Dir , Technology Partnership

Job Description

This role serves as a trusted technology partner to Biostatistics and Research Decision Sciences (BARDS), aligning business priorities with digital, data, analytics, and AI/ML capabilities to deliver measurable value.

As a Business Technology Partner (BTP), you will report to a BTP Lead within our Research & Development division IT and own and drive a portfolio of initiatives aligned to BARDS priorities. You will act as a strategic advisor to BARDS leadership and are accountable for delivering business outcomes through technology investments.

In this highly technical environment, strong technical fluency is essential to effectively engage with data scientists, statisticians, and technical teams, and to guide discussions, inform trade-offs, and bridge business and technical perspectives.

You will partner with business stakeholders and Development IT to define needs, shape solutions, and ensure delivery aligned to enterprise strategy and standards.

Scope and Impact

• Leads alignment, adoption, and value realization of technology-enabled solutions within BARDS or related functional areas 

• Acts as a strategic advisor to BARDS leadership on digital, data, and AI/ML strategy 

• Owns end-to-end accountability for delivering measurable business outcomes 

• Influences cross-functional stakeholders and drives alignment across business, product, and technical teams in a highly matrixed environment 

• Shapes and influences technology investment priorities aligned to enterprise strategy 

• Applies technical fluency to inform decision-making and bridge business needs with solution capabilities

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Business Alignment

• Translate business strategy into technology priorities and roadmaps

• Partner with BARDS stakeholders to define outcomes and success measures

• Identify opportunities to leverage enterprise data, analytics, and AI capabilities

• Ensure alignment with product line capabilities and enterprise standards

• Shape long-term digital, data, and AI strategy in partnership with BARDS leadership

• Provide strategic input into enterprise IT direction based on BARDS priorities

Portfolio & Value Management

• Lead demand intake, shaping, and prioritization aligned with governance processes

• Develop business cases, KPIs, and OKRs tied to business outcomes

• Monitor value realization and adoption, identifying opportunities to improve impact

• Align investments with funding priorities and measurable outcomes

• Partner with Product Line Leads and senior IT/business leaders to align investments to strategic priorities

Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and maintain executive-level relationships across BARDS, IT, and partner functions

• Communicate business priorities, roadmaps, and initiative progress

• Facilitate alignment on scope and outcomes across business and IT stakeholders

• Influence decision-making at senior leadership levels

• Act as the primary IT-facing strategic partner for BARDS leadership

Solution Enablement

• Define business context, priorities, and constraints to inform solution direction

• Partner with Product Line Leads, architects, and technical teams to shape solution approaches

• Ensure alignment with enterprise data, AI, security, and governance standards

• Support adoption, change management, and business readiness

• Drive alignment with enterprise architecture and long-term platform strategy

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and enable data-driven decision-making

• Promote reuse of enterprise platforms, products, and capabilities

• Stay current on industry trends in analytics and AI/ML and apply them to inform priorities

• Drive adoption and scaling of innovative solutions where appropriate

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field

• 10–12 years of experience in IT, digital, analytics, or business technology roles

• Experience working in cross-functional, matrixed environments

• Strong ability to translate business needs into actionable insights that guide solution development

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Strong technical fluency in data, analytics, and/or AI/ML ecosystems, with the ability to engage effectively with technical stakeholders

• Ability to understand and discuss technical architecture, data flows, and analytical workflows

• Experience working in regulated or highly controlled environments with a focus on compliance and data integrity

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting BARDS, Clinical Development, or analytics-focused organizations

• Experience working within a product model or agile/value team structure

• Exposure to portfolio management, KPIs/OKRs, and performance tracking

• Understanding of data, AI, security, and compliance governance frameworks

• Understanding of enterprise architecture, governance, and technology standards

• Experience working with architecture teams or in data, analytics, or solution architecture environments

• Familiarity with data platforms, analytics tools, and AI/ML workflows in clinical or research contexts

• Ability to evaluate solution trade-offs and communicate implications to business stakeholders 

Required Skills:

Benefits Management, Biostatistics, Business Analysis, Business Compliance, Business Process Improvements, Business Strategies, Business Technology, Clinical Development, Enterprise Architecture (EA), Enterprise Data, Governance Management, Information Technology (IT) Support, Portfolio Management, Portfolio Risk Management, Program Management, Solution Architecture, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, Trade-Off Analysis, Workforce Planning

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

$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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:

07/7/2026

*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.