Executive Director, HR Business Partnership & IT Solutions Lead
Merck & Co.
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Job summary
Merck & Co. is seeking an Executive Director, HR Business Partnership & Solutions Lead in Rahway, NJ. This senior role partners with HR leadership to define and execute the enterprise HR digital, data, technology and AI strategy, driving an integrated transformation across HR services, platforms, data and workflows.
You will lead AI-enabled HR transformation, establish multi-year roadmaps, and ensure business value through responsible governance and delivery excellence.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a related field.
- 15+ years of progressive HR and transformation leadership experience in a global org.
- Deep understanding of HR operating models, journeys and HR domains.
- Experience leading AI-enabled transformation and intelligent automation.
- Proven executive communication, strategic partnership and change leadership.
Responsibilities
- Lead the integrated enterprise HR digital, data, tech and AI strategy.
- Own HR technology portfolio with governance and value realization.
- Drive end-to-end HR AI transformation and process reimagination.
- Partner with HR leaders to redesign work, services and decisions around AI.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
The Executive Director, HR Business Partnership & Solutions Lead is the senior Enterprise IT (EIT) leader accountable for partnering with Human Resources (HR) leadership to shape and execute the enterprise HR digital, data, technology and AI strategy. The role connects HR strategy, workforce priorities, employee experience, operating-model transformation, enterprise platforms, data, AI, products and delivery into an integrated transformation agenda. A defining mandate is to lead AI-enabled transformation of HR: reimagining work, services, decisions and experiences through responsible use of generative AI, agents, analytics, intelligent workflow and automation. The Executive Director establishes the integrated portfolio, translates strategy into multi-year roadmaps and investment choices, and ensures adoption and measurable business value.
- Serve as the strategic EIT partner to senior HR leaders, helping shape HR strategy, transformation priorities, workforce capabilities, employee experience and the future HR operating model.
- Establish an integrated multi-year HR digital, data, technology and AI strategy aligned with enterprise priorities.
- Translate strategic priorities into a sequenced roadmap of process, experience, data, platform, product and AI investments, with clear business cases and outcomes.
- Bring external insight on HR, workforce and technology trends to identify opportunities to reinvent work rather than digitize existing processes.
- Own the integrated HR technology and solutions portfolio and establish clear accountability across business ownership, product leadership, platforms, data, delivery, adoption and value realization.
- Establish portfolio priorities, product investment recommendations, platform direction, delivery sequencing and lifecycle decisions within the HR portfolio.
- Serve as the senior EIT escalation point for material HR technology decisions, cross-functional dependencies, investment trade-offs and delivery risks.
- Drive reuse of enterprise platforms, data products, AI capabilities and common technology patterns while determining where differentiated HR capabilities are justified.
- Establish and govern an integrated HR AI transformation portfolio spanning employee and manager support, HR services, talent, recruiting, learning, workforce planning, insights, knowledge and HR operations.
- Lead end-to-end reimagination of HR journeys and processes using generative AI, responsible agents, predictive analytics, intelligent workflow and automation.
- Partner with HR leaders to redesign work, service models, decision points and human-machine interactions as AI changes how HR expertise and services are delivered.
- Determine whether AI capabilities should be delivered through enterprise platforms, embedded HR products, reusable enterprise capabilities, HR-specific solutions or strategic partners.
- Reduce fragmented experimentation through common priorities, reusable patterns, data requirements, governance and value measures.
- Sponsor responsible agentic solutions with appropriate human accountability for consequential workforce, talent, employee and manager decisions.
- Lead an integrated solutions ecosystem spanning HR services, talent, learning, recruiting, workforce insights, and employee and manager experiences; align DigitalU with the broader HR strategy and talent agenda.
- Translate priorities into outcome-based product strategies, roadmaps, experience designs and adoption plans, while enabling technical teams to determine implementation approaches.
- Establish the data, content, knowledge, access and governance foundations required for trusted digital, analytics and AI-enabled experiences.
- Orchestrate delivery across HR, product, engineering, data, architecture, cybersecurity, privacy, Legal, Compliance, vendors and enterprise platform teams.
- Ensure solutions are intuitive, inclusive, accessible, globally scalable and responsive to applicable local requirements.
- Establish transparent governance for prioritization, funding, capacity, delivery, risk, adoption and value realization.
- Define outcome commitments for major investments, including employee and manager experience, service quality, process performance, productivity, decision quality, adoption, control effectiveness and business value.
- Evaluate investments against strategic alignment, adoption, delivery confidence, risk and realized value to inform future portfolio decisions.
- Ensure HR products, platforms, data, AI capabilities and services meet privacy, security, compliance, architecture, resilience, accessibility and lifecycle expectations.
- Be accountable for the reliability, continuity and operational performance of business-critical HR technology services, with clear service expectations, incident leadership and operational-health measures.
- Ensure the portfolio remains modern, supportable, scalable and economically sustainable.
- Lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization spanning HR business partnership, product and solution leadership, digital capabilities and related technology disciplines.
- Build the capabilities needed for a product-, data- and AI-enabled HR organization, including process reimagination, experience, change and value realization.
- Develop leaders and talent through coaching, succession planning, capability development, purposeful mobility and continuous learning.
- Shape strong partnerships across HR Centers of Excellence, HR operations, DigitalU, EIT leadership, enterprise data and AI, architecture, cybersecurity, privacy, Legal and Compliance, and strategic vendors.
- Create a culture combining deep business understanding, empathy, disciplined delivery, responsible experimentation and accountability for outcomes.
Senior HR leadership; HR Centers of Excellence; HR operations and services; DigitalU; EIT leadership; enterprise data and AI; architecture; cybersecurity; privacy; Legal and Compliance; communications and change; enterprise platform teams; and strategic technology partners.
- HR and EIT operate from one business-led digital, data, technology and AI strategy with clear priorities, sequencing, ownership and outcomes.
- Technology and AI measurably simplify work and improve experiences for employees, managers and HR professionals.
- HR processes and service models are redesigned around digital, data, automation and AI, not simply automated in their current form.
- AI experimentation becomes a coherent portfolio with reusable capabilities, responsible governance, adoption and measurable value.
- HR data, content and knowledge provide trusted foundations for analytics, digital experiences and AI.
- The HR technology landscape becomes simpler, modern, secure, resilient, scalable and economically sustainable.
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Psychology, Industrial/Labor Relations, Information Systems or a related field.
- 15+ years of progressive experience spanning HR, HR transformation, employee experience, HR operations, digital transformation, technology or product leadership, including significant leadership in a complex global organization.
- Deep understanding of HR operating models, employee and manager journeys, and multiple HR domains such as talent acquisition, learning, talent management, workforce planning, core HR, rewards or HR service delivery.
- Demonstrated success advising senior HR executives, shaping strategy, leading transformation, and translating priorities into roadmaps, investment decisions, operating-model change and measurable outcomes.
- Demonstrated experience leading AI-enabled transformation, process reimagination, intelligent automation, advanced analytics or responsible agentic capabilities.
- Strong technology fluency across enterprise HR platforms, digital products, data, integrations, workflow, automation and AI-enabled capabilities.
- Proven ability to lead through influence across global, cross-functional organizations and mobilize business, product, technology, data, risk and delivery teams around shared outcomes.
- Strong business and investment acumen, executive communication, transformation leadership, organizational change, commercial judgment and strategic partner-management skills.
- Advanced degree in HR, business, organizational development, technology or a related field.
- Experience with Workday, ServiceNow HR, learning ecosystems, HR data and analytics, or comparable enterprise HR platforms.
- Experience in pharmaceuticals, life sciences or another highly regulated global industry.
- Experience scaling responsible AI, generative AI, intelligent automation or agentic solutions within HR or another enterprise function.
Accountability, Accountability, Benefits Management, Business Analysis, Business Process Improvements, Coaching, Competency Development, Global HR Leadership, Governance Management, HR Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, Human Resources (HR) Technology, Human Resources (HR) Transformation, Human Resources Consulting, Human Resources Operations, Implementation Methodologies, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Intelligent Agents, Leadership, Organizational Leadership, Pharmaceutics, Product Management Strategy, Program Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning {+ 3 more}
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 primary location for this posting is:
USA - New Jersey - Rahway
Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.
The salary range for the primary location of this role is: $231,900.00 - $365,000.00
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 .
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.
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.
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