Job Description

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Associate Director, Legal & Compliance – Australia and New Zealand shall have the primary responsibility to advise on and protect the legal interests and compliance standards of all business divisions and functions across Australia and New Zealand , supporting the Director, Legal & Compliance. The position will be based in Macquarie Park, Sydney, Australia.

The successful candidate will handle legal and compliance matters arising from businesses in the Markets or as designated by and under the supervision of the Director, Legal & Compliance. In addition, as a member of the Asia Pacific Legal and Compliance team, the successful candidate needs to work closely with the Human Health Business Practice Officers (“BPOs”) in the Markets, as well as other members of the Asia Pacific Legal and Compliance team, colleagues from the Offices of General Counsel, external counsel and relevant headquarters and subsidiary staff and functional groups, as needed.

What will you do in this role:

Primary scope of work includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Supporting the legal and compliance needs of all key stakeholders in the relevant areas of law which may include but is not limited to privacy, anti-corruption/anti-bribery, fair competition, and trade practice legislations, etc. as well as policies, compliance standards and local industry guidelines. In particular:

• Commercial and Contractual Matters

  • Advise on day-to-day commercial transactions and business undertakings

  • Advise on business development, marketing and business initiatives, government reimbursement issues, review and draft/negotiate related agreements including procurement agreements

  • Advise on both human health businesses as well as animal health biopharma and technology businesses, from research and development through product commercialization

  • Advise on commercial/corporate and negotiate with external parties on behalf of the company, where needed or appropriate

  • Advise on innovative solutions with a particular interest in patient programs, digital, technology and data-analytics

• Regulatory Requirements

  • Monitor changes and developments in the legal and regulatory environment within which the businesses operate, advise local management and develop appropriate strategies

  • Provide advice and legal support, as needed and in collaboration with regulatory affairs, on application and maintenance of all authorizations, permits and licenses needed for local operations, including importation, listing/reimbursement and marketing of products, conducting clinical trials, handling adverse experience incidents and implementing product recalls where needed

  • Support the company in interactions with regulatory and other relevant government agencies on legal and compliance issues and development of appropriate strategies for resolution of issues

• Promotional Review

  • Provide internal legal review as part of our medical-legal process for promotional materials according to local laws, policies and standards

  • Collaborate with Medical and business colleagues in initiating and/or responding to regulatory/competitor challenges on promotional practices

• Business Standards & Compliance

  • Develop, monitor and implement compliance and risk management strategies and processes, and work with divisional compliance and local BPOs and management.

  • Where appropriate, conduct legal & compliance training; monitor and resolve legal & compliance issues, work with local management to formulate and implement appropriate local business standards and procedures consistent with local laws, US laws (including the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)), industry standards (including local pharmaceutical industry Codes of Conduct and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IFPMA) Code of Marketing Practices) and corporate policies.

• Disputes/Litigation

  • Support the initiation, defence, negotiation, settlement and management of litigation, disputes and actions arising from business operations, including contractual, IP, adverse reaction/clinical trial claims, compliance and regulatory challenges, in collaboration/consultation with regional legal team and other legal colleagues from headquarters or other divisions as appropriate

• Intellectual Property

  • Support company headquarters IP attorneys to coordinate with local external counsel as needed on local trademark and patent filings and collect and disseminate intellectual property information for local management

  • Provide advice on local strategies and counteractions in relation to local IP infringement and enforcement actions, in collaboration with the global IP attorneys

• Internal investigations

  • Participate in internal investigations remediation team and provide legal and compliance perspectives, as appropriate

• Others

  • Conduct internal investigations, where necessary, in collaboration with Global Investigations, Human Resources and Global Security Group, and coordinate with Corporate Audit, local management and Finance/HR groups in taking practical and appropriate remediation actions as needed

  • Additional responsibilities and projects may be assigned by the Director, Legal & Compliance on an ad-hoc basis

• Collaborating and instructing external counsel where needed and to provide inputs and oversight of the work done by external counsels

• We are dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their unique perspectives. All team members are expected to actively support our DE&I principles by demonstrating respect, fostering inclusion, addressing barriers to equity, and engaging in DE&I initiatives.

• Ensure consistent adherence to company corporate policies, values and standards, and applicable laws and regulations.

• Ensure timely and detailed compliance handover when transitioning roles or responsibilities to maintain continuity and uphold compliance standards.

What should you have:

Qualifications

• A degree in law or the equivalent

• Admitted to practice law in Australia; Additional bar admission in New Zealand would be advantageous

• 7-9 years of post-admission experience

Skillsets

• Strong language proficiency in English

• Ability to manage the Markets largely independently of management supervision

• Ability to quickly distil and effectively communicate corporate (HQ) cascaded compliance positions and policies to the local markets.

• Ability to identify legal/compliance risks with business opportunities and provide counsel to local market leadership on such risks

• Ability to appropriately challenge the status quo whilst understanding the fundamental legal & compliance principles and our company’s standards at the enterprise level

• Ability to provide practical and commercially focused solutions whilst consistently applying a high standard of integrity, professionalism, legal knowledge, and business ethics in line with the company’s policies, values and standards

• Ability to understand and balance local market needs with enterprise level principles and direction

• A positive personality and ability to thrive and make sound judgement and decisions in a fast-changing, pressurizing and highly regulated environment

• Proactive and responsive

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Knowledge & Experience

The following experience is required:

• In-house legal and compliance experience in a multinational organization in Australia and/or New Zealand; and/or

• In-house legal and compliance experience in a pharmaceutical company or other highly regulated industries (e.g. biochemicals, medical devices industry) in Australia and/or New Zealand; and/or

• Commercial practice experience in a law firm in Australia and/or New Zealand

Who we are:

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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:

Administrative Law, Administrative Law, Business, Business Compliance, Business Opportunities, Cite Checking, Clinical Testing, Confidentiality, Contract Administration, Corporate Ethics, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Detail-Oriented, Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Law, Intellectual Property Management, Internal Investigations, Language Assessments, Legal Documents Preparation, Legal Research, Litigation, Litigation Law, Litigation Management, Management Process, Negotiation, Pharmaceutical Regulatory Compliance {+ 5 more}

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

09/22/2025

*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.