Executive Director, Intelligence Operations Center

Job Description

As a critical leadership role within the broader Resiliency Center, the Executive Director of the Intelligence Operations Center (IOC) will lead our Company’s global security intelligence strategy, serving as the central authority for threat forecasting, strategic analysis, and risk mitigation. This visionary leader will build and oversee a comprehensive, world-class intelligence program encompassing geopolitical threats, insider risk, protective intelligence, and embedded intelligence functions.

By establishing rigorous analytical standards and fostering deep collaboration across all business units, the successful candidate will empower our Company to navigate a complex global landscape safely, transforming raw data into actionable, strategic insights that protect our people and assets.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build, direct, and scale a comprehensive Intelligence Operations Center within the Resiliency Center, overseeing geopolitical threat analysis, protective intelligence, and enterprise-wide embedded security intelligence programs.

• Lead the strategic design and execution of our Company’s insider risk program, partnering collaboratively with legal, human resources, and cybersecurity to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate internal threats.

• Establish and enforce rigorous analytical standards and intelligence tradecraft across all products, ensuring the delivery of high-fidelity, actionable insights to executive leadership and key stakeholders.

• Forge deep, cross-functional partnerships across all areas of the business to ensure security intelligence functions are seamlessly integrated and directly enable safe, uninterrupted global operations.

• Direct the development of strategic forecasting and threat horizon assessments, providing senior management with early warnings on geopolitical, physical security, and operational developments that could impact our Company.

• Oversee the evaluation and integration of advanced intelligence platforms, AI-driven analytics, and data aggregation tools to modernize and scale the center’s capabilities.

• Perform other duties as assigned or as required based on the evolving needs of our Company.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., International Relations, Security Studies, Intelligence) preferred

Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 10 years of leadership experience directing intelligence operations, strategic analysis, or risk management programs within a multinational corporation, government, or relevant intelligence agency.

• Deep subject matter expertise across multiple security intelligence domains, specifically insider risk, geopolitical threat analysis, and protective intelligence.

• Exceptional enterprise leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the proven ability to influence, collaborate, and build trust seamlessly across global business units.

• Outstanding communication skills, capable of distilling complex global threat landscapes into clear, strategic recommendations.

• Strong familiarity with modern intelligence technology stacks, including Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), data visualization, and AI-enabled analytical platforms.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Demonstrated track record of building and maturing comprehensive intelligence programs from the ground up.

• Experience briefing C-suite executives and board-level audiences.

Operational Requirements:

• Willingness and ability to work flexible hours to manage a global intelligence function.

• Able to travel globally as required.

Required Skills:

Alarm Management, Alarm Management, Clinical Judgment, Contingency Planning, Contract Management, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Strategies, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Data Breach Response, Detail-Oriented, Emotional Resilience, Empathy, Enterprise Leadership, Executive Leadership, Financial Acumen, Innovation, Insider Threat Mitigation, Intelligence Analysis, Intelligence Collection, Intelligence Operations, Interpersonal Relationships, Investigation Techniques, Open Source Intelligence, Project Risk Assessments, Property Maintenance {+ 10 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:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is

$210,400.00 - $331,100.00

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

09/11/2026

*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.