Director - Preclinical Development, Digital Insights (Hybrid)

We are seeking a Director, Digital Insights to join our Digital Insights team within the Development Sciences and Clinical Supply (DSCS) Digital Technologies organization. Digital is the multiplier that will allow DSCS to deliver better experiments faster, efficient filing and launch, more robust supply chains and higher-confidence decisions across the portfolio. The DSCS Digital Technologies organization is responsible for the invention and application of new digital tools/workflows to support scientists across drug substance development, drug product development and analytical development. We aspire to embed digital technologies into the fabric of DSCS culture to drive transformational impact.

The Director is a leadership role within the DSCS Digital Technologies organization reporting to the Executive Director of Digital Insights. The Director is responsible for shaping and executing high-impact digital insights capabilities that accelerate pharmaceutical development across DSCS. This leader will drive strategy, delivery, and adoption of advanced data, analytics, and AI-enabled solutions that deliver measurable value across the pipeline and organization. The role combines scientific domain fluency, digital strategy, people leadership, and enterprise execution, operating at the intersection of DSCS functions, IT, and enterprise digital initiatives. The Director will lead a multidisciplinary team of digital scientists, data analysts, data engineers, and predictive scientists, translate business needs into scalable digital capabilities, and ensure measurable value realization.

Responsibilities:

• Team Management: Serve as a team leader who leads and mentors team members specializing in data engineering, data science, software development, and predictive sciences. Inspire effective employee development.
• Digital Insights: Contribute to the collaborative design, implementation, and optimization of modern, automated, and contextualized data pipelines that enable seamless data flow, integration, and accessibility across scientific and operational domains. Guide the creation of advanced data visualization platforms and dashboards to support decision-making, enhance data-driven insights, and democratize access to analytics for scientists and business partners. Champion the development and deployment of in silico modeling.
• Change Management: Partner with operational subject matter experts to develop and implement change management strategies.
• Value Realization: Provide clear elucidation of the business value being realized through digital efforts. Drive establishment and measurement of project metrics aligned with program goals.

• PhD, MS, BS or equivalent experience in chemistry, engineering, data science, computer science, or a related scientific discipline
• BS +9 years
• MS + 8 years
• PhD + 6 years
• Experience spanning pharmaceutical development, scientific data/analytics, analytical characterization, and digital insights, * Demonstrated ability to translate complex scientific or business problems into digital solutions
• Strong people leadership, influencing, and change-management skills
• Excellent communication skills, demonstrated creativity, and effective interpersonal skills

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience in the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) space covering drug substance processes, drug product processes and analytical methods
• Experience with the development and implementation of data analysis and modeling (including machine learning) workflows or solutions
• Experience with one or more drug modalities being developed internally such as small molecule, biologics, vaccines, peptides, drug conjugates
• Familiar with programming in R and/or Python and Posit/RStudio/Jupyter
• Experience with data visualization tools (Shiny, Streamlit, Spotfire, Dash, PowerBI, or Tableau)
• Exceptional employee development skills gained through prior people management or mentorship roles.
• Ability to work in a team environment with cross-functional interactions
• Motivated to learn new skills, willingness to take on new challenges, and scientific curiosity.
• Proven track record of peer-reviewed publications and external research presentations, Data Analysis, Executive Presence, Financial Acumen, Financial Research, Innovation, Mentoring Staff, People Leadership, Product Development, Regulatory CMC, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning

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

$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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.