Strategic Executive Talent Scout, Life Sciences (Remote)

Merck & Co.; Portsmouth (NH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co. is seeking an executive talent scout to lead non-high-volume, retained-style leadership hiring for Executive Director and VP roles across the organization.

This fully remote position emphasizes market intelligence, candidate mapping, and long-term relationship building with senior executives in pharma, biotech, and manufacturing. You will map talent landscapes, engage passive candidates, and partner with HR stakeholders to define target profiles while maintaining a strong candidate

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in executive search, executive recruiting, talent scouting, or leadership hiring.
• Proven success recruiting senior leadership for Executive Director and VP roles.
• Strong expertise in talent mapping, organizational research, competitive intelligence, and passive candidate ID.
• Ability to build long-term relationships with senior executives.
• Experience conducting market analyses, candidate assessments, and executive interviews.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and business partnering skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication with executive presence.
• Experience using LinkedIn Recruiter, executive talent databases, and other sourcing tools.
• Familiarity with Workday or equivalent ATS.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end executive scouting for Executive Director and Vice President level positions.
• Develop market maps and talent landscapes for critical leadership roles.
• Identify and engage passive executive talent through direct sourcing, networking, industry associations, conferences, and research-driven outreach.
• Create candidate pipelines and succession-focused talent pools aligned to business priorities.
• Conduct in-depth executive research, competitor intelligence, and organizational mapping.
• Partner closely with Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, and business leaders to define target talent profiles and sourcing strategies.
• Maintain active engagement with prospective candidates, ensuring a positive experience and keeping individuals warm throughout extended search processes.
• Provide market insights regarding talent availability, compensation trends, competitor movement, and executive hiring strategies.
• Utilize assessment methodologies and structured evaluation approaches to identify high-potential executive talent.
• Maintain accurate candidate and search activity documentation within Workday or similar ATS platforms.
• Deliver regular reporting on pipeline activity, market findings, and search progress.

Skills

Executive search

Senior leadership recruiting

Talent mapping

Stakeholder management

Market analysis

Candidate assessment

Communication

LinkedIn Recruiter

Workday / ATS

pharma / life sciences knowledge

Tools

LinkedIn Recruiter

Workday

Job description

Merck & Co. is seeking an executive talent scout to lead non-high-volume, retained-style leadership hiring for Executive Director and VP roles across the organization.

This fully remote position emphasizes market intelligence, candidate mapping, and long-term relationship building with senior executives in pharma, biotech, and manufacturing. You will map talent landscapes, engage passive candidates, and partner with HR stakeholders to define target profiles while maintaining a strong candidate