Global Senior Director Medical Affairs (GDMA) - Obesity at Merck

Role Summary

The Global Senior Director Medical Affairs (GDMA) - Obesity position resides in the Value & Implementation (V&I) organization, which includes GMSA as well as Outcomes Research. The GDMA is a subject-matter expert (SME) in their area of responsibility and is responsible for driving execution of the Global Medical and Scientific Affairs (GMSA) portion for their assigned Therapeutic Areas as part of the Global V&I Plans. They bring business savviness to the organization, are important decision-makers, and have a focus on the United States (U.S.), while also supporting the rest of world (ROW). The GDMA may also be appointed as a V&I Lead for their disease/asset area, which includes additional organizationally aligned responsibilities. The GDMA works as part of a high-performing, results-driven team, focused on executional excellence.

Responsibilities And Primary Activities

• Drives execution of the annual V&I plan with medical affairs colleagues from key countries and regions with a focus on the U.S. Acts as an empowered partner, making informed decisions with a strategic and agile mindset.
• Serves as the SME and connector across assigned therapeutic areas, translating global scientific platforms into actionable Medical Value Narratives (MVNs). Actively engages with country-level stakeholders—including medical advisors, payers, and scientific leaders—to ensure strategic alignment and support local data generation, congress planning, and advisory boards.
• Serves as the medical representative within Product Development sub-teams (including Clinical, V&I, Commercial, Publications, and Label), leveraging the V&I GMSA vision to drive strategic planning, outcome delivery, and tactical execution. Communicates pertinent information to stakeholders (e.g., Executive Director Medical Affairs, Regional Strategy Leads, Regional Director Medical Affairs, U.S. Director Medical Affairs, Payor and Access Strategy Leads) to inform and influence country and regional planning.
• Acts as the subject-matter expert, collaborating closely with V&I Outcomes Research (VIOR), Policy, Commercial, and Market Access teams to identify and address opportunities and barriers in key countries.
• Serves as a strategic partner for Big Country Markets (U.S., China, Japan) with no RDMA role. Bridges global strategy with local execution, understanding the needs of the U.S. Market, collaborating with the US DMA and equivalent roles in China and Japan, and ensuring country-specific insights are integrated into global V&I plans.
• Consolidates actionable medical insights from countries and regions.
• Engages with a network of international scientific leaders and other key stakeholders about emerging science, monitoring external changes in partnership with the competitive intelligence team.
• Organizes global expert-input events (advisory boards and expert-input forums) to inform development and implementation of new medicines or vaccines.
• Collaborates with Global Human Health (commercial) executive directors to inform the GMSA portion of V&I plans, while independently leading the execution of these plans.
• Organizes global symposia and educational meetings.
• Supports key countries with development of local data-generation study concepts and protocols when requested.
• Reviews Investigator-Initiated Study proposals from key countries (ex-U.S.) prior to headquarters submission and serves as a review panel member on TA-specific off-company Investigator Studies Programs to support the Executive Director Scientific Affairs review process.
• Manages programs (patient support, educational or risk management) to support appropriate and safe utilization of medicines or vaccines.
• Demonstrates and champions our company’s Ways of Working, emphasizing innovation and patient impact.
• Manages assigned budget with strong financial stewardship, ensuring delivery within a 3% variance and making informed decisions when budgets change during the year.

Required Qualifications, Skills And Experience

Minimum

• M.D., Ph.D. or Pharm.D. (M.D. preferred) and recognized medical expertise.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in country/region medical affairs or clinical development.
• Strong prioritization and decision-making skills.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with partners across divisions in a matrix environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, and communication skills (written and oral) in addition to results-oriented project management skills.

Preferred

• At least three years regional medical affairs experience with proven contribution to medical-affairs strategies.
• Customer expertise, especially of scientific leadership and other key stakeholders (payers, public groups, government officials, medical professional organizations) in the assigned therapeutic area.

Required Skills

Decision Making, Interpersonal Relationships, Medical Affairs, Medical Research, Metabolism, Obesity, Pharmaceutical Medical Affairs, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Tactical Execution

Preferred Skills

Current Employees apply HERE; Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

EEO and Compliance

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 the EEOC Know Your Rights pages.

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this role is $210,400.00 - $331,100.00. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits (401(k)), paid holidays, vacation, and other benefits. More information is available at the company compensation and benefits page.

Application and Compliance Details

You can apply for this role through the company careers site. The application deadline is posted on this listing. San Francisco and Los Angeles residents have specific consideration provisions as described in the posting. This posting may include information about relocation, visa sponsorship, travel requirements, and flexible work arrangements.

About the Posting

Requisition ID: R404925