Associate Director, Discovery Portfolio Management (Hybrid)
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Associate Director, Discovery Portfolio Management, GPAM (P4)
Global Project and Alliance Management (GPAM) sits in the R&D organization in our Research & Development Division. The Project Managers and Alliance Managers in GPAM are core members of discovery, development, and alliance teams. Project Managers drive these cross-functional teams to deliver projects and products that improve human health and our Company's business, and Alliance Managers ensure successful collaborations with our R&D alliance partners. The GPAM Project Management Office (PMO) is responsible for the development, sustainment, and training of GPAM-owned systems, tools, and business processes as well as alignment with Finance, IT, and functional area operations groups within our Company.
Position Description/Summary
The Associate Director, Discovery Portfolio Management, is a core functional area member of Project and Leadership teams in Discovery and Early Development. Partnering with Therapeutic Area and functional area leadership, the Associate Director, Discovery Portfolio Management will help plan and execute our Company’s discovery, preclinical, translational pharmacology, development, and in-line portfolio efforts for early-stage assets. Portfolio managers are strategic partners to the Project Leads, Therapeutic Area (TA) Leads and Committee Chairs and may manage multiple cross-functional and/or cross-divisional committees.
The Associate Director, Discovery Portfolio Management, leads portfolio-level planning, governance support, annual business planning and prioritization processes to ensure that early R&D programs are aligned with broader pipeline objectives. They are expected to work cross-functionally to drive data-driven decision-making and shape the future of our Research & Development Division's early portfolio. They are also expected to contribute to ongoing business process improvement and talent development in GPAM.
Specific responsibilities may include:
Leading portfolio management activities for early-stage R&D programs (discovery through IND/Ph1) including maintaining the portfolio view for the breadth of projects within the TA, including timing and anticipated milestones, in partnership with the TA Lead and Discovery Team Leads
Contributing to, synthesizing, and articulating portfolio strategy and translating it into execution
Preparing regular reports and presentations for senior management/governance committees/leadership committees.
Capturing and communicating various metrics on the portfolio, including resources, project distribution across sites, phases of development, etc.
Providing organizational and process expertise to teams to enable navigation of discovery, development, and corporate governance and business requirements.
Collaborating effectively with functional areas, support functions, and alliance partner functions (if applicable) to facilitate project/portfolio delivery.
Managing or administrating strategic, cross-functional or cross-divisional management, governance, or alliance committees
Preparing for, facilitating, and documenting outcomes of TA leadership team meetings, ensuring meetings have clear purpose and objectives and that conflict is surfaced and resolved.
Providing mentoring, coaching, and oversight to Specialist/Senior Specialist project/Portfolio Managers working on common projects
Actively participating and completing ongoing training and personal development activities to increase leadership competency and to gain knowledge and skill in the discipline of project management and the business and science of pharmaceutical product discovery and development.
Partnering with Finance to ensure resource/budget planning and management.
Collaborating with IT and PMO colleagues to maintain portfolio tools, dashboards, and reporting systems.
Identifying and implementing best practices in portfolio management and governance, to drive process improvements and operational efficiencies.
Education Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in a scientific or applied discipline strongly preferred
Advanced degree preferred (MS, PhD, MBA)
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Education, Experience, and Skill Requirements:
Minimum of five (5) years of experience in project or portfolio management or a related role required.
Demonstrated leadership and ethics; demonstrated ability to hold others accountable for delivery
Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team setting, including demonstrated experience building and leading teams, committees, task forces, etc.
Strong collaboration and problem-solving skills; able to establish good working relationships with employees at all levels, resolve conflict and provide feedback, and to devise and implement creative solutions to problems
Strong communication skills, both oral and written; demonstrated ability to speak up appropriately and to raise issues to teams and management
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry strongly preferred, specifically in the phases of discovery, preclinical and/or early development.
Project management certification (PMP), Portfolio management certification (PfMP) and/or formal coursework/training in project or portfolio management
Travel:
5-10% of the time
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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
$139,600.00 - $219,700.00 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
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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:
Not Indicated Valid Driving License:
No Hazardous Material(s):
n/a Required Skills:
Adaptability, Adaptability, Biopharmaceutical Industry, Business Management, Business Planning, Business Planning and Control System (BPCS), Business Processes, Business Process Improvements, Business Process Management (BPM), Change Management, Clinical Research, Corporate Governance, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Dashboard Reporting, Data Analysis, Data-Driven Decision Making, Drug Development, Management Process, Multiple Therapeutic Areas, Portfolio Management, Process Optimization, Project Management, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Publications Management, Regulatory Compliance {+ 5 more} Preferred Skills:
Job Posting End Date:
08/22/2025 *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.
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Remote working/work at home options are available for this role.
- Location:
- Boston, MA, Hybrid
- Salary:
- $200
- Category:
- Management And Consultancy