Executive Director, Intelligent Personal Engagement

Merck Merck · Pharma · PA

Merck is seeking an Executive Director to define the strategy for their Personal Engagement product ecosystem, which includes sales, customer service, patient CRM, and AI capabilities/agents. This role will lead the shift towards a digitally augmented, AI-powered commercial execution model, aligning stakeholders, driving technology investments, and sponsoring enterprise-wide transformations to optimize user experiences for field forces, service agents, and patient touchpoints.

What you'd actually do

  1. Define and drive enterprise strategic direction for the Personal Engagement product line, encompassing Face-to-Face (F2F) sales, sales operations, customer service, patient CRM, and the integration of next-generation AI agents.
  2. Set the strategy for the evolution of commercial capabilities, driving the transformation of Sales/CRM, customer service, and patient engagement platforms from static systems of record into a unified, AI-powered ecosystem. Champion the shift toward intelligent, product-driven solutions that leverage agentic workflows and predictive insights to deliver hyper-personalized patient journeys, proactive service resolutions, and a highly optimized, digitally augmented field force.
  3. Drive cross-functional alignment across business engagement, product management, architecture, engineering, analytics, and data teams to ensure integrated delivery of personal engagement capabilities.
  4. Sponsor enterprise transformation and operating model changes, championing the adoption of agentic workflows, remote engagement capabilities, and AI-driven field suggestions to navigate the evolving sales and marketing landscape.
  5. Monitor the evolution of AI, customer engagement, and marketing technology trends—and translate emerging capabilities into strategic recommendations for how our platforms, operating model, and solutions should evolve to deliver greater business value, scalability, and customer impact.

Skills

Required

  • Enterprise-scale CRM, sales execution, marketing technology, or customer/patient service product capabilities with measurable business impact
  • Deep domain expertise in Sales Force Automation (SFA), CRM, patient engagement, workforce optimization, and the integration of AI/agents in commercial workflows
  • Demonstrated success setting strategy for highly complex, enterprise-level capability areas with long-term business, operational, and talent implications
  • Experience leading large-scale enterprise transformation, operating model redesign, and platform modernization in ambiguous, fast-evolving environments
  • Proven ability to align senior stakeholders across multiple matrixed functions, influencing strategic decisions on investments, governance, and platform adoption
  • Strong communication and executive presence, with the ability to translate complex technical/AI concepts into clear strategic decisions for both technical and non-technical business leaders
  • Benefits Management
  • Business Analysis
  • Business Decisions
  • Business Process Improvements
  • Computer Science
  • Customer Service
  • Customer Support
  • Digital Healthcare
  • Governance Management
  • Marketing
  • Marketing Management
  • Operating Models
  • Patient Engagement
  • Program Management
  • Role Design
  • Stakeholder Relationship Management
  • Strategic Planning
  • Technology Investments
  • Thought Leadership
  • Workforce Planning

Nice to have

  • Advanced degree in Business Administration, Information Science, Computer Science, or a related field
  • Extensive experience in healthcare, life sciences, or other regulated environments requiring strict adherence to privacy, compliance, and governance by design
  • Deep knowledge of commercial SaaS ecosystems (Veeva, Salesforce, etc.) and experience leading enterprise governance across multi-product environments

What the JD emphasized

  • AI capabilities and agents
  • agentic workflows
  • AI-driven field suggestions
  • AI/agents in commercial workflows
  • agentic workflows
  • AI-driven field suggestions

Other signals

  • AI-powered commercial execution model
  • AI capabilities and agents
  • agentic workflows
  • AI-driven field suggestions