Associate Director, Process Steward, Material Handling & Distribution - Hybrid
Merck
Summary
Global Clinical Supply (GCS) supports all Phase I-IV clinical programs and is accountable for the delivery of clinical supplies to clinical sites around the world. Business Process Management is an integral part of the clinical supply chain, engaged with the business for the design, assessment, and improvement of the end-to-end processes.
Job description
Global Process Steward is responsible for our Research Division's SAP solution and has global oversight to Process Development in GCS. This role has primary focus in Order to Cash (OTC) and Distribution and Logistics (D&L) functionality for the clinical supply chain and will have dual accountability to the Process Steward Organization and Clinical Supply Operations.
Primary Activities
- Lead the development and implementation of GCS processes that align with GCS short- and long-term objectives
- Act as overall knowledge expert of SAP and Global Business Processes for assigned focus area
- Drive business challenges to resolution with system solutions across our company's Research Division network
- Support Business case (Enhancement Prioritization Management Form) development and Demand Tracker for enhancement requests and prioritization
- Responsible for business process improvements, standardization, drive implementation and training of new processes
- Responsible to build strong SME network and teams
- Ensures integrity of a single global business process, reviews SOPs, and assesses process changes vs system impact
- Contribute to our company's GCS Global Process Steward Network partnering with our Manufacturing Division Global Process Steward and COMET Functional Leads
- Support tier management and escalations for transactional issue resolution
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify process driven opportunities to improve business performance and productivity
- Develop strong, trust based, collaborative relationships to drive change and execute on priorities with a diverse group of stakeholders
Required Education & Experience
- Bachelor's degree required; a degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field is preferred, along with 7+ years of Supply Chain Logistics experience
- 3+ years of hands-on SAP experience, including experience with supply chain modules
- Ability to lead and create future state
- Understand cross work-stream touchpoints within the Supply Chain environment
- Understanding of local systems and transactional familiarity
- Collaborates well across other workstreams or functions
- Prior project management, supply chain, logistics, or operations experience
- Demonstrated ability to develop strong, trust based, collaborative relationships to drive change within a large, diverse organization
- Detail-oriented, curious, motivated, flexible, organized, demonstrated initiative and ability to multi-task and prioritize
- Demonstrated logical thinking to evaluate and solve problems
- Strategic thinking and independent decision-making abilities
- Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, effectively and tactfully to interact with different professional levels and international stakeholders
- Results-orientated with the proven ability to execute on collaborative projects and develop subject matter expertise
Preferred Skills
- Demonstrated expertise in system and business process design, including process analysis, optimization, and solution development, preferably within the pharmaceutical or life sciences industry
- Experience supporting large-scale SAP implementations, including business process deployment, system enhancement initiatives, and/or master data migration activities
- Hands-on experience with business processes
- EWM implementation or working experience
- Cross-Functional Leadership, Drug Development, Risk Management, Sourcing and Procurement
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree required
- Degree in Science, Engineering, or related field preferred
- 7+ years of Supply Chain Logistics experience
- 3+ years of hands-on SAP experience, including supply chain modules
- Ability to lead and create future state
- Understand cross work-stream touchpoints within the Supply Chain environment
- Understanding of local systems and transactional familiarity
- Collaborates well across other workstreams or functions
- Prior project management, supply chain, logistics, or operations experience
- Demonstrated ability to develop strong, trust based, collaborative relationships to drive change within a large, diverse organization
- Detail-oriented, curious, motivated, flexible, organized, demonstrated initiative and ability to multi-task and prioritize
- Demonstrated logical thinking to evaluate and solve problems
- Strategic thinking and independent decision-making abilities
- Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, effectively and tactfully to interact with different professional levels and international stakeholders
- Results-orientated with the proven ability to execute on collaborative projects and develop subject matter expertise
- Adaptability
- Change Management
- Data Analysis
- Process Optimization
- Regulatory Compliance
- Strategic Planning
- Strategic Thinking
- Terminology Management
Benefits
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Retirement Benefits
- 401(k)
- Paid Holidays
- Vacation
- Compassionate & Sick Days
- Annual Bonus
- Long-Term Incentive
Company overview
Merck & Co., Inc., known as Merck in the United States and Canada and MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) internationally, is a premier American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. Founded in 1891 as the U.S. subsidiary of the German Merck Group, the company became independent following World War I and has since grown into one of the world's largest biomedical companies, ranking fourth globally by revenue. Merck operates across three core business segments: pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and animal health products. The company is renowned for its groundbreaking research and development, having brought numerous life-saving medicines to market including Keytruda (pembrolizumab), a leading immunotherapy for cancer treatment that generated $29.5 billion in 2024 revenue, and Gardasil, a revolutionary HPV vaccine. With approximately 75,000 employees worldwide, Merck maintains a robust pipeline of innovative therapies focused on oncology, vaccines, hospital acute care, cardiology, neuroscience, virology, immunology, and diabetes. The company invests heavily in R&D, spending $17.9 billion in 2024 alone, demonstrating its commitment to advancing scientific discovery. Merck's legacy spans over 130 years of bringing hope to humanity through important medicines and vaccines, operating with a purpose to use leading-edge science to save and improve lives globally while fostering an inclusive workforce and responsible business practices.