Job Description

Our US Ophthalmology team is committed to transforming the lives of patients living with diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) with a portfolio of two products in the pipeline. We aspire to achieve this through a relentless commitment to patients, innovation, ensuring access to life‑changing therapies, and collaborating with healthcare systems, governments, and payers to make treatments available to those who need them most. Our focus is on patients, scientific rigor, and flawless execution—bringing breakthrough therapies to those who need them.

We are passionate about bringing our medicines and vaccines to customers around the world. This is a terrific opportunity for a highly motivated individual to serve as a key team member on the US Ophthalmology marketing team and contribute to our scientific strategic development and key tactics for medical education. The ideal candidate for this role has a demonstrated record of strong strategic thinking, the ability to comprehend and translate complex scientific and clinical data, and a history of delivering results while working cross‑functionally and leading without authority.

As an Associate Director in this role, you will work with the Scientific Strategy Director of Marketing to help shape and manage the execution of key scientific and medical education initiatives. This role supports the development and implementation of the integrated congress plans and educational programs that align and advance the scientific and clinical understanding of retinal diseases, including DME and nAMD, as well as related therapies. The role works cross-functionally with Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Global Medical Communications, Commercial, and external stakeholders to ensure effective scientific exchange, thought leadership presence, and education execution.

This position will report into the Director, Scientific Strategy.

Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the end-to-end planning, coordination, and execution of ophthalmology congress activities, ensuring alignment with marketing and scientific priorities.

• Translate scientific strategy into operational congress plans, including product theater, booth design, scientific engagement activities, and stakeholder interactions.

• Guide logistical planning and vendor coordination to support pre-, during-, and post-congress deliverables, ensuring scientific quality, compliance, and execution excellence.

• Execute medical education initiatives aligned with the Ophthalmology scientific strategy, including branded and unbranded medical education (IME) programs for various scientific exchange platforms.

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to identify unmet educational needs and deliver high-quality, evidence-based educational content.

• Engage external scientific experts, KOLs, and medical societies to ensure relevance, credibility, and excellence of educational deliverables.

• Define and monitor congress and medical education KPIs and success metrics with robust post-event analysis to inform future strategy and maximize impact.

• Serve as a strategic partner to Scientific Strategy leadership, providing input on congress and integrated medical education needs and prioritization.

• Collaborate with key stakeholders across the enterprise including Medical Affairs, Outcomes Research, Global Marketing, Clinical, Regulatory, Communications, Legal/Compliance to ensure cohesive, data-driven communication objectives and operational plans.

• As a member of the US Pharma Ophthalmology marketing team, partner with fellow colleagues to invest in each other’s development, build a culture of inclusivity, psychological safety, transparency and stretch our collective team’s thinking by challenging the status quo for the purpose of creating stronger outcomes.

Education:

• Required: Bachelor’s Degree

• Preferred: Advanced degrees (MBA, MS, PhD, PharmD)

Requirements:

• Industry Expertise: Minimum 5+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotech; ophthalmology, retina, or specialty biologics preferred.

• Scientific Acumen: Ability to understand complex medical science and translate it into clear, compelling communications.

• Leadership: Strong people leadership and the ability to influence without direct authority.

• Strategic & Innovative Thinking: Demonstrated strategic thinking, problem‑solving, analytical skills, and the ability to convert complex data into actionable strategies; leverages innovation to drive impact.

• Collaboration & Influence: Proven success working in matrixed environments and partnering effectively with cross‑functional teams to achieve shared objectives.

• Executional Excellence: Strong operational and project management capabilities with a focus on delivering a positive customer experience.

• Product Launch Experience: Prior launch experience preferred.

• Analytics: Ability to interpret data analytics and customer/market insights to inform business decisions.

• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication demonstrated through strategy development, business case creation, customer engagement, and/or sales presentations.

• Compliance: Solid understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements in the biopharmaceutical industry.

• Healthcare Ecosystem Knowledge: Familiarity with the broader healthcare landscape and stakeholder dynamics.

• Growth Mindset & Agility: Embraces learning, collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.

• Integrity & Ethics: Demonstrates a high level of professionalism, integrity, and ethical judgment.

Preferred experience and skills:

• Ophthalmology marketing specific experience.

• Ophthalmology product launch experience.

• Medical education development.

• Experience building relationships with external customers.

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

• Budget, Agency and vendor management.

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Agile Methodology, Collaborative Development, Decision Making, Marketing, Marketing Budget Management, Marketing Strategy Implementation, Market Research, Ophthalmology, Scientific Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, 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:

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

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

NA

Job Posting End Date:

03/28/2026

*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.