Senior Specialist, Shared Services Finance

Job Description

Position Overview

Within the Global Business Solutions (GBS) organization, the incumbent is responsible for supporting SAC-P Center of Excellence (COE) operations throughout the FP&A forecasting cycle. The role ensures that planning activities are executed effectively, business transactions are optimized, and system data remains accurate, timely, and fully synchronized across platforms. The incumbent will review and analyze system outputs and data governance reports, resolve issues and discrepancies, and support data stewardship activities, including data qualification, analysis, creation, modification, and change control for SAP Analytics Cloud Planning (SAC-P).

The SAC-P COE Senior Specialist also supports operational activities and ticket management to ensure timely execution of FP&A calendar deliverables.

Main Responsibilities

Key responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Manage and oversee SAC planning workstreams, ensuring alignment with project objectives, timelines, and business priorities.
- Design, support, and implement SAC data models that enable effective planning, analysis, and reporting.
- Develop and maintain import and live connections across SAP and non-SAP systems.
- Leverage SAC to support Workforce, OPEX, and CAPEX modeling, providing insights and recommendations based on planning outputs.
- Build, enhance, and optimize SAC models, stories, data actions, and allocation logic.
- Apply expertise in SAC Analytics technologies, including Datasphere, SAP BW, HANA, master data management, and ECC.
- Support and maintain FP&A planning processes across monthly and quarterly planning cycles.
- Understand and manage SAP data structures, end-to-end data flows, and SAC predictive capabilities, including augmented analytics and forecasting.
- Develop and maintain reporting capabilities for consolidated and pre-consolidated balance sheets, P&L statements, trial balances, and tax reports.
- Apply strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address operational challenges and drive continuous improvement.
- Collaborate regularly with HQ and Regional COE teams to address challenges, share lessons learned, and promote best practices.
- Oversee daily HANA Studio operations for FP&A systems, ensuring platform availability, performance optimization, and completion of scheduled maintenance activities, including patching, backups, and health checks.
- Manage security and access controls, including role and user provisioning, audit support, and coordination with IT security teams to enforce data protection, compliance, and segregation of duties.
- Troubleshoot and resolve data, connectivity, and system issues, including job failures, schema and data inconsistencies, and authorization errors, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders and escalation teams to minimize downtime.
- Develop and maintain operational runbooks, monitoring alerts, system task schedules, and change management documentation; identify opportunities for automation and continuous improvement to streamline support processes.

Education, Experience and Leadership Requirements

- Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Mathematics or Computer Application.
- Minimum of 4 years of FP&A and SAC planning work streams for large or complex systems.
- Hands-on experience with SAC-P as a planning tool, including designing, supporting, and implementing data models.
- Proficiency in importing and connecting both SAP and non-SAP data sources.
- Experience with Workforce, OPEX, and CAPEX modeling is a strong advantage.
- Demonstrated technical experience with SAC Analytics technologies, including Datasphere, SAP BW, HANA, Master Data management and ECC.
- Strong understanding of SAP data structures, end-to-end data flows, SAC predictive capabilities, and augmented analytics.
- Ability to work flexibly and analytically in a problem-solving environment.
- Strong knowledge of FP&A processes and strong process orientation
- Strong written and verbal skills enabling effective communication with all levels of management.
- Ability to operate independently and remain focused through change or uncertainty.
- Fluency in English required.

Technical Skills Requirements

- SAC-P and SAP BPC Experience (Preferred, but not required)
- Proficiency in PC skills (MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint) required.
- Planning Tools / Analytical Tools experience required.
- SAP Hana Studio

Required Skills:
Access Control (AC), Access Control (AC), Adaptability, Balance Sheet Accounting, Balance Sheet Account Reconciliations, Communication, Communications Support, Consolidated Financial Statements, Continuous Improvement Techniques, Data Protection, Data Stewardship, Data Synchronization, Finance, Financial Accounting Controls, Financial Analysis, Financial Operations, Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A), Forecasting Models, Health Assessments, Human Resources (HR) Shared Services Advisory, Interact with All Levels of Management, IT Security Administration, Microsoft Excel, Preparation of Financial Reports, Proactive Problem Solving {+ 9 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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

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:
$106,200.00 - $167,200.00

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:
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:
11/26/2026
*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.