Associate Director, Launch Excellence

Merck Merck · Pharma · Shanghai, China

Associate Director, Launch Excellence role at Merck, focusing on shaping and executing product launches in the pharmaceutical industry. This role translates enterprise priorities into launch strategies, manages cross-functional stakeholders, and drives launch execution to accelerate impact. It involves developing launch frameworks, best practices, and serving as a PMO for priority assets.

What you'd actually do

  1. Shape and improve the Launch Excellence framework and define the right launch approach for different asset types, launch stages, and market contexts.
  2. Turn strategic priorities into clear launch plans, key decision points, readiness reviews, and governance mechanisms that enable faster decisions and stronger execution across functions.
  3. Support leadership discussions by highlighting critical risks, trade-offs, and actions needed to keep priority launches on track and maximize launch impact.
  4. Identify what works well across launches and turn those lessons into practical guidance, playbooks, and standards that can be used across future assets.
  5. Serve as the Launch Excellence lead for designated priority assets, working hands-on with cross-functional teams to drive launch priorities forward.

Skills

Required

  • Adaptability
  • Data-Driven Decision Making
  • Developing Proposals
  • Environmental Scanning
  • Market Research
  • Pharmaceutical Market
  • Portfolio Management
  • Project Management
  • Resource Allocation
  • Strategic Planning
  • Strategic Thinking
  • English
  • Mandarin

Nice to have

  • Master or MBA
  • Consulting background
  • broader exposure across the launch journey

What the JD emphasized

  • 8 years + experience in the pharmaceutical industry
  • Experience in at least one critical phase of launch is required