Associate Director - HCP Strategy Lead, HIV Prevention 

Job Description

Associate Director - HCP Strategy Lead, HIV Prevention  

Join the US launch team for an investigational Phase III HIV prevention asset to lead HCP strategy development and execution. Reporting to the future Director HCP Marketing Product Owner, the HCP lead drives the end-to-end HCP approach from insight generation to strategy development, content creation in partnership with agency and internal customer agile teams & omnichannel delivery (sales force and non-personal promotion) to ensure successful launch planning and execution.

The role requires expertise in HCP behavior, sales force execution, digital engagement, and agile marketing, as well as the ability to translate insights into campaigns and plans that motivate HCPs to initiate PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) for people who may benefit. As a critical member of the launch team, this role also leads scenario planning, cross-functional alignment, and innovation across channels, messaging, and measurement frameworks. Given the dynamic nature of our marketing capabilities, a successful candidate will need a high level of learning agility, resilience, comfort with ambiguity, experience navigating a heavily matrixed organization and willingness to pioneer new approaches.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute marketing strategies: Own clear and compelling HCP strategies for the US PrEP team, including insight generation, strategic priorities, target-setting and short- and long-term launch plans.

• Marketing Foundations: Lead and manage relevant components of L3 (our core strategic marketing framework) including identification of strategic choices, segmentation, messaging, and resource needs/development.

• Customer research and insights: Define and set market research objectives and data needs while working with cross-functional teams to identify customer and market trends and insights. Utilize these insights to inform marketing strategies and drive customer engagement.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders: Work closely with cross-functional teams to align marketing efforts with business objectives. Coordinate with field strategy, scientific strategy and consumer marketing counterparts to ensure message consistency and strategic alignment across consumer and physician channels. Partner with the promotion review team to seek guidance and secure approval for marketing content. Partner with sales and channel team to ensure a comprehensive suite of resources is available at launch accompanied by clear objectives, execution goals and measurements plans. Ensure the sales team is informed, engaged, and motivated to support execution at launch. 

• Leading in matrix environment: Lead day-to-day engagement with creative teams, media, comms, research, and digital agencies for key HCP segments. Lead work through insight, brief, development, validation, approval, primary production and delivery. Partner with HCP Marketing Product Owner and Hub teams to support pull-through of key and amplify content to deliver on full marketing plans.

• Digital marketing: Develop and implement with cross-functional team the digital marketing strategies to engage and educate HCPs, utilizing various digital channels such as social media, email marketing, and content marketing to reach and engage the target audience.

• Performance tracking and analytics: Monitor and analyze marketing campaign performance using relevant metrics and tools. Identify areas of improvement and implement optimization strategies to maximize ROI.

• Budget Management: Manage assigned marketing budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources to maximize ROI. Ensure ongoing budget tracking, forecasting, and scenario planning to support financial stewardship.

• Compliance and regulatory guidelines: Ensure all individual efforts and marketing activities are compliant with industry and regulatory guidelines, as well as our company's policies, standards, and norms. Anticipate regulatory risks and proactively adjust strategies to maintain compliance.

Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS). MBA or equivalent preferred

 

Required Experience & Skills

• Minimum of 5 years of pharmaceutical/ biotech experience; Minimum of 5 years of brand marketing experience.

• Knowledge of physician marketing channels, sales force engagement, content strategy, and performance measurement frameworks

• Strong analytical skills and comfort with data-driven decision-making

• Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills

• Familiarity with compliance, regulatory processes, and marketing requirements

• Strong program and project management capability: track record of managing multiple concurrent initiatives, setting priorities, meeting deadlines, and consistently delivering high quality results on time and within scope

• Strategic thinker with operational discipline translates long-term strategy into executable plans while maintaining rigorous attention to detail and measurable KPIs.

• Comfortable operating in high-visibility environments: performs effectively under pressure, embraces stretch assignments, and navigates changing priorities with resilience

• Influential collaborator and negotiator: builds strong internal and external relationships, navigates stakeholder dynamics, and secures alignment and commitment across functions.

 Preferred Skills:

• HIV Treatment or Prevention, or related public health experience

• Product launches and pre-launch commercialization activities

• Demonstrated expertise and experience in HCP activation/engagement, agency

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• Proven self-starter with a hands-on, results-driven approach: proactively identifies opportunities, removes barriers, and delivers outcomes with minimal supervision.

• Ability to influence without authority and drive team towards common goal

• Familiarity with omnichannel marketing and digital channel integration, as well as agile marketing process

Location & Work Model

• Upper Gwynedd, PA - Hybrid (3 days on-site per week per U.S. Hybrid Work Model)

• Travel: 25% Required

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Brand Management, Brand Marketing, Change Agility, Content Creation, Content Marketing, Creativity, Cross-Functional Leadership, Customer Engagement, Customer Insights, Digital Consumer Engagement, Digital Marketing, Forecasting, HIV Prevention, Learning Agility, Marketing Strategies, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Omnichannel Marketing, Performance Tracking, Product Launches, Product Management, Regulatory Compliance, Strategic Market Analysis {+ 2 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

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The salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

07/10/2026

*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.