Associate Director - Web Operations and Design System

Job Description

Role Summary:

The Associate Director, Web Operations and Design System serves as the strategic lead responsible for advancing Web Channel capabilities, the multi-brand design system, and the overall digital experience for U.S. Market Business Units across Healthcare Professional (HCP), Healthcare Consumer (HCC), and AI-driven search audiences. This leader drives the evolution, governance, and adoption of web design systems, ensuring that all web experiences are meaningful, compliant, and optimized for seamless discovery, interpretation, and citation by external AI-driven search engines, large language models (LLMs), and emerging conversational interfaces.

In this role, the leader partners closely with the Digital Engagement Operations team and collaborates cross-functionally with Marketing/Promotion, Digital Execution, IT, Design, and Development teams. They provide deep subject-matter expertise, define customer-centric solutions, and shape guidance with the Legal and Regulatory Team to maintain high-quality, compliant web marketing resources.

As the leader for the US design system, this colleague is empowered to independently manage the roadmap, prioritizing capabilities that enhance user experience and support business objectives. They also steward accessibility and compliance improvements, streamline Legal and Regulatory review cycles, and champion best-in-class standards, processes, and tools for executing web projects. Additionally, this individual leads with a future-forward mindset for how all US Market Human Health web content is structured, governed, and activated with the emergence of new technology and discovery trends.

Key Responsibilities:

Web Strategy & Governance

• Provide vision, oversight, and management of the US HH web User Experience (UX) across consumer and HCP portals.
• Help define and champion the future-state discoverability vision of the Customer Engagement Orchestration team.
• Develop and implement a forward-thinking web strategy for the HCC channel that adapts to the rapidly changing digital ecosystem, leveraging emerging technologies and trends while ensuring alignment with overall business objectives.
• Develop, establish, and maintain comprehensive web channel and design system standards, including templates and detailed technical/business documentation, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and consistency.
• Manage web channel standards materials through multiple rounds of Legal and Regulatory review and approval to drive alignment and standardization across all websites.

Capability Development & Innovation:

• Assess and prioritize new web functionalities, technologies, and industry best practices to enhance customer engagement.
• Lead pilot initiatives for new capabilities and operationalize them for reuse across brands and channels.
• Drive enhancements to US design system components to improve content discoverability and engagement.
• Champion experimentation to validate UX improvements and optimize high-value actions.
• Lead research, prototyping, and testing efforts; analyze web performance data to identify opportunities for improvement. 

Leadership:

• Serve as a trusted Subject Matter Expert (SME), providing strategic guidance and resolving complex challenges across multiple teams and initiatives.
• Own the Jira backlog, facilitate standups, and establish ticketing processes to improve throughput and predictability for both HCC and Platform Development teams.
• Leverage strong strategic thinking and well-structured presentations to influence leadership and cross-functional team decision-making.
• Demonstrate agility by quickly pivoting to address urgent needs, managing competing priorities, and ensuring seamless execution in a dynamic environment.
• Act as a key problem-solver, proactively identifying issues and implementing solutions to maintain alignment and operational efficiency across stakeholders.
• Provide training and education on web channel standards, solutions, and US design system guidelines to internal teams and external partners. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with IT, digital execution teams, creative agencies, and marketing stakeholders to define technical execution and implement process improvements.
• Collaborate with legal, regulatory, and marketing teams to share best practices and standardized design system components.
• Build trusted relationships with legal and regulatory review teams to streamline approvals and reduce cycle times. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required 7+ years of professional experience with 5+ years in digital marketing, web strategy, IT, design systems, or related digital channel fields.
• Proven experience managing a product backlog (e.g., Jira), prioritizing capabilities, and driving digital channel roadmaps.
• Experience with multi-brand design systems (e.g.Figma) and creative/development workflow tools.
• Strong understanding of web usability (UX), accessibility standards (automated scans/manual reviews), and compliance processes in a highly regulated environment.
• Experience applying web discoverability principles, including search engine optimization, AI-driven search, structured content, semantic markup, and content strategies that improve how digital experiences are found, interpreted, and cited.
• Proven track record of cross-functional collaboration partnering with Marketing, IT, Design, Development, and Legal/Regulatory/Compliance teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional influence skills. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience launching and leading new web capabilities and scaling operational improvements.
• Agile experience (e.g., Jira backlog ownership, standups, ticketing processes) strongly preferred.
• Background in HCC and HCP engagement, pharmaceutical marketing, or other regulated industries.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical thinking, and comfort managing competing priorities in a dynamic environment.

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Architect Systems, Atlassian JIRA, Content Creation, Creativity, Cross-Functional Leadership, Customer Engagement, Customer Insights, Design Systems, Digital Consumer Engagement, Digital Marketing, Digital Media, Digital Media Channels, Multidisciplinary Teamwork, Omnichannel Marketing, Operational Efficiency, Pharmaceuticals Marketing, Process Implementations, Process Improvements, Product Launches, Product Management, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engines, Strategic Planning {+ 7 more}

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

11/14/2026

*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.