
• Have an enterprise mind-set and be able to articulate fully integrated costs and investment considerations and potential trade-offs
• Provide financial support to pipeline and supply chain and capacity decision making, with knowledge of key drivers to relevant governance committees
• Analyze and report actual financial results and discuss adjustments needed to the projected spend to stay aligned with the approved financial plans
• Understand operational productivity drivers of the business and to develop/maintain financial metrics to measure actual performance vs. what’s expected
• Oversee various critical financial processes and to take proactive steps to align with the evolving business needs and ensure that the processes run efficiently and effectively
• Ensure full compliance with the accounting requirements and maintain sound financial internal control environment
• Lead and/or participate in various special initiatives/projects
• Lead a team of talented professionals and provide guidance and leadership to the team on various business support aspects
• Help team members realize their full career aspirations and proactively seek ways to attract new talent

Education

• Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance/Accounting, Science, or Engineering
• Preferred: MBA or other Masters/PhD in Business, Finance, Science, or Engineering

Experience and Skills

• Required Experience And Skills
  Minimum of 15 years of operations or Finance experience
• Effective with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Preferred Experience And Skills
  Excellent analytical skills and the ability to develop business operations models
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Excellent attention to detail to ensure accurate and on-time deliverables
• Strong business and financial acumen
• Demonstrated effectiveness working with teams, including Third Parties
• Proactive approach to problem solving, including solutions at times may be “outside of the box”
• Demonstrated ability to influence, build and maintain team, client and peer relationships
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills
• Passion and intellectual curiosity with respect to healthcare industry
• Experience in the pharmaceutical or healthcare industry
• Understanding of the drug discovery and development process and/or vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Sufficient knowledge of our company's pipeline/ product line
• Strong computer skills especially working with SAP, BPC, Power BI, and MS Excel

Required Skills

Capital Budgeting, Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A), Decision Making, Detail-Oriented, Ethical Compliance, Executive Presence, Financial Analysis, Management Controls, People Leadership, People Performance Management, Pharmaceutical Industry, Preparation of Financial Reports, Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, Variance Analysis

Preferred Skills

Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
US And Puerto Rico Residents Only

Other Considerations

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.

Requirements

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.

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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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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence. This Hybrid work model does not apply to field-based, facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where work is located at a Company site; or roles designated as “remote”.

The salary range for this role is $210,400.00 - $331,100.00. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits (401(k)), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate/sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en. The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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 all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with 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. does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms. All CVs/resumes submitted without a valid written search agreement will be the property of the company. No fee will be paid where no pre-existing agreement exists.

Job Posting End Date: 01/24/2026

Requisition ID: R382154