Job Description

Please note: This position is assigned to Compensation Grade P4. The current designation as S4 (Sales) is not correct and will be updated to the appropriate P4 grade shortly.

The Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular (CV) Franchise within the Vaccines & Primary Care Business Unit places patients and their key stakeholders at the center of its work. These stakeholders include general practitioners, cardiologists, other specialists, pharmacists, payers, policy stakeholders, and the wider public. Through digital listening, scientific evidence, and qualitative and quantitative insights, we develop innovative cross-functional solutions and test them using agile ways of working.

As Therapeutic Area & Community Lead (m/f/d) Atherosclerosis / Cardiovascular, you define and drive the TA & Community and medical education strategy, lead a team of Managers/Specialists, and orchestrate cross-functional execution to identify local/regional networks, create networks and provide relevant medical education across Germany. You ensure that local insights, community dynamics, and BU priorities are translated into scalable, high-impact initiatives.
 
Your Key responsibilities

Strategic leadership of networks & medical education ecosystem

• Define and drive the TA & Community and medical education strategy for Atherosclerosis / Cardiovascular in alignment with franchise priorities at national & regional/local level

• Coordinate and guide regional teams in the systematic identification and mapping of existing healthcare networks, including quality circles, regional collaborations, and professional communities

• Establish a structured approach to assessing network maturity, relevance, and impact across regions

• Identify opportunities to strengthen existing networks and build new communities, particularly across GP and specialist interfaces

• Shape a coherent medical education (CME) strategy for CV prevention, integrating local insights, scientific priorities, and stakeholder needs

• Ensure alignment between community development, CME activities, and broader scientific engagement strategy, in close collaboration with Medical

• Translate strategy into clear guidance for regional/local execution, enabling local adaptation and innovation

Team leadership and capability building

• Lead, coach, and develop TA & Community Managers / Specialists

• Set clear priorities, objectives, and performance expectations

• Foster a high-performing, collaborative, and agile team culture

• Drive capability building in stakeholder engagement, community management, and cross-functional collaboration

Cross-functional orchestration

• Act as interface across Marketing, Medical, 2 Sales Lines, and other relevant functions

• Align priorities, messaging, engagement approaches, and initiatives across functions

• Integrate field insights into franchise strategy and planning

• Ensure consistent, impact-oriented execution across regions

Pilot development, execution, and scaling

• Identify and lead innovative pilot initiatives addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular prevention, diagnosis, and collaboration

• Evaluate outcomes and scale successful models

National CME and scientific event leadership

• Lead the strategy and execution of national CME and scientific engagement activities

• Oversee development of high-quality educational formats

• Ensure alignment with strategy, compliance, and customer needs

Top KOL and stakeholder engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with national KOLs and scientific leaders

• Shape national KOL engagement strategies in close collaboration with Franchise, Sales and Medical

• Identify emerging experts and relevant stakeholder networks

• Ensure high-quality, credible, and impactful engagements

You will bring

• Advanced degree in medicine, life sciences, or related field (PhD/MD preferred)

• Significant experience in pharmaceutical industry, ideally cardiovascular

• Proven experience in strategy development and cross-functional leadership

• Strong people leadership experience

• Experience in KOL engagement and educational event strategy

• Strong project management and pilot execution experience

• Excellent scientific communication and stakeholder engagement skills

• Entrepreneurial mindset and strong ownership

• Fluent German and strong English

• Willingness to travel nationally

People with severe disabilities and their equivalents will be given preference if they are equally qualified.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

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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. 

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