Cyber Value & Innovation Leader Assoc. Dir...

The Cyber Value & Innovation Lead partners with Core Cyber leadership and the Rapid Innovation team to enable informed, value-driven cybersecurity investment decisions. This role combines strategic thinking, financial rigor, and innovation execution to evaluate emerging cybersecurity capabilities through proofs of concept (POCs), research, and analysis. The role is critical in translating complex cyber and technology initiatives into clear business value while ensuring adherence to financial guardrails and enterprise priorities., Innovation Execution & Proofs of Concept

• Prioritize, lead, and support proofs of concept (POCs) with the Rapid Innovation team to validate emerging cybersecurity capabilities and document results.

Strategic Research & Analysis

• Research cybersecurity trends, threats, and innovation opportunities to shape the POC and investment pipeline.

• Communicate findings through concise executive narratives that drive decisions across a matrixed organization.

Cyber Investment Strategy & Value Management

• Align investment recommendations with enterprise risk posture, cyber strategy, and budget constraints in partnership with Core Cyber leadership.

• Build ROI models and value-realization hypotheses to support executive investment decisions.

• Enforce financial guardrails, funding models, and portfolio governance standards for cybersecurity initiatives.

• Cybersecurity & Technology Acumen - Demonstrated experience working with cybersecurity concepts, operating models, and emerging technologies.

• Financial & Value Analysis - Expertise in ROI modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and investment evaluation.

• Strategic Thinking - Ability to connect cyber initiatives to enterprise strategy, risk, and business outcomes.

• Innovation & Experimentation - Experience designing and evaluating proofs of concept and pilot programs.

• Agile Product Manager experience - Experience in collecting and prioritizing new demand

• Data-Driven Decision Making - Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn data into insights and recommendations.

Leadership & Influence Skills

• Executive Communication - Ability to translate complex technical and financial topics into clear, compelling narratives.

• Stakeholder Management - Proven capability to influence senior leaders without direct authority.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Comfortable working across cyber, IT, finance, procurement, and innovation teams.

• Judgment & Prioritization - Strong decision-making skills in ambiguous and fast-moving environments.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Technology, Cybersecurity, or another field.

• 5+ years of experience in cybersecurity, technology strategy, innovation, consulting, or value management roles.

• Proven ability to evaluate and communicate the business and financial value of technology initiatives.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (e.g., MBA) and/or relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, CRISC, PMP, or SAFe).

• Experience in management consulting, enterprise strategy, or innovation organizations.

• Familiarity with cybersecurity investment portfolios, risk management, or enterprise technology environments.

Required Skills:

Capability Development, Change Management, Classroom Delivery, Client Counseling, Cybersecurity Analytics, Cybersecurity Assessment, Cyber Security Governance, Cybersecurity Risk Management, Financial Advising, Financial Management, Learning Design, Methodical Approach, Organizational Agility, Organizational Structures, Proof of Concept (POC), ROI Management, Strategic Research, Strategic Thinking, Teaching

Preferred Skills:

Technology Strategies

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 (https://www.msdprivacy.com/us/en/CCPA-notice/)

The salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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.