Oncology Marketing Associate — Graduate Program

Merck Gruppe - MSD Sharp & Dohme; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Gruppe - MSD Sharp & Dohme in South Africa is seeking a Graduate Associate for SSA Cluster Oncology. The role supports coordination, development, approval, and execution of promotional and educational activities across SA and selected Sub-Saharan markets.

This graduate position emphasizes a strong scientific background, strategic thinking, digital literacy, and learning in a highly regulated healthcare environment.

Qualifications

• Recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences, Business Science, Marketing, Data Science, Digital Marketing, or a related field.
• Strong interest in oncology, healthcare, pharmaceutical marketing, data-driven decision-making, and customer engagement.
• Strong planning, organization and attention to detail
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• High standards of professionalism, discretion, compliance awareness, and ethical conduct.

Responsibilities

• Support the development, adaptation, and review of oncology promotional materials in line with brand strategy, scientific accuracy, company policies, and local regulatory requirements.
• Assist with the coordination of timelines, approval trackers, version control, and follow-ups to ensure materials are submitted, reviewed, approved, and released within agreed timelines.
• Work closely with Brand and Customer Managers, Medical, Regulatory, Compliance, Digital, and external agencies to support high-quality and compliant content delivery.
• Maintain visibility of material status, expiry timelines, archived assets, and required updates to support audit readiness and effective material lifecycle management.
• Assist in gathering, organizing, and summarizing competitive intelligence relevant to SSA Oncology priorities, including competitor activity, market dynamics, customer insights, and external environmental trends.
• Prepare concise competitive intelligence updates, training materials, pre-reads, and discussion summaries for relevant internal stakeholders.
• Support the preparation of oncology team training sessions by coordinating content, consolidating inputs, preparing materials, and tracking follow-up actions.
• Apply analytical thinking to translate data, market observations, and competitor information into clear insights that support strategic planning and execution.
• Support the planning, coordination, and tracking of oncology marketing activities, including campaigns, meetings, customer engagements, advisory activities, internal training sessions, and field force enablement initiatives.
• Maintain activity plans, trackers, action logs, timelines, and status updates to ensure disciplined execution and clear visibility of progress.
• Contribute to the annual and quarterly planning process by supporting activity mapping, budget visibility, prioritization, and cross-functional alignment.
• Contribute ideas on how digital tools, data analysis, and improved ways of working can strengthen customer engagement and operational efficiency.
• Build capability in data interpretation, digital marketing support, and omnichannel execution through ongoing learning and practical exposure.
• Participate in field visits at least quarterly, where appropriate and aligned with business needs, to build understanding of customer dynamics, field force execution, and oncology market realities.
• Capture key learnings from field exposure and translate observations into practical insights for marketing planning, material development, and team discussions.
• Support field force enablement by helping prepare approved tools, training content, competitive intelligence updates, and activity resources.
• Engage professionally with internal field teams and relevant stakeholders while maintaining appropriate compliance boundaries and governance standards.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Sales, Medical, Regulatory, Compliance, Digital, Finance, and external partners to support timely and aligned execution of oncology priorities.
• Demonstrate strong ownership, follow-through, curiosity, and agility in supporting multiple projects and stakeholders.
• Help strengthen team ways of working by identifying opportunities to improve tracking, coordination, communication, and execution discipline.
• Maintain accurate documentation and support audit-ready processes across assigned projects and activities.

Skills

Customer Engagement

Customer Relationship Building

Data Analysis Tools

Ethical Standards

Learning Agility

Market Research

Planning Ability

Strategic Thinking

Team Communication

Team Organization

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences

Tools

Digital Marketing Tools

Data Analysis Platforms

Job description

Merck Gruppe - MSD Sharp & Dohme in South Africa is seeking a Graduate Associate for SSA Cluster Oncology. The role supports coordination, development, approval, and execution of promotional and educational activities across SA and selected Sub-Saharan markets.

This graduate position emphasizes a strong scientific background, strategic thinking, digital literacy, and learning in a highly regulated healthcare environment.