Job Description

Associate Director, Data Visualization, Japan

The Associate Director, Data Visualization, Japan, within the Human Health Digital Data & Analytics (HHDDA) team is key to driving strategic initiatives in unlocking customer and patient insights to support business objectives. This role lies at the intersection of data-driven visualization insights and commercial strategy, and requires a blend of technical acumen, strong leadership, and exceptional communication skills. Candidates with a strong background in data visualization, project management, and a deep understanding of the pharmaceutical ecosystem will find this role a challenging yet rewarding opportunity. The position emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and the continuous pursuit of knowledge, while driving digital transformation, positioning the candidate as a crucial player in shaping data-driven commercial strategies within the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Requirements Gathering and Data Visualization Analysis:

• Collaborate with diverse stakeholders to identify and document business needs and processes, focusing on the creation and support of a robust Data Visualization capability.
• Conduct interviews and workshops to gather comprehensive information.
• Analyze and prioritize requirements, to ensure alignment with the organization’s goals.
• Utilize an understanding of pharmaceutical data landscapes to inform analytical approaches.

Project Management & Coordination:

• Act as a liaison between business users and technical teams, ensuring smooth communication and project alignment.
• Oversee project timelines, resources, and deliverables to guarantee timely completion.
• Report on Data Visualization project statuses, risks, and issues to stakeholders, utilizing root cause analysis, and providing solutions where necessary.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Serve as a connecting bridge between business stakeholders and delivery teams in the Data Visualization and dashboard development space, ensuring accurate understanding of business requirements and feedback, thereby improving the delivery quality and efficiency, accelerating solution development, and enhancing business engagement.
• Establish and cultivate relationships with stakeholders across various functions, to align on strategy and initiatives, while building the Data Visualization capability.
• Communicate effectively with cross-functional teams to incorporate the latest trends and methodologies in decision-making.

Strategic Development and Ideation:

• Maintain a catalog of dashboard visualizations and use cases and prioritize them to effectively address business questions and opportunities, acting as a subject matter expert and activating expertise across HHDDA to generate/refine ideas.
• Facilitate cross-functional teams, including Global HHDDA team members, in agile delivery of analytical solutions, ensuring scalability and applicability to business needs.
• Enable and drive adoption / change management of HHDDA Advanced Analytics and Data Visualization solutions, by fostering local advocacy, cultivating relationships, and establishing credibility, while closely partnering with Japan business stakeholders.
• Advocate adoption of Advanced Analytics solutions, fostering relationships and credibility with local teams.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Background:

• A bachelor’s degree in a related discipline is mandatory, with a preference for an MBA or a master’s degree in fields like Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or Computer Science.

Industry Experience:

• Minimum of 8+ years’ experience in delivering complex visualization, analytical projects within the pharmaceutical industry, or at a management consulting firm.
• Minimum of 6+ years’ experience in applied Data and Analytics fields (e.g., Data Science), including familiarity with data visualization and storytelling.

Technical and Analytical Skills:

• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical business processes, market trends, and the commercial value chain.
• Proven ability to translate complex business requirements into analytical problems that Data Visualization solutions can be tackle.
• Experience with Power BI (preferred), Qlik Sense, or other data visualization and dashboard development technologies and solutions, including knowledge of best practices, scalability, benefits, and challenges.

Leadership and Communication:

• Demonstrated leadership abilities to influence cross-functional agile teams.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to manage relationships and collaborate effectively in a matrixed environment.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to engage with diverse business stakeholders and team members in Japan, India, the Asia Pacific region, Europe, and the US.

Language proficiency:

• Native-level reading, writing, and speaking proficiency in Japanese, to create, review materials, and communicate with the local team.
• Business-level of proficiency in English, to communicate in writing and verbally with global and local stakeholders and colleagues.

Organizational Acumen:

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize work efficiently in a complex environment.

Ideal Candidate Attributes

Entrepreneurial Spirit and Consultative Mindset:

• A proactive approach to solving business challenges by identifying and utilizing novel data sources.
• Intellectual curiosity and ability to identify innovative approaches to addressing business needs and pain points.
• Excellent presentation, analytics, and communication skills, both written and oral, are required, to synthesize key issues and communicate/persuade constituencies towards specific actions and initiatives.
• Ability to attain “trusted advisor” status with key stakeholders and business partners.

Growth Mindset and Continuous Learning:

• A commitment to staying updated with industry trends and methodologies, fostering an environment of learning and growth within the team.

Strong Communication Skills:

• The ability to articulate complex analytical insights and business strategies to non-technical stakeholders effectively.
• Proven potential to effectively collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders, with Global experience being a plus.

Agility in Leadership:

• The ability to lead agile teams and navigate dynamics within a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Ability to operate in a dynamic, transforming environment.

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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):

Required Skills:

Business Intelligence (BI), Data Visualization, Requirements Management, User Experience (UX) Design

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

07/31/2025

*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.