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Associate Director, Market Engagement - Vaccines & ID (Flu)

MSD

North Wales, PA; Rahway, NJHybridPosted 10 days ago$156,900.00 - $247,000.00
Full TimeDirector & AboveBioinformatics & Data SciencePharmaceutical
Original posting ↗

Summary

This role resides within the DHH Integrated Vaccines & Infectious Disease Team, operating as part of the US/global commercial organization. The team provides strategic thought-partnership to US and global commercial stakeholders by understanding brand strategy, managing analytics requests, and defining associated business requirements aligned to business priorities. The Market Engagement team quarterbacks demand fulfillment and leads the activation of DHH products and services to enable data-driven decision making across the vaccine's portfolio.

Job description

Job Description

This role resides within the DHH Integrated Vaccines & Infectious Disease Team, operating as part of the US/global commercial organization. The team provides strategic thought-partnership to US and global commercial stakeholders by understanding brand strategy, managing analytics requests, and defining associated business requirements aligned to business priorities. The Market Engagement team quarterbacks demand fulfillment and leads the activation of DHH products and services to enable data-driven decision making across the vaccine's portfolio.

The Assoc. Director – Market Engagement - Vaccines & ID (Flu) will be responsible for developing and communicating US and ex-US data-driven, actionable insights that drive deeper customer and market understanding, inform launch and go-to-market strategies, and support brand growth and commercial objectives of our to-be-launched influenza prophylactic product. The individual will function as a key business-facing analytics partner to US and global influenza marketing teams, supporting commercial insights, analytics, and data science needs, while helping to scope, design, and deliver well-defined use cases aligned to business OKRs.

The preferred candidate will have an entrepreneurial and consultative mindset, strong understanding of the healthcare/pharma space (particularly vaccines) in both US and ex-US markets, and proficiency in advanced analytics, AI, machine learning, NLP, and Agentic AI. They will be comfortable translating complex business questions into analytical problems that require scalable, innovative solutions and will bring forward new ideas and methodologies that enhance the organization’s analytic capabilities. The candidate will need to comprehend the nuances of different product lines, the competitive landscape, and be versed in the Life Science commercial space. The individual who will thrive in this role will demonstrate strong leadership, intellectual curiosity, and a growth mindset. Although they will operate as an individual contributor, they will be adept at working in a matrixed environment, dealing with ambiguity, and collaborating across cross-functional teams. Strong communication and storytelling skills are essential to effectively influence stakeholders and drive adoption of data-driven recommendations.

Primary Job Function and Key Responsibilities

  • Serve as a key analytics partner to US and global marketing, aligning analyses and insights to brand and portfolio priorities/OKRs.
  • Work directly with business stakeholders to understand key questions, clarify objectives, and translate them into well-defined analytical use cases.
  • Be accountable for ensuring delivery of analyses with high quality standards, timeliness, compliance, and excellent user experience (routinely keep client base updated on progress).
  • Enable prioritization and scoping conversations by understanding business demand, requests, and potential use cases.
  • Analyze diverse data sources (claims, EMR/EHR, CDC, IQVIA, digital/CRM) to generate clear, actionable insights and recommendations for commercial decisions.
  • Propose appropriate analytical approaches and AI/ML/NLP/modeling techniques, demonstrating strong conceptual understanding of methods and trade-offs.
  • Collaborate with data scientists, engineers, and other DHH teams (on-shore and off-shore) to deliver best-in-class solutions and ensure business questions are addressed with the right data, methods, and insights.
  • Support the design, development, and refinement of AI/ML and NLP solutions (including Agentic AI) by providing business context, requirements, and feedback.
  • Synthesize findings into concise stories and visualizations, and present insights to support data-driven decisions.
  • Stay current on vaccines market dynamics and advances in analytics, AI, and machine learning, bringing forward new ideas that will enhance analytic capabilities of the organization.

Education Requirements

BS (or equivalent) in Data Science, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Statistics, Decision Science, Marketing, Engineering, or Public Health is required. MBA, MS, or PhD degree preferred.

Required Experience & Skills

  • 5+ years of analytics or data science experience in pharma/biotech/healthcare; vaccines experience preferred.
  • Proven track record applying advanced statistics, AI, machine learning, NLP, and Agentic AI to solve commercial business problems.
  • Proficiency in Python, R studio, SAS, SQL etc. or similar tools for data extraction, feature engineering, and model development.
  • Strong experience with patient-level and healthcare data (claims, EMR/EHR, registry, CDC, IQVIA and other secondary sources).
  • Demonstrated ability to translate business needs into structured analytical questions and data-driven recommendations.
  • Experience supporting products across their lifecycle (development, launch, growth, maturity, and end of life).
  • Strong communication and data storytelling skills, including presenting complex findings to senior and non-technical audiences.
  • Effective stakeholder management and influence skills within a matrixed, cross-functional environment.
  • Solid project and time management capabilities, with experience leading multiple concurrent analytics initiatives and teams.
  • Self-directed, adaptable, and curious, with a strong learning and forward-thinking mindset with AI adoption, advanced analytics, and evolving healthcare data.
  • Able to “connect the dots”, orchestrate and bring technical partners together across various cross-functional teams from DHH.

Preferred Experience and Skills

  • Prior hands-on experience working with healthcare data, especially EMR/EHR, claims data, and various IQVIA data offerings.
  • Knowledge and experience of the vaccines business is a plus.
  • Knowledge and expertise in the global life sciences analytics space, including ex-US datasets, market research, forecasting support, desk research triangulation, advanced analytics, global market analogs, competitive intelligence, etc.

Work location

Upper Gwynedd, PA (role will be hybrid and chosen candidate is expected to be in the office at least 3 days/week).

Requirements

  • BS (or equivalent) in Data Science, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Statistics, Decision Science, Marketing, Engineering, or Public Health
  • 5+ years of analytics or data science experience in pharma/biotech/healthcare
  • Proven track record applying advanced statistics, AI, machine learning, NLP, and Agentic AI to solve commercial business problems
  • Proficiency in Python, R studio, SAS, SQL etc. or similar tools for data extraction, feature engineering, and model development
  • Strong experience with patient-level and healthcare data (claims, EMR/EHR, registry, CDC, IQVIA and other secondary sources)
  • Demonstrated ability to translate business needs into structured analytical questions and data-driven recommendations
  • Experience supporting products across their lifecycle (development, launch, growth, maturity, and end of life)
  • Strong communication and data storytelling skills, including presenting complex findings to senior and non-technical audiences
  • Effective stakeholder management and influence skills within a matrixed, cross-functional environment
  • Solid project and time management capabilities, with experience leading multiple concurrent analytics initiatives and teams
  • Self-directed, adaptable, and curious, with a strong learning and forward-thinking mindset with AI adoption, advanced analytics, and evolving healthcare data
  • Able to “connect the dots”, orchestrate and bring technical partners together across various cross-functional teams from DHH

Benefits

  • Medical, Dental & Vision
  • Retirement Benefits
  • 401(k)
  • Paid Holidays
  • Vacation
  • Sick Days
  • Annual Bonus
  • Long-Term Incentive

Company overview

MSD, known as Merck Sharp & Dohme outside the United States and Canada, is a global research-intensive biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. Founded in 1891, the company has established itself as one of the world's leading pharmaceutical corporations with a rich history spanning over 130 years. MSD operates as the international division of Merck & Co., Inc., focusing on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of innovative medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products. The company's extensive portfolio includes groundbreaking treatments in oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, diabetes, and vaccines, with notable products such as Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for cancer immunotherapy, Gardasil for HPV prevention, and Januvia for diabetes management. MSD maintains a strong commitment to research and development, investing significantly in scientific innovation to address unmet medical needs worldwide. With approximately 75,000 employees globally, the company operates through four main segments: pharmaceuticals, animal health, healthcare services, and strategic alliances. MSD's mission centers on using leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world, guided by the principle that medicine is for people, not profits.

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