Executive Director, Chief of Staff

Job Description

The Executive Director, Chief of Staff is a senior strategic partner to the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Translational Medicine, Discovery Oncology & Biomarkers. This role drives strategy execution, operational excellence, and cross-functional alignment across Translational Medicine (TMed), Discovery Oncology, and Biomarkers. The Chief of Staff acts with a high degree of autonomy on behalf of the SVP, ensuring clear priorities, effective governance, and delivery against organizational goals.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Advisory

• Serve as strategic advisor and thought partner to the SVP; provide evidence-based recommendations, risk/benefit analysis, and input on key decisions.
• Function as a cross-enterprise integrator, aligning senior stakeholders across DPTM, GPAM, GCD, and other partners to deliver on portfolio and organizational objectives.
• Identify, prioritize, and mobilize cross-functional initiatives that improve quality, speed, simplicity, and cost.

Strategy Execution, Planning & Governance

• Track and drive delivery of goals and priorities for TMed, Discovery Oncology, and Biomarkers; ensure visibility to progress, risks, and mitigations.
• Lead annual and mid-year planning processes, including goal-setting, scorecard contributions, and program reviews.
• Design and run effective leadership governance (LT meetings, staff meetings, town halls), including agenda setting, pre-read preparation, decision tracking, and follow-up.
• Ensure timely, clear communication of strategies, priorities, and decisions across the organizations.

Operational Excellence & Business Performance

• Lead the operational excellence and optimization agenda for the departments, simplifying processes and removing barriers to execution.
• Develop, maintain, and interpret business analytics, dashboards, and KPIs to inform decision-making and measure performance.
• Partner with Finance and HR on headcount planning, budgeting, and productivity/financial efficiency initiatives.
• Oversee Business Continuity planning and related risk mitigation activities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Network Leadership

• Strengthen and manage collaborations with DPTM, GPAM, GCD, and other internal stakeholders to ensure coordinated planning and execution.
• Partner with Chiefs of Staff and operations leaders across the network to share best practices and align on enterprise ways of working.
• Own and optimize collaboration tools and team sites (content, structure, governance) for TMed, Discovery Oncology, and Biomarkers.

People, Culture & Capability

• Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing culture aligned with company values.
• Oversee training curricula and act as triage point for new policies and procedures, ensuring appropriate adoption and compliance.
• Encourage knowledge sharing, continuous improvement, and innovation across sites and functions.

Education & Experience (Minimum)

• Bachelor's degree and ≥15 years of relevant experience, or
• Master's degree and ≥13 years of relevant experience, or
• Ph.D. or doctorate and ≥11 years of relevant experience

Required Experience and Skills:

• Proven ability to influence and collaborate effectively with senior leaders and cross-functional teams in a complex, matrixed environment.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills; able to operate autonomously in ambiguous and rapidly changing contexts.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic initiatives, operational excellence efforts, and/or cost and productivity programs.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills; able to manage multiple priorities and drive to closure.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear messages and recommendations.
• Demonstrated change leadership and ability to build buy-in for new ways of working.
• Experience working effectively across geographies and cultures; comfortable leading through influence rather than direct authority.
• High degree of initiative, ownership, and sense of urgency; acts with courage and candor.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Background in program or project management.
• Experience in multiple industry settings (e.g., large pharma, small pharma, biotech).
• Familiarity with Translational Medicine, Discovery Oncology, and Biomarkers or ability to rapidly develop this understanding.

Required Skills:
Communication, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Influence, Operational Excellence, Professional Networking, Strategic Execution, Strategic Leadership

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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.

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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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

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, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, 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, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as remote".

The salary range for this role is
$190,800.00 - $300,300.00

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.

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 .

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). 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 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

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

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:
03/3/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R384652