Associate Director - Technical Product Management

Job Description

At our company, we are dedicated to using the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. Our Information Technology team is a vital partner in this mission, acting as a force for innovation with AI adoption that enables new capabilities and drives our business forward. We are a global, collaborative team delivering solutions that empower our colleagues and accelerate the delivery of life-changing therapies to our patients.

We are looking for an experienced Technical Product Manager to join our Information Technology (IT) team to support the software products for capabilities like Planning and Workflow across Clinical Trial Operations, Regulatory, Safety and Medical Affairs. In this role, you will be a key player in shaping the digital solutions strategy that optimizes how we plan and execute clinical trials and regulatory submissions with AI adoption. This role will also function as people Manager coaching and guiding junior Product Managers on the vision, strategy, and execution of the product roadmap.

This position will take a leadership role in the development and implementation of technologies with focus on AI adoption. The Product Manager must possess a broad base of skills and knowledge spanning digital technology, strategy and business planning, prioritization, user experience design, engineering, and agile/lean development practices. They must possess an entrepreneurial drive to develop new product features while managing stakeholders’ needs and timeframes to broker complex relationships that evolve into real solutions. The ultimate success of a Product Manager hinges on their ability to guide their peers and direct reports while influencing the decision-makers.

This position will report to the Product Line Lead, and work side by side with other Product Managers, Product Line Leads, Business Technology Partners, Engineers, Architects, Finance, Enterprise IT, and multiple Business Stakeholders across the hierarchy, and be accountable to translate complex business needs into elegant, high-impact product solutions for our patients, partners, and end-users.

Responsibilities

• Work with cross-functional IT and business teams to develop and implement strategies related to Planning and workflow that meets the Book of Business, Clinical Operations, Regulatory and Medical Affairs requirements ensuring quality and compliance.
• Analyze business problems and translate requirements into clear and actionable product backlog.  Incorporate input from Business and other stakeholders to ensure alignment with strategic goals.
• Lead continuous discovery activities (user research, interviews, surveys, usability testing) in partnership with UX/Design, and Business stakeholders to validate assumptions, create Business cases and inform product decisions.
• Define and communicate product vision, product model principles and strategy that maximize value and drive measurable outcomes.    
• Work with your product team to maintain and prioritize a backlog that aligns with our strategic goals, ensuring we are always focused on the most impactful work.
• Partner with squad members including technical lead(s) engineers, business owners and architectures  to refine, scope, and deliver high-quality product features through Agile methodologies, automated testing and Digital SDLC.
• Provide an escalation point for delivery issues or deconflicting dependencies that affect multiple teams across products.
• Establish, track, and monitor AI adoption, Throughput and Value Realization metrics linked to Value Team Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).
• Measure and manage the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), including vendor negotiations, making informed decisions to optimize TCO, and leading prioritization discussions to meet budget and business goals.
• Manage, lead and develop IT team members, including performance management, career development, goal setting, and regular feedback.

Experience and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Life Science.
• 8+ years of relevant work experience in IT or Pharma, with at least 3+ years of demonstrated Product Management experience using Agile methodologies along with leadership experience.
• A passion for leveraging AI to enhance productivity and solve problems in your daily work.
• Possess the essence of a Product Mindset - discovery, creating delightful user experiences, and ensuring strong engineering execution.
• Leadership and management skills, with proven abilities to set direction, lead and motivate team members.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with an innate ability to build trust and rapport with cross-functional teams in a global environment.
• Self-motivated, curious, and collaborative; able to foster an inclusive team culture across a global organization. 

Preferred Qualifications·      

• Experience working in a regulated industry, such as pharmaceuticals, Biotech, supporting business domain area like Clinical Operations, Regulatory or Medical Affairs, Planning and Supply chain, Discovery and Research.
• Demonstrable experience in building and supporting large scale IT solutions using modern technologies. Experience working in a GXP environment and familiar with 21 CFR Part 11, ICH-GCP guidelines.
• Experience defining success metrics and continuously measuring and reporting progress against these metrics.
• Knowledgeable in one or more areas of cloud data lake/lakehouse, data integrations, automation, Veeva workbench, and master data management.

Required Skills:

Agile Product Development, Agile Project Management, AI Adoption, Asset Management, Code of Federal Regulations, Engineering Principle, Leadership, Management System Development, Medical Affairs, People Management, Product Management, Product Roadmap, Salesforce Data Cloud, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Veeva

Preferred Skills:

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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:

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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.

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The primary location for this posting is:

USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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:

11/27/2026

*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.