Executive Director, Clinical Science, Oncology, Thoracic, Lung, Head & Neck, and Gastrointestinal
Merck
- Location
- Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America
- Employment
- Full Time
- Work model
- On-Site
- Level
- Staff
- Salary
- $255.8k – $402.7k/yr
- Posted
- 1d ago
Skills
About this role
Job Description
The Executive Director, Clinical Science is a senior leader within Oncology Clinical Development responsible for providing strategic, scientific, operational, and people leadership across a portfolio of oncology programs spanning multiple therapeutic areas (Thoracic, Lung, Head & Neck, and Gastrointestinal Cancers) and stages of development. Reporting to the Head of Clinical Science Oncology, this role serves as a member of the Oncology Clinical Science Leadership Team and plays a key role in shaping the strategic direction, operational effectiveness, and long-term growth of the Clinical Science organization. The Executive Director leads a large matrixed organization of Clinical Scientists supporting oncology development programs and is accountable for portfolio delivery, organizational performance, talent development, capability building, and continuous improvement. This leader ensures the highest standards of scientific rigor, patient focus, quality, and regulatory readiness while driving consistency and excellence across Clinical Science activities. The role champions innovation and modern ways of working by advancing the adoption of digital capabilities, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and data-driven approaches that enhance decision-making, improve efficiency, and strengthen study oversight across the portfolio. The Executive Director fosters a culture of learning, inclusion, accountability, and continuous improvement while developing future leaders and building organizational capability to meet evolving business needs. Success in this role requires strong enterprise leadership and effective collaboration across Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics and Data Management, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, Translational Medicine, Medical Affairs, and other key partner functions. The Executive Director influences across organizational boundaries to align priorities, integrate different perspectives, and enable successful execution of oncology development strategies.
Key Responsibilities
Portfolio Leadership Holds accountability for portfolio delivery from the Clinical Science perspective, including prioritization, resource alignment, and support for key development milestones across studies, programs, and assets. Provide strategic oversight for a portfolio of oncology assets across multiple therapeutic areas and stages of development. Partner with Therapeutic Area Heads and leaders across Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics and Data Management, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, Translational Medicine, and Medical Affairs to drive development strategy execution and delivery of key portfolio milestones. Ensure Clinical Science contributions support development plans, regulatory submissions, health authority interactions, and lifecycle management activities. Apply Clinical Science expertise to inform therapeutic area and portfolio strategy across evolving science, treatment trends, competitive landscape, and regulatory considerations. Optimize allocation of Clinical Science resources and associated budgets across a complex and evolving portfolio to align with business priorities and organizational objectives. Serve as a senior escalation point for scientific, and resource-related issues, enabling effective and timely resolution. Clinical Science Excellence Establish and sustain high standards for scientific rigor, clinical science quality, medical data review, study oversight, and regulatory readiness across the portfolio. Drive consistency in clinical science practices, study execution, and data interpretation across therapeutic areas and development programs. Foster a culture of proactive risk identification, mitigation, inspection readiness, and continuous quality improvement. Advance innovative approaches to medical data review, signal detection, study oversight, and evidence-based decision-making that enhance development outcomes. Innovation, AI, and