Director, Policy & Government Relations

Job Description

- Shape the future of Vaccines & Infectious Diseases across Asia Pacific.
- Influence policy. Build partnerships. Advance health across the region.
- Turn bold policy ideas into meaningful public health impact.

Overview

The Director, Global Policy & Public Affairs, Asia Pacific is a seasoned regional Government Affairs leader responsible for developing and executing policy strategies and advocacy plans that supports business and advance shared health-system and public-health objectives across Asia Pacific. With a particular focus on markets that are most critical to regional business success, the role will translate global and regional strategies into market-level action, strengthen Government Affairs capabilities, and shape practical policy solutions that can be implemented and scaled across different market environments.

The Director will work across local, regional and global teams to anticipate political and policy developments, identify opportunities and risks, build credible external partnerships, and position the company as a trusted policy partner. The role requires broad Government Affairs leadership, strong judgement, and a demonstrated ability to move from policy analysis and advocacy to implementation and measurable impact.

The portfolio focus is Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, including HIV. Therapeutic-area knowledge will support effectiveness, but the primary requirement is deep Government Affairs and public-policy capability. Relevant experience in vaccines, infectious diseases, HIV, oncology, market access, public health, or another healthcare or life-sciences area is acceptable.

The Director will participate in all relevant asset Cross Functional Teams (CFTs) in Asia Pacific, work closely with the Global Policy & Public Affairs Vaccines and Infectious Diseases team and coordinate across Communications, Therapeutic Policy, Social Impact & Sustainability, Patient Engagement, Medical, Market Access, Regulatory, Commercial and other relevant teams. The role is based in Singapore and supports Asia Pacific markets, including India, excluding China and Japan.

What will you do in this role:

At the global and regional level

- Provide Government Affairs leadership for the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases portfolio, including HIV, while applying broad Government Affairs and public-policy expertise across the portfolio.
- Represent the policy function in relevant regional cross-functional asset teams and contribute to the development and execution of integrated regional asset and business strategies.
- Work closely with the Global Policy & Public Affairs Vaccines and Infectious Diseases team to align priorities, policy positions, evidence needs, external engagement strategies and market support.
- Develop policy solutions and stakeholder engagement strategies that support prevention, public-market access, sustainable financing, launch readiness and appropriate health-system adoption.
- Strategically leverage local, regional and global platforms (e.g APEC, World Health Assembly, UNGA, etc), forums and partnerships to advance policy solutions supporting vaccine and infectious disease priorities.
- Support early policy landscape assessments for pipeline priorities and translate portfolio needs into coordinated regional and local advocacy plans.
- Build partnerships and policy platforms that advance shared public-health goals while supporting long-term portfolio value.
- Translate complex political, legislative, regulatory, financing and health-system developments into clear implications, choices and mitigation plans for the business.
- Establish clear objectives, milestones and measures of progress for priority policy initiatives, and use insights from implementation to refine strategy.
- Represent company policy positions in meetings, conferences and other local or regional forums with credibility, sound judgement and appropriate independence.
- Prepare with ease and confidence concise, decision-oriented briefing materials, presentations and external narratives for leader engagements, in a communication style that demonstrates clarity, brevity and impact.
- Serve as integral member to the GPP AP team, partnering seamlessly with regional team members and demonstrating ways of working rooted in transparency, sense of urgency, curiosity, and initiative.

With AP Market teams

- Engage regularly, with purpose, strategy and value-add, with AP local policy teams – both through CFT-driven asset discussions, as well as in quarterly GPP In-depth Market Touchpoints (IMTs)
- Coach and support local teams in policy strategy, stakeholder mapping, external engagement, coalition building and implementation planning.
- Work with market teams and cross-functional partners to execute in- and above-market advocacy that translates policy proposals from concept through stakeholder alignment, external advocacy and implementation.
- Co-ordinate regional and global activities and resources to align with and drive local policy milestones in key AP markets.
- Design policy approaches that can be adapted across different market archetypes and, where appropriate, replicated or scaled regionally.
- Identify opportunities to connect health priorities with the agendas of Ministries of Finance, Economy, Trade and other non-traditional health stakeholders.
- Create practical tools, playbooks and learning forums that improve consistency, quality and speed of execution across markets.
- Promote disciplined knowledge sharing across local teams (both best practice and learning from mistakes) and establish feedback loops that improve policy strategy over time.
- Influence without authority across multiple, culturally complex and matrixed teams to deliver a common agenda with defined actions and accountability.

What should you have :

- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Public Policy, Public Health, Public Administration, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Law, Business, or a related field.
- Direct experience in Asia Pacific and knowledge of both developed and emerging health-system environments.
- Minimum 12 years of progressively responsible experience in Government Affairs, public policy, public affairs, market access, health policy, public health, an industry association, government, a multilateral organisation, an NGO, or a related field.
- Experience working through public-private partnerships, multilateral organisations, regional economic forums, industry associations or advocacy coalitions.
- Experience in vaccines, infectious diseases, or HIV would be ideal, but backgrounds in market access, public health, or another relevant therapeutic or healthcare area will also be considered.
- Demonstrated success in developing and executing policy and advocacy strategies across multiple geographies, stakeholder environments or market archetypes.
- Demonstrated experience building Government Affairs, policy or advocacy capabilities across multiple markets.
- Proven experience developing, shaping and supporting implementation of policy solutions that have produced tangible legislative, regulatory, financing, reimbursement, public-health or health-system outcomes at local, national or regional level.
- Strong understanding of government decision-making, political and policy processes, and external stakeholder ecosystems.
- Demonstrated experience engaging government leaders, policymakers, regulators, payers, multilateral organisations, industry associations, think tanks and civil-society partners.
- Ability to master complex policy issues, generate options, make sound recommendations and convert strategy into disciplined execution.
- Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives and influencing without direct authority in a matrixed organisation.
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation and executive-communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages to internal and external audiences.
- Comfort/fluency in AI-enabled tools and their practical application in Government Affairs, including policy analysis, stakeholder planning and productivity.
- High degree of integrity, discretion and judgement, with a strong commitment to ethical business practices and responsible use of information.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work in time-sensitive environments.
- Asia Pacific language capability would be an asset.

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 various groups 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:
Adaptability, Adaptability, Animal Health Care, Benefits Strategy, Business Writing, Communication Coordination, Compliance Support, Corporate Ethics, Decision Making, Ethical Standards, EU Policy Making, Goal Attainment, Goal Setting, Healthcare Policies, Multilateral Organizations, Noncommunicable Diseases, Patient Advocacy, Personal Initiative, Planning, Policy Development, Policy Implementation, Political Forums, Progress Monitoring, Regulatory Development, Sound Judgment {+ 7 more}

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:
10/12/2026
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