Dir. , Technology Partnership

Job description

Job Description Animal Health IT - Commercial IT Value Team We are seeking a dynamic, relationship-driven leader to build deep, trusted partnerships with senior leaders, business stakeholders and the broader IT organization to deliver measurable value across the Animal Health commercial ecosystem in the Asia Pacific Sub-Sahara Africa (APSA) region. This role is ideal for someone who excels at navigating complex, multicultural environments, connecting people and capabilities, and turning regional strategy into impactful digital outcomes. This leader is a critical change agent, responsible for guiding the region's transition from a localized technology landscape to an integrated global product model. They will champion the adoption of global platforms while ensuring the unique strategic and operational objectives of the APSA business are met, strengthening alignment between regional needs and global IT strategy. WHAT YOU WILL DO This position will: Build and maintain relationships across the business, engaging with key senior business leaders across the APSA region, and leveraging strong connections within the global IT organization to drive value. Manage staff through both direct and shared reporting relationships. Serve as an active member of the Animal Health IT Commercial Value Team leadership team, helping to shape the future direction of the Animal Health Commercial IT organization, people strategy, technology roadmap, and value realization. Ensure adoption of an integrated, value-based investment approach and program/project planning across a complex IT portfolio, leveraging and enhancing the marketing technology stack. Deliver and “pull through” of prioritized business outcomes by driving execution through regional and global solution delivery capabilities and measure value realization. WHAT YOU MUST HAVE Key Responsibilities Strategic Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement Collaborate with APSA regional senior leaders to align business strategy with technology investments, including eCommerce, CRM, Web, Digital Marketing solutions, Data Quality and Master Data Management (MDM) that enable pricing, rebates, and sales incentives, as well as AI-enabled solutions that drive efficiency and market effectiveness. Serve as the primary advocate for the global product model within the APSA region, articulating its value proposition and building consensus among senior leaders. Establish a high-performance engagement model with business partners and IT counterparts, building strong, trust-based relationships across the ecosystem. Communicate and champion a cohesive regional Business–IT strategy that accounts for the unique market dynamics within the APSA region. Solution Leadership & Innovation Provide leadership for the design and implementation of strategic, aligned, and compliant solutions that support regional business initiatives. Bring current knowledge and future vision of technology and systems as they relate to the commercial competitive position for Animal Health in the APSA markets. Prioritize portfolio investments to drive value-based strategic opportunities, with a bias towards leveraging global commercial and digital platforms. Collaborate with global product line leaders to influence roadmaps and introduce innovations that scale globally. Portfolio, Demand & Financial Management Manage regional demand, portfolio planning, forecasts, and updates across the APSA region. Facilitate demand aggregation and prioritization, as well as sharing of resources and expertise for projects and support across a geographically and culturally region. Partner with Finance and IT portfolio management organizations to achieve operational and portfolio budgetary commitments. People Leadership & Team Development Lead and manage a team of individual contributors who directly support regional commercial technology needs and help execute programs that enable business outcomes. Develop and mentor the regional team to operate within a global product-centric organization, fostering skills in cross-functional collaboration, global stakeholder management, and platform-first thinking. Interact with and facilitate relationships with internal and external IT organizations to align priorities and ensure effective delivery of solutions and services for the region. Continually assess team talent and sourcing strategies, defining and executing a people management plan with a strong focus on Inclusion. Travel Travel up to approximately 30% of the time, including international travel across the APSA region. Education Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, business, or a related discipline is required. Qualifications 10+ years of IT experience in commercial, sales & marketing, and/or supply chain processes and systems. Proven experience driving large-scale technology transformation, preferably involving a shift from regional/local systems to a global platform or product model. Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority in a globally matrixed organization. Experience working with global product line owners or in a product-centric IT organization is highly desirable. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to negotiate and reconcile the needs of both regional business units and global technology teams. Prior experience managing a team of account managers, business analysts, or similar roles. Demonstrated experience as a customer-focused business partner with strong account management and relationship management capabilities. Proven track record translating business strategy and requirements into IT capabilities and services. Experience managing/coordinating projects and services across national boundaries and building effective cross-functional teams, preferably within the Asia Pacific region. Proven track record of managing a portfolio and finances to deliver on business objectives. Experience with the software development lifecycle and agile methodologies. Who we are We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world. What we look for Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today. Required Skills: Agile Application Development, Agile Methodology, Benefits Management, Business Analysis, Business Process Improvements, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Data Quality, Digital Marketing, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Governance Management, ICT Strategy, IT Portfolio Management, People Strategies, Portfolio Management, Program Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, Supply Change Management, Technology Roadmap, Workforce Planning Preferred Skills: Current Employees apply HERE Current Contingent Workers apply HERE 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 co