Executive Director, Digital Transformation & Delivery Excellence

The individual in this role serves as the Chief Information & Digital Officer’s (CIDO) enterprise lead for translating digital strategy into disciplined, multi-divisional execution. The role connects strategic priorities, investment decisions, delivery governance, and value realization across the IT organization. Balancing enterprise governance with divisional execution, the Executive Director frames critical investment and architectural choices, leads CIDO-sponsored transformation initiatives, accelerates cross-divisional delivery and value realization, modernizes Information Technology (IT) ways of working, scales next-generation capabilities, and advances workforce modernization., * Advisory: Serve as a trusted advisor to CIDO and ITLT framing critical trade-offs, investment options, and ROI projections to shape the IT portfolio and roadmap.

• Roadmap & Value Realization: Translate strategic intent into an actionable, multi-year transformation portfolio with clear value milestones, tracking outcome delivery in close partnership with Finance and executive sponsors.
• Operating Rhythm & Executive Alignment: Facilitate an effective operating rhythm across the IT leadership team, ensuring cross-functional transparency, portfolio governance, and continuous operating model optimization.
• Executive Engagement Support: Partner with CIDO to support transformation progress, value realization metrics, technical debt posture, and strategic risks to the Executive Leadership.

Cross-Divisional Program Delivery

• End-to-End Program Leadership: Direct the delivery of complex enterprise transformation initiatives that require direct sponsorship and delivery focus from the CIDO office
• Bottleneck Elimination: Serve as the designated escalation authority on behalf of the CIDO, resolving cross-divisional friction, resource constraints, and integration roadblocks.
• IT Way of Working Transition: Transform IT delivery organizations from federated, project-based paradigms to agile, value-stream-aligned, AI centric models measured by operational speed, cyber resiliency, and business impact.

Digital Capability Rollout

• Next-Gen Capability Scaling: Work with IT teams to support enterprise-wide definition and rollout and adoption of modern digital capabilities on behalf of the CIDO, including advanced data pipelines and practical agentic AI solutions.
• Market & Capability Sensing: Monitor emerging technologies (including generative and agentic AI), competitive shifts, regulatory developments, and strategic partnership models to capture enterprise-level transformation opportunities.

Workforce and Process Modernization

• IT Talent Acceleration: Partner with divisional IT leaders and HR to develop and maintain an overall talent development plan, execute workforce modernization programs, reskilling talent in modern, next generation skills
• IT Process and Ways of Working: Serve as the central lead for IT processes, defining and optimizing IT processes and related ownership structure to ensure more effective and efficient outcomes; partner with specific IT functions to reimagine IT processes such as Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC); continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), etc.

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Preferred: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Computer Science, Information Science, or equivalent advanced degree.

Required Experience & Capabilities

• 15+ Years of Leadership Experience: Proven track record in progressive technology leadership, IT strategy, and large-scale enterprise transformation within a complex, matrixed global enterprise.
• Multi-Divisional Delivery Track Record: Demonstrated success leading and delivering global scale programs across independent business units and federated IT groups without direct hierarchical control.
• Turnaround & Crisis Leadership: Verifiable experience serving in turnaround, recovery, or interim leadership roles to rescue distressed technical programs or organizational initiatives.
• Executive Presence & Influence: Extensive background advising C-suite executives, partnering with executive committees, and participating in board-level strategy and governance presentations.
• Technical & Modernization Depth: Hands-on foundational understanding of modern software architecture, public cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP), API-first integration, DevSecOps pipelines, and legacy migration.
• Data & AI Governance: Working familiarity with enterprise data governance frameworks, machine learning operations (MLOps), and generative/agentic AI deployment patterns.
• Financial Acumen: Deep command of technology financial management, including business case development, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) optimization, vendor negotiations, and capital/operating expenditure governance.
• Regulated Industry Experience: Prior leadership experience in biopharmaceuticals, life sciences, healthcare, financial services, or other heavily regulated environments.
• Life Sciences Domain Acumen: Familiarity with the biopharmaceutical value chain (Discovery/R&D, Clinical Development, Manufacturing & Supply, and Commercial/Medical Affairs).
• People Leadership: Proven ability to build, mentor, and lead high-performing teams of senior directors, technical leaders, and matrixed delivery pods.
• Consulting Background (Preferred): Previous experience within top-tier management consulting, enterprise transformation advisory, or technology strategy firms., Acquisitions Divestitures, Acquisitions Divestitures, AI Implementation Planning, Biopharmaceuticals, Business Operations, Business Transformation, Business Unit Integration, Change Agility, CI/CD, C-Level Management, Computer Science, Consultative Approach, Data Governance, Developing Proposals, DevSecOps, Digital Strategy, Emotional Intelligence, Environmental Scanning, Executive Presence, Financial Management, Information Systems, Machine Learning Operations, Management Consulting, Oncology Drug Development, Operating Models {+ 9 more}, Valid Driving License

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.