Cluster Strategy & New Product Planning Lead

Job description

Job Description THE OPPORTUNITY The Cluster Strategy & New Product Planning Lead will be a critical role for the Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan Cluster—shaping the Cluster’s strategic agenda, converting priorities into high-impact execution, and strengthening leadership decision-making on the most important growth choices. The role will bring strong project management discipline to ensure execution rigor, clear accountability, timely decision-making, and cross-functional delivery of key strategic programs. The role will also lead new product planning for future high-impact assets, ensuring the Cluster is strategically positioned, externally informed, and organizationally ready to accelerate patient access and maximize launch success. WHAT YOU WILL DO Enterprise Strategy & Strategic Program Management Partner with the Cluster Leadership Team to shape the Cluster’s enterprise strategy, pressure-test strategic choices, and optimize short- and long-term value creation Lead the annual strategic planning process, including development of a bold 5-year strategic plan, and translate strategy into roadmaps and key projects Serve as a strategic thought partner to the MD and COD, leading special strategic & operational projects as needed, framing the Cluster’s most critical strategic questions into clear recommendations, decision pathways, and executable action plans Serve as project management lead for key strategic and operational programs, ensuring clear scope, disciplined execution, proactive risk management, stakeholder alignment, and cross-functional delivery Run the Cluster’s strategic operating cadence, including program steering committees and progress reviews, to drive timely decisions, accountability, and delivery of key workstreams Support storytelling for critical business reviews, translating complex strategic priorities, performance insights, and key decisions into clear, compelling senior-leadership narratives New Product Planning & Launch Readiness Lead strategic planning for assets 2+ years from launch in partnership with Clinical, Medical, Access, Regulatory, and Commercial teams Serve as the Cluster’s single point of contact for pre-launch asset governance, ensuring transparent status tracking, insight sharing, issue escalation, and alignment with regional/global stakeholders Own Cluster and market-level pipeline prioritization, ensuring leadership focus, resources, and cross-functional efforts are directed toward the highest-value opportunities Develop robust business cases for priority assets, integrating regulatory pathway, access strategy, medical and society engagement, competitive landscape, patient opportunity, value proposition, and positioning Shape and secure regional/global endorsement for acceleration asks, including asset filing timelines and other strategic levers to optimize patient reach and commercialization opportunity Drive organizational launch readiness for future assets, including launch milestones, cross-functional ownership, decision points, risk mitigation, and leadership visibility People Leadership Coach and develop one junior analyst, setting a high standard for analytical rigor, delivery quality, and review cadence across strategic programs and new product planning WHAT YOU MUST HAVE Bachelor’s degree or above in Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Business Administration, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred 8+ years of experience in top-tier management consulting, pharmaceutical strategy, new product planning, commercial excellence, market access strategy, business development, or another senior strategic role Strong pharmaceutical or healthcare experience preferred, with demonstrated exposure to pipeline strategy, launch readiness, asset prioritization, or lifecycle planning Proven ability to shape enterprise or business unit strategy, translate complex business issues into clear strategic choices, and convert recommendations into executable roadmaps Strong analytical and business-case development capabilities, with the ability to integrate market, access, regulatory, competitive, patient, and financial insights into actionable recommendations Excellent senior stakeholder influence and cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to drive alignment without direct authority across Medical, Access, Regulatory, Commercial, Regional, and Global teams Exceptional communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex topics into clear senior-level recommendations High ownership, executive presence, learning agility, and comfort operating with ambiguity in a fast-moving environment Fluent in English and Mandarin; Cantonese is a plus Required Skills: Adaptability, Agile Project Management, Business Strategies, Change Agility, Commercial Excellence, Data-Driven Decision Making, Decision Making, Developing Proposals, Employee Performance Evaluations, Executive Presence, Market Research, Operation Risk Management, Pharmaceutical Market, Portfolio Management, Product Planning, Project Management, Resource Allocation, Risk Management, Storytelling, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking 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 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: Not Applicable Shift: Valid Driving License: Hazardous Material(s): Job Posting End Date: 08/10/2026*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.