Job Description

Marketing Lead - Pharma

Drive Growth. Shape Strategy. Develop Future Leaders.

At our company, we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company, transforming lives through breakthrough science and innovation. We are seeking an exceptional Marketing Lead - Pharma to lead a strategically important portfolio and drive sustainable growth across multiple therapeutic areas.

This role offers a unique opportunity to lead a high-impact business, shape portfolio strategy, influence enterprise-wide decisions, and develop a team of future leaders. Working closely with local, regional, and global stakeholders, you will play a critical role in delivering innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes and create long-term value for healthcare systems and society.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As Marketing Lead Pharma, you will serve as a strategic business leader responsible for portfolio performance, growth strategy, market leadership, and organizational capability building.

You will lead a diverse portfolio spanning anesthesiology, anti-infective, antiviral, antifungal, hematology, cardiology, rheumatology, and future pipeline assets. You will partner across the organization to transform insights into action, create sustainable competitive advantage, and accelerate business growth.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Lead Franchise Growth and Business Performance

• Own overall portfolio performance, including revenue growth, market share, profitability, forecasting accuracy, and budget management.
• Define portfolio ambition, growth strategy, and long-term business objectives aligned with corporate priorities.
• Proactively identify and manage business risks, opportunities, and market disruptions.
• Translate strategic priorities into measurable business outcomes and sustainable value creation.

Shape Portfolio and Market Strategy

• Lead the development of integrated portfolio and brand strategies across multiple therapeutic areas.
• Drive portfolio prioritization, lifecycle management, launch planning, and resource allocation decisions.
• Continuously evaluate market trends, customer needs, competitive dynamics, and healthcare policy changes to identify growth opportunities.
• Build market-shaping strategies that strengthen leadership positions and improve patient access.

Deliver Launch Excellence

• Lead pre-launch, launch, and post-launch planning for pipeline and newly launched assets.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure launch readiness and successful execution.
• Drive market development initiatives that accelerate adoption and maximize product value.

Lead Through Influence

• Serve as a strategic partner to Medical Affairs, Sales, Market Access, Regulatory Affairs, Finance, Supply Chain, Legal and Compliance teams.
• Build strong alignment across stakeholders and ensure flawless execution of strategic initiatives.
• Influence senior leadership through data-driven recommendations, strategic insights and business reviews.

Build Future-Ready Teams and Capabilities

• Build and foster a high-performing, collaborative, and accountable team culture.
• Coach, mentor, and develop marketers across different stages of their careers, building a strong leadership pipeline.
• Strengthen organizational capabilities in customer engagement, analytics, omnichannel marketing, and commercial excellence.
• Promote continuous improvement, innovation, and agile ways of working.

Drive Customer and Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop meaningful relationships with key healthcare stakeholders and thought leaders.
• Ensure stakeholder engagement strategies support scientific leadership, market shaping, adoption, and advocacy.
• Champion customer-centric thinking across all business decisions and activities.

WHAT YOU MUST HAVE

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy, Medicine, Life Sciences, Business, or related disciplines.
• MBA or advanced degree is an advantage.

Experience

• 15+ years of pharmaceutical, vaccine, specialty care, or related healthcare commercial experience.
• Proven success managing franchise or portfolio performance and delivering sustainable business growth.
• Significant experience in strategic brand leadership, launch excellence, and lifecycle management.
• Strong experience in commercial strategy, forecasting, pricing, reimbursement, and market access.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams in complex matrix organizations.
• Experience collaborating with regional and global stakeholders.

Key Leadership Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic and enterprise mindset.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• People leadership and talent development capability.
• Customer-centric and innovative thinking.
• Ability to influence without authority.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Courage to challenge the status quo and accelerate growth.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and continuous improvement orientation.
• High standards of integrity, compliance, and ethical leadership.

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Advertising Campaign Development, Agile Methodology, Cardiology, Commercial Excellence, Commercial Strategies, Creative Campaign Development, Decision Making, Digital Analytics, Hematology, Life Science, Marketing, Marketing Budget Management, Marketing Strategy Implementation, Market Research, Medical Affairs, People Leadership, Pharmaceutical Industry, Pricing Strategies, Principles of Marketing, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Regulatory Affairs Compliance, Resource Allocation, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Thinking

Preferred Skills:

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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:

08/31/2026

*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.