Associate Director, Commercial Capabilities - Human Health Learning & Development (Hybrid - Rahway, NJ)

Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced professional to join our team as Associate Director, Commercial Capabilities for our Human Health Learning & Development division. This role offers a global opportunity to shape and execute learning strategies that build the marketing and market access capabilities required to support enterprise current and future launches across Human Health.

As the Associate Director, you will be responsible for partnering with US and Global Marketing teams, US and Global Market Access teams, Marketing Excellence & Launch Excellence teams, and GLD teams to identify, prioritize, and address the most critical Marketing and Market Access capability needs for launch readiness and commercial performance.

You will focus essentially on US marketing learning activities (onboarding, upskilling, coaching) that enable marketing excellence and launch excellence, customer insight and brand strategy definition to optimally support our Enterprise Opportunity Challenge. You will collaborate with your GLD Commercial Capabilities colleagues on the definition and implementation of learning strategies that support content strategy, omnichannel engagement, digital marketing, performance optimization, and data-driven decision-making in support of our broader Marketing Modernization efforts.

As well, you will support the implementation of the Marketing Academy which will aim to establish role based journeys and development of our Marketing functions.

You will also play a critical role in advancing market access learning activities, including access strategy, payer and policy dynamics, value communication, evidence and outcomes, access readiness, and cross-functional collaboration with marketing, medical, policy, pricing, and account-facing teams. The role will help ensure launches are supported with aligned, practical, and measurable learning solutions that prepare teams to execute with quality, consistency, and impact.

Working closely with senior organizational leaders and sponsors, you will consult on learning needs as integral components of commercial transformation, launch preparation, and post-launch optimization. You will collaborate with internal and external learning experts to define learning strategies, outcomes, solution designs, deployment readiness, and impact measurement.

A strong partnership with the Learning Creation functions will be essential. You will partner with Learning Experience Leads, Learning Creation Leads, Production Hub colleagues, Catalog and Product Managers, vendors, and other GLD functions to translate business and capability needs into innovative, scalable, compliant, and learner-centric solutions. You will operate as part of One GLD to promote reuse, consistency, speed, quality, and continuous improvement across global and local learning journeys.

As a member of the HH L&D Commercial Capabilities team within GL&D, you will serve as a trusted business advisor to senior-level stakeholders across Human Health, with a particular focus on supporting US and Global Marketing and Market Access teams. Your primary focus will be accelerating development of the critical capabilities needed to deliver launch excellence, strengthen commercial execution, improve enterprise readiness, and foster a productive and engaged workforce.

We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in pharmaceutical marketing, market access, launch excellence, commercial operations, and/or Learning and Development. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree with extensive related experience in a similar industry. A master's degree is preferred.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Business Acumen: Ability to engage with senior US and Global Marketing and Market Access leaders, understand brand, portfolio, launch, payer, policy, and customer priorities, and make sound business decisions.

• Marketing Learning Expertise: Advanced ability to build capabilities in marketing foundations, marketing frameworks, brand strategy, launch planning, omnichannel engagement, content strategy, digital marketing, customer insight, and performance optimization.

• Market Access Learning Expertise: Strong understanding of market access capabilities, including access strategy, value communication, payer dynamics, evidence generation, policy environment, access readiness, and cross-functional execution.

• Launch Excellence: Ability to embed learning into launch milestones, from pre-launch readiness through post-launch optimization, and support current and future launches with role-based curricula, tools, reinforcement, and measurement.

• Continuous Learning: Model continuous learning for the team and clients; proactively identify emerging capability needs and modern learning approaches that strengthen commercial impact.

• Leadership: Advanced ability to partner, collaborate, and impact decisions at all levels, including influencing senior stakeholders and driving alignment across matrixed teams without relying solely on authority.

• Collaboration: Work constructively with individuals and groups and build trusted networks across US, Global, and market teams, including Marketing, Market Access, Launch Excellence, Medical, Regulatory, Policy, Sales, Commercial Operations, and GLD.

• Learning Creation Partnership: Partner effectively with Learning Creation Leads, Learning Experience Leads, designers, developers, Production Hub colleagues, vendors, and all GLD functions to translate capability needs into scalable, compliant, and high-quality learning experiences.

• Creative Thinking: Apply innovative approaches such as simulations, case-based learning, coaching, peer learning, performance support, communities of practice, microlearning, and AI-enabled learning support where appropriate.

• Consultation: Deep expertise in organizational communication, stakeholder engagement, and readiness; ability to coach clients on effective use of learning solutions and reinforcement mechanisms.

• Oral and Written Communications: Outstanding verbal, written, and executive-level presentation abilities, including the ability to create compelling narratives, learning strategies, roadmaps, and stakeholder updates.

• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Ability to use a broad range of methods, frameworks, and perspectives when solving problems and making decisions in complex, regulated, global environments.

• Data Analytics: Ability to determine business and learning outcomes, metrics, and measurement strategies; use capability assessments, launch readiness indicators, program feedback, application data, and business signals to improve impact.

• Planning: Advanced project and program management experience, including operational, tactical, and strategic planning; ability to manage scope, risks, timelines, vendors, and stakeholder expectations across multiple priorities.

• Adult Learning - Theory and Practice: Advanced experience in applying concepts and practices of adult learning, instructional design, performance support, learner personas, and blended learning to meet dynamic business needs.

• Learning Needs Analysis: Advanced experience in assessing competency gaps and identifying learning requirements for individual, team, and organizational performance across marketing and market access roles.

• Compliance, Quality, and Change Management: Ability to align learning solutions with applicable legal, medical, regulatory, and company review processes while driving adoption and sustainment through leader enablement, communications, coaching, and integration into business rhythms.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience in US Market Pharma/BioPharma/Medical Equipment/Diagnostics or equivalent, including:

• Minimum 5 years in a commercial (sales &/or marketing) role

• Proven success in managing end-to-end commercial skills building training tailored for Commercial teams from needs assessment to delivery

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree

• Demonstrated success in cross-functional leadership and collaboration

• Successful People Management experience

• Experience managing projects and vendors in a related field

If you are passionate about driving learning strategies and solutions to support marketing excellence, market access excellence, launch readiness, and enterprise commercial performance, and possess the skills and experience outlined above, we encourage you to apply. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact within a global pharmaceutical leader.

Required Skills:

Brand Marketing, Brand Strategy, Continuous Learning, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Instructional Design, Leadership Development Training, Learning Needs Analysis, Market Access, Microlearning, Sales Models, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Planning, Training Evaluations, Training Needs Assessment

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.

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The salary range for this role is

$129,000.00 - $203,100.00

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

08/16/2026

*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.