Senior Specialist, Commercial Leadership Development Program

MSD; Pennsylvania; Hybrid; USD 117,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long-term incentive

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

MSD is seeking a commercial professional for its two-year Commercial Leadership Development Program (CLDP) to accelerate enterprise thinking and broaden cross-functional experience. The program prepares future leaders for a pivotal period of commercial transformation and includes live launches, brand strategy exposure, and senior leadership sessions.

Interviews will occur by December 2026 with an expected start in July 2027.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
• 3+ years of full-time professional work experience, including pharma marketing or sales.
• Understanding of healthcare ecosystem mechanics and economics.
• Ability to navigate change and collaborate across functions.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to strategic and operational priorities across rotation assignments.
• Partner cross-functionally with marketing, sales, operations, market access, and other commercial functions.
• Apply data and insights to inform recommendations, execution, and business decisions.
• Support launch planning, execution, and business performance initiatives.
• Present recommendations and insights to stakeholders and senior leaders.

Skills

Adaptability

Agile Methodology

Cross-functional Collaboration

Strategic Thinking

Data-driven Decision Making

Project Management

Business Acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS)

Master’s degree

Job description

We are seeking a commercial professional to join the two-year Commercial Leadership Development Program (CLDP), designed to accelerate enterprise thinking, broaden cross-functional experience, and prepare future leaders to drive impact during a pivotal period of commercial transformation.

Interviews will be completed and offers extended by December 2026. The selected candidate will start their new role in July 2027.

What you’ll do:

• Contribute to strategic and operational priorities across rotation assignments.
• Partner cross-functionally with teams across marketing, sales, operations, market access, and other commercial functions.
• Apply data and insights to inform recommendations, execution, and business decisions.
• Support launch planning, execution, and business performance initiatives in a dynamic commercial environment.
• Present recommendations, progress, and insights to stakeholders and senior leaders.
• Navigate work in a highly matrixed, compliant environment while driving work forward with initiative and agility.

What you’ll experience:

• Breadth and depth of experience across the two-year journey, with opportunities to build cross-functional fluency.
• Exposure to live launches, brand strategy, and commercial execution.
• Personalized learning through CLDP Summits, a new commercial learning journey, and special sessions with senior leaders across our Company.
• Hands-on opportunities to translate strategy into execution and drive meaningful business impact.
• Experience challenging the status quo and taking action to achieve objectives while operating within compliance standards.
• Partnership with legal and compliance teams to support clear, effective, and compliant execution.

What you’ll need:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS).
• Minimum of 3 years of full-time professional work experience, including prior experience in pharmaceutical marketing or sales.
• Foundational understanding of company operations, financial performance, and industry trends.
• Understanding of the mechanics and economics of the healthcare ecosystem.
• Strong ability to navigate change, adapt quickly, and collaborate effectively in support of successful transitions.
• Demonstrated enterprise mindset, with the ability to connect individual work to broader strategy and cross-functional priorities.
• Strong collaboration, project management, and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple activities and deadlines.
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to drive work forward proactively to achieve results.

Desirable:

• Master’s degree in marketing, business administration, or a related business discipline.
• Experience in product launch preparedness or launch excellence.
• Strategic thinking and business acumen, including the ability to read a P&L and make trade-offs that optimize enterprise value.
• Data-driven decision-making skills, including the ability to move from observation to insight to action.
• Exposure to launch excellence, market access, or payer dynamics such as PBMs, GPOs, specialty pharmacy, or buy-and-bill economics.
• Digital and AI fluency, with the ability to use emerging tools to shape thinking and enhance day-to-day work.

This is a hybrid role based in Upper Gwynedd, Pennsylvania.

Required Skills: Adaptability, Adaptability, Agile Methodology, Animal Health Sales, Business Acumen, Business Agility, Business Decisions, Business Development, Business Management, Business Models, Creative Campaign Development, Enterprise Leadership, Executive Leadership, Financial Acumen, Human Resource Management, Interpersonal Relationships, Learning Agility, Marketing Budget Management, Marketing Data Analysis, Marketing Strategy Implementation, Market Research, Matrix Management, Multitasking, Partner Relationship Management (PRM), Pricing Strategies {+ 9 more}

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: Domestic

VISA Sponsorship: No

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Hybrid

Shift: 1st - Day

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): n/a

Job Posting End Date: 10/17/2026

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.

The salary range for this role is $117,000.00 - $184,200.00. 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.

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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