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Executive Director, Global Oncology Marketing, Breast Cancer

Merck

Rahway, NJ; Upper Gwynedd, PAHybridPosted 1 day ago$255,800.00 - $402,700.00
Full TimeDirector & AboveCommercial & Pharma SalesPharmaceutical
Original posting ↗

Summary

Within Human Health, our Global Oncology organization is currently recruiting for an Executive Director, Global Oncology – Breast Cancer, within Women’s Cancers, reporting to the Vice President, Women’s Cancers, sac-TMT and Early Commercial team. This role is for a strategic leader with an enterprise mindset who is a self-starter, enjoys solving complex and strategic issues/topics, can effectively engage senior internal stakeholders, and thrives on leading and influencing broadly across the organization to drive positive, tangible outcomes across the Breast cancer portfolio.

Job description

Primary Responsibilities

The Executive Director, Global Oncology – Breast Cancer will be responsible for defining and executing the global commercial strategy for our Breast cancer portfolio, while partnering across Women’s Cancers to drive shared priorities, insights, and best practices.

Set and lead the global Breast Cancer strategy

  • Define the end-to-end global commercial strategy for current and future Breast cancer indications, ensuring it is aligned with and contributes to the broader Women’s Cancers strategy.
  • Translate scientific innovation and clinical data into clear, differentiated value propositions and strategic frameworks for Breast cancer, including Market Overviews and Assessments, Target Product Profiles, and Forecasts.
  • Ensure strategies are informed by robust insights into customers, competitors, and the evolving standard of care across key Breast cancer subtypes.

Provide strategic partnership to various asset teams on development and commercialization strategies

  • Steer the development and delivery of global sales forecast guidance for Breast cancer indications in collaboration with Asset Teams, Forecasting and Finance.
  • Drive cross-functional and cross-regional alignment on key planning assumptions.
  • Partner across Women’s Cancers with leaders of Gyn cancer portfolios to share insights and best practices, align on common customers, shared platforms and priorities, and coordinate resources and launch timing.
  • Partner closely with key functions, including Global Market Access, Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Development, HEOR, Manufacturing, IP/Legal, Competitive Intelligence, and Finance to build integrated Breast cancer strategies and execution plans.
  • Collaborate with Regional and Local Marketing Organizations to ensure local market needs and insights shape global Breast cancer strategy and to support in-market execution.
  • Represent the commercial Breast cancer perspective in key internal governance forums and cross-functional asset/tumor teams, and contribute to Women’s Cancers-level discussions.
  • Contribute to portfolio and business development discussions related to Breast cancer and Women’s Cancers, including assessment of external business development opportunities.
  • Identify and drive impactful disease level initiatives that support the achievement of goals across the Breast cancer portfolio, and collaborate on initiatives that benefit the wider Women’s Cancers franchise (e.g., biomarker testing, early detection/screening initiatives).

Lead and develop a high-performing team

  • Provide leadership/line management to a team of global marketers and/or tumor leads supporting the Breast cancer portfolio.
  • Build and develop core commercial competencies and oncology expertise across the team, fostering talent development and succession planning.
  • Champion our ways of working and drive a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation within the team and across Women’s Cancers.
  • Manage ad hoc strategic and operational issues related to the Breast cancer portfolio, including access, supply, competitive response, and policy/environmental changes.
  • Ensure timely communication and alignment with senior leaders on key risks, opportunities, and performance drivers within the Breast cancer business and its interdependencies across Women’s Cancers.

Key Leadership Competencies

  • A dynamic executive with significant business acumen and demonstrated leadership in oncology and/or specialty pharmaceutical markets.
  • Proven ability to articulate a compelling vision and direction for a complex, global tumor area and to translate that vision into clear strategies and execution plans.
  • Inspirational and motivational personal leadership qualities that inspire trust, respect, credibility, and confidence of peers, colleagues, and external partners.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead teams through ambiguity and organizational change, with a willingness to challenge the status quo.
  • Strong collaboration skills and ability to influence without direct authority across geographies, cultures, functions, and peer tumor teams within Women’s Cancers.
  • Action- and solution-oriented approach with a strong sense of accountability for business outcomes.

Education

Required: Bachelor’s Degree. Preferred: MD, MSc, PhD, MBA or other advanced degree in life sciences, business, or related field.

Required Experience and Skills

  • Minimum of 12 years experience in Pharmaceutical or Life Science commercial roles (e.g., marketing, access, insights, portfolio/brand management).
  • Of the 12 years above, at least 2 years must be in marketing roles, with an emphasis on global marketing and on complex scientific therapeutic areas and/or highly competitive markets.
  • Demonstrated experience in leading strategy development, portfolio/brand planning, and execution in a complex, highly regulated environment.
  • Team leadership experience, including direct line management and/or leadership of cross-functional teams.
  • Strong understanding of pharmaceutical market dynamics around the world, including the U.S. and key developed and emerging markets.
  • Proven ability to effectively communicate complex scientific and business concepts, including to Senior Leadership.
  • Strong problem-solving skills, analytical capability, and financial acumen (forecasting, business cases, investment decisions).
  • Demonstrated track record of working effectively with cross-functional partners and creating alignment around strategic choices.

Preferred Experience and Skills

  • Previous experience in Oncology (esp. Breast cancer, Gyn cancers), or related solid tumors.
  • Experience with launch planning and execution for global assets (e.g., indication launches, label expansions).
  • Experience in an advanced operating role in market.
  • Experience working across multiple regions and cultures; secondary language(s) is a plus.

Travel and Location

Travel up to 25% (including some international travel and occasional weekends, as business needs require). Location: Rahway, NJ or Upper Gwynedd, PA (hybrid work model).

Requirements

  • Minimum of 12 years experience in Pharmaceutical or Life Science commercial roles
  • At least 2 years in marketing roles with emphasis on global marketing
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Demonstrated experience in leading strategy development, portfolio/brand planning, and execution in a complex, highly regulated environment
  • Team leadership experience, including direct line management and/or leadership of cross-functional teams
  • Strong understanding of pharmaceutical market dynamics around the world
  • Proven ability to effectively communicate complex scientific and business concepts to Senior Leadership
  • Strong problem-solving skills, analytical capability, and financial acumen
  • Demonstrated track record of working effectively with cross-functional partners

Benefits

  • Medical, Dental & Vision
  • 401(k) Matching
  • Retirement Benefits
  • 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.

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