Associate Director, Portfolio AI Activation

Job Description

The Associate Director, AI Activation & Commercial Analytics is a member of the AI Activation team within Digital Human Health (DHH), supporting the Specialty, Pharma & Infectious Diseases business units. This role is designed for a pharmaceutical commercial analytics and data science leader who brings a deep understanding of brand, marketing, and field questions, and who can apply both traditional data science (machine learning, targeting, and segmentation) and emerging AI to drive better business decisions. The Associate Director partners closely with brand, marketing, and Market Engagement (ME) teams, as well as data and technology partners, to turn data into actionable insights, shape AI use cases grounded in real business needs, and drive adoption of analytics and AI solutions that deliver measurable value.

Primary Job Function and Key Responsibilities.

- Lead advanced analytics and data science projects that address priority brand and marketing questions, including healthcare professional (HCP) targeting, customer segmentation, tiering, and promotional response.
- Drive launch readiness for new products and indications through analytics such as market and patient opportunity sizing, HCP universe definition and targeting, and early launch performance tracking.
- Develop and apply machine learning and statistical models (e.g., predictive and propensity models, clustering, response modeling, forecasting, causal inference) using pharmaceutical commercial data.
- Translate analytic outputs into clear, decision-ready insights and recommendations for brand leadership, marketing, and field teams.
- Partner with brand, marketing, ME, and sales planning teams to frame business questions, define success metrics, and measure the impact of commercial initiatives.
- Serve as a subject-matter expert on pharmaceutical commercial data sources (e.g., claims, prescription and sales, CRM/call activity, HCP- and patient-level data), including their strengths, limitations, and appropriate use.
- Identify AI opportunities grounded in real business needs and support targeted AI pilots (e.g., targeting support, forecast validation, barrier analysis).
- Bring business context and data expertise to DHH-wide AI initiatives, bridging brand and technical teams so solutions are usable and adopted.
- Ensure analytics and AI work meets data privacy, compliance, and governance standards, and build data and AI literacy across commercial teams.

Required Experience & Skills.

- 5+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or healthcare commercial analytics, marketing analytics, or data science, with a proven record of supporting brand and marketing teams.
- Strong expertise in machine learning and statistics applied to commercial questions such as HCP targeting, segmentation, predictive modeling, and promotional impact measurement.
- Deep knowledge of pharmaceutical commercial data (e.g., claims, prescription and sales, CRM, HCP- and patient-level data) and the commercial model, including brand, launch, market access, and field force.
- Proficiency in Python, SQL, and/or R, and in data and analytics platforms such as Databricks or Dataiku.
- Hands-on experience applying AI (e.g., generative AI or LLM-based tools) to analytics workflows, with a strong interest in deepening AI expertise.
- Translates complex analyses into clear, decision-ready recommendations that influence senior leaders.
- Aligns brand, ME, and cross-functional stakeholders on priorities, drives adoption of analytics and AI solutions, and manages scope with sound judgment.
- People and/or matrix leadership experience, including leading cross-functional teams, global collaborators, and external partners.
- Strong project management skills; resilient and adaptable, balancing strategic vision with operational execution.

Qualifications

Master's degree or PhD in Data Science, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Statistics, Decision Science, Engineering, Public Health, or a related quantitative discipline is required.

Required Skills:
Business Intelligence (BI), Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Visualization, Machine Learning (ML), Software Development, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Waterfall Model

Preferred Skills:

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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 primary location for this posting is:
USA - New Jersey - Rahway

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:
$156,900.00 - $247,000.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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 .

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:
11/4/2026
*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.