Associate Vice President

Job Description

Our company is dedicated to delivering innovations that extend and improve the lives of people worldwide. We are committed to supporting accessibility to medicine, providing new therapeutic options, and collaborating with governments and payers to help people who need our medicines and vaccines gain access to them. We focus on innovation, translating breakthrough science into innovative medicines, and launch execution excellence, to help people globally. We are currently recruiting for an Associate Vice President (AVP), Commercial Leader for our U.S. Ophthalmology Franchise.

For more than 135 years, our company has been committed to scientific research and discovery (R&D) in ophthalmology. Today, we are developing innovative treatments designed to help people manage and treat eye conditions, with the goal of reducing the growing burden of eye diseases worldwide. We remain committed to working hand-in-hand with ophthalmology community to address the complex challenges that impede progress toward improving eye health.

Our ophthalmology portfolio has been significantly strengthened by the recent acquisition of EyeBio. One of our key products is currently in Phase 2b/3 clinical trials for the treatment of diabetic macular edema. The product aims to provide a new, potentially first-in-class therapeutic option for patients suffering from serious retinal diseases, including diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration, or wet-AMD. Additional pipeline candidates include clinical and preclinical assets being developed for the prevention and treatment of vision loss associated with retinal vascular leakage, a known risk factor for retinal diseases.

Reporting directly to the Head of US Pharma Business, the AVP, Commercial Leader Ophthalmology will be accountable for building the U.S. ophthalmology organization and capabilities required to maximize launches, setting and executing the business strategy, and building strong relationships with key stakeholders in the retinal disease field. This is an exciting opportunity to help patients and make a significant impact on our company's efforts to bring critical, innovative products that can help improve the lives of people living with certain eye conditions. The portfolio has the potential to deliver substantial commercial opportunity in an area with significant unmet need.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Define optimal organization structure and roles for the US ophthalmology organization to support portfolio development and pipeline opportunities.
• Lead and build a team of high-performing professionals across marketing, sales and other customer facing and HQ based functions that will serve as the core Ophthalmology commercial team.
• Drive launch readiness and commercialization of new ophthalmology treatments across U.S. market
• Work with market access and pricing teams to develop and implement U.S. market pricing and contracting strategies to achieve access objectives 
• Achieve financial objectives, monitoring performance, and ensuring the Ophthalmology Business operates within allocated resources and profitability targets 
• Identify and evaluate potential business opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations to expand the Ophthalmology Business portfolio and ensure a competitive advantage.
• Collaborate with Global Marketing team to ensure US market needs are reflected in development and commercialization decisions
• Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and opinion leaders, to enhance the company's reputation and market presence.
• Implement key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to assess the performance, market penetration, and financial success for product launches, and take corrective actions as needed.
• Ensure adherence to all applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of products.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to team members, ensuring access to professional development opportunities. Promote a high-performing team and an inclusive culture by setting expectations and fostering a positive work environment.

Education:

• Required: Bachelor's Degree
• Preferred: Advanced Degree (e.g., Master’s Degree in Business Administration)

    
Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum 10 years combined marketing, sales, market access & pricing, marketing support, or related experiences in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries.
• U.S. Market experience 
• Experience leading strategy development and implementation.
• Strong business acumen.
• P&L management and responsibility
• Strong collaboration and influence skills, both within commercial teams and across divisional teams. Ability to drive cross-functional initiatives forward
• Ability to clearly articulate messages/ information across the enterprise and to senior leadership.
• Ability to work within complex organizations and markets, leading sub-teams and influencing without authority.
• People management experience and demonstrated ability to develop team members and direct reports.
• Strong leadership abilities, with the ability to inspire, motivate and align cross-functional and cross divisional teams.
• Expected travel up to 25%.
• Ability to work in a hybrid setting (i.e. 2-3 days per week in office).

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Minimum 3 years experience working in retina
• Experience in ophthalmology or other specialty disease areas.
• Sales/sales management experience
• Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio of brands and provide above-brand guidance.
• Product launch experience.

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Advertising Campaign Development, Biopharmaceutical Industry, Budget Management, Business Acumen, Business Strategies, Coaching Feedback, Communication, Competitive Advantages, Customer Experience Management, Customer Service, Executive Presence, Financial Acumen, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Macular Degeneration, Marketing Management, Marketing Strategy Implementation, Market Penetration, Market Research, Ophthalmology, People Leadership, Performance Monitoring, Product Commercialization, Product Coordination {+ 4 more}

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

$276,600.00 - $435,400.00

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

10/14/2025

*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.