Director, GAHM IT Strategy & Execution

Job Description

Position Overview:

The Global Animal Health Manufacturing (GAHM) IT Strategy & Execution Lead is responsible for developing and executing the strategy, design, and implementation of the business transformation journey for our Animal Health manufacturing IT division. This encompasses ensuring the GAHM IT organization operates effectively and efficiently such that the team is delivering a high-quality service, value and experience to the business. The Strategy & Execution lead will also act as Chief of Staff, a strategic thought partner and trusted advisor to the GAHM IT Lead.

The Strategy & Execution lead will work across the GAHM IT Manufacturing, Quality & Supply Chain value teams, plus the GAHM IT Digital Manufacturing Operations (DMO) team; providing leadership and direction for the development of innovative solutions and operational execution to deliver business value. This role will be responsible for delivering on a multi-year roadmap of transformative business initiatives and associated enabling digital technologies, and orchestrating Capital Programs within the end-to-end digital transformation agenda.

In addition, this role will take leadership of critical capabilities and strategically important ones for the GAHM IT organization including a PMO office, Change Management and Communications.

Key responsibilities:

• Ensures GAHM IT vision, strategy, and product roadmaps are aligned to the most important business outcomes for the GAHM organization, with a clear link between AH IT strategy and GAHM hoshin

• Acts as Chief of Staff and a strategic thought partner / trusted advisor to the GAHM IT Lead, including serving as a key point of contact and representative to key stakeholders

• Translates business priorities into a single digital strategy for the full manufacturing network, in partnership with the GAHM IT Lead and GAHM IT Senior Leadership Team

• Iterates, validates, and communicates clear vision, strategy, priorities, and timelines across GAHM IT, GAHM, and AH IT

• Provides thought leadership to internal and external stakeholders and industry channels, and conducts market scanning to identify emerging business and technology trends, disruptive innovation, and partnership opportunities

• Promotes team integration, cross-functional collaboration, and communication across GAHM IT and the wider AH IT organization to simplify work, identify synergies, and improve ways of working

• Facilitates an effective operating rhythm across the GAHM IT leadership team and continuously improves the Strategy & Execution function to meet evolving business needs

• Partners with key stakeholders to deliver enterprise-wide transformative programs across GAHM IT

• Drives talent strategy and execution by assessing current capabilities against future needs and ensuring the right talent is in the right roles

• Operationalizes strategy and communications across all levels of the organization, from the board of directors to day-to-day employees, ensuring alignment across GAHM IT

• Oversees PMO disciplines, standards, and consistent change management methodology, including portfolio management, value realization, and demand management

• Aggregates and reports on the overall GAHM IT financial portfolio, including total cost of ownership, and ensures strong financial stewardship and accountability

• Drives capital programs and coordinates teams to deliver technology assets on time, on budget, and in full, maximizing value realization across the portfolio

• Acts as an escalation point for delivery and execution within the Digital organization and supporting functions to ensure successful implementation and steady-state operations

• Motivates teams to deliver with agility, excellence, compliance, Safety First, and Quality Always

• Builds a strong internal and external network to recruit talent, stay current on industry trends, and establish effective vendor partnerships

• Promotes leadership development, career growth, and continuous upskilling to build high-performing teams

• Maintains a commitment to personal development and lifelong learning

• Ability to travel: 25%

Qualification, Skill & Experience:

• 7-10 years of strategy or business consulting experience, including corporate or business strategy, growth strategy, mergers and acquisitions, portfolio optimization, operating model design, and/or digital transformation

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in a STEM-related subject, or equivalent industry experience

• Strong management and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in a matrixed organization and align teams on complex decisions

• Proven track record of designing and leading programs across multiple groups and teams, with strong leadership, strategic thinking, communication, and interpersonal skills

• Strong business acumen, customer focus, and ability to execute consistently, rapidly, and effectively

• Strong quantitative skills and the ability to use data and metrics to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement using agile methodologies and lean manufacturing principles

• Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, from entry-level associates to C-level leaders, and to develop compelling business case narratives in fluent English

• Experience leading large-scale digital transformation programs

• Ability to synthesize business needs, architecture principles, available technologies, third-party products, and industry standards into practical solution designs within required timeframes

• Proven ability to build high-performing teams and create an environment that promotes initiative, innovation, continuous learning, and development of future digital/technology leaders

• Experience managing and motivating a dispersed international team across multiple time zones, with the ability to implement standard processes and tools to drive consistency

• Demonstrated ability to build internal and external networks and leverage global teams and communities

• Highly self-motivated, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills and comfort with ambiguity

Required Skills:

Agile Environments, Agile Environments, Business Strategies, Change Management, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Customer-Focused, Digital Strategy, Digital Transformation, Disruptive Innovations, Executive Presence, ICT Strategy, IT Governance, IT Infrastructure Management, IT Quality Management, IT Security Compliance, Lean Manufacturing, Management Process, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), People Analytics, People Leadership, Personal Development, Product Roadmap, Project and Program Management (Inactive), Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Stakeholder Relationship Management {+ 2 more}

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

$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

05/27/2026

*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:R397846