Associate Director, Marketing

Job Description

Job Summary:

We are seeking an Associate Director, U.S. Marketing, Crohn’s Disease HCP Strategy, to help shape the foundational launch strategy for a high-priority opportunity in a highly competitive and evolving marketplace. This highly visible role offers the opportunity to influence how we establish ourselves in Crohn’s disease, define meaningful engagement with HCPs, and enable launch readiness. The ideal candidate will be a strategic, data-driven marketer who thrives in ambiguity, brings strong problem-solving skills, collaborates effectively across functions, and acts with urgency to advance critical business priorities. This role will report to the Director of CD Marketing and work closely with global and cross-functional partners.

Key responsibilities include:  

• Shape foundational HCP strategy for Crohn’s disease, leveraging the L3 marketing framework, primary market research, digital insights, and data analytics to inform launch-critical strategic choices.

• Lead development of launch-ready promotional resources, including strategic design, development, and end-to-end OPDP submission, to enable impactful HCP engagement at launch.

• Lead development of HCP sampling strategy to support appropriate product experience, customer education, and launch execution.

• Drive alignment with Field Strategy & Execution to translate strategic imperatives into field-ready priorities, resources, and executional guidance.

• Partner closely with the Consumer Strategy Team to ensure HCP insights inform consumer activation planning and create a cohesive customer experience across audiences.

• Collaborate across Immunology Customer Agile Teams to drive brand cohesion, align on key decisions, and ensure a coordinated approach to launch readiness.

• Manage the HCP budget and trimester planning process to ensure resources are aligned to the highest-impact launch priorities.

Education:  

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS).

Requirements:  

• A minimum of 5 years’ healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related industry experience, including strategic marketing, brand management, or customer strategy.

• Demonstrated experience developing and executing HCP promotional resources and tactics.

• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, analytical, and planning skills, with the ability to translate market insights, customer understanding, and data analytics into clear action.

• Proven cross-functional leadership and project management skills, including the ability to influence without direct authority, operationalize priorities, and navigate complex, matrixed organizations with urgency and focus.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and cross-functional stakeholder engagement skills.

• Understanding of omnichannel marketing, including digital and non-digital customer engagement channels.

• Demonstrates high integrity, business agility, and a growth mindset.

Preferred Skills:  

• Product launch experience in a highly competitive or crowded therapeutic market.

• Experience in Gastroenterology, Immunology, or Specialty Biologics.

• Awareness and understanding of U.S. commercial and regulatory requirements, including promotional review processes.

• Agency partnership and vendor management experience.

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.

This is a hybrid role based in Upper Gwynedd, PA, with an expectation of working on-site three days per week. 

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Advertising Campaign Development, Agile Methodology, Creative Campaign Development, Decision Making, Digital Analytics, Marketing Budget Management, Marketing Strategy Implementation, Market Research, People Leadership, Pharmaceutical Industry, Pricing Strategies, Principles of Marketing, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Strategic Thinking

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

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

09/24/2026

*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.