Job Description
As Commercial Excellence Lead (m/f/d), you are responsible for designing and implementing the L3NEXT Commercial Excellence Agenda for the Pharma Business Unit.
Your role combines:
• strategic responsibility for L3NEXT alignment at BU level and the use-case roadmap
• direct implementation responsibility for a limited number of prioritized, high-impact use cases that are critical to business performance
The position ensures that commercial requirements, business priorities, and Enterprise-DDNA capabilities are translated into measurable commercial and business value across therapeutic areas and lifecycle phases
Implementation of non-prioritized use cases remains with franchise and functional teams; the Commercial Excellence Lead provides direction, prioritization, and coherence and personally drives implementation where impact and complexity require senior leadership and ownership
Your Key Responsibilities
L3NEXT Strategy & Alignment at BU Level
• Define and continuously evolve the strategic focus areas of the Pharma Business Unit, including KPIs
• Translate BU strategy into clear customer and commercial priorities
• Ensure alignment across therapeutic areas and lifecycle phases
• Create strategic clarity on where to invest, test, scale, or stop
Implementation of Prioritized Use Cases (Hands-on Leadership)
• Personally lead the implementation of a small number of prioritized, high-impact use cases where:
• Assume end-to-end responsibility for these prioritized use cases
• Track progress and assess results
• Act as single point of accountability for these prioritized initiatives at BU leadership level
Governance & Prioritization of Use-Case Portfolio
• Manage the portfolio perspective on commercial and customer-related use cases across the BU
• Define prioritization criteria based on commercial value, business impact, and feasibility
• Review progress and results at portfolio level and derive learnings for scaling or adaptation
Leadership of the Commercial Excellence Team
• Lead, coach, and develop two Commercial Excellence Managers
• Communicate clear strategic direction while enabling strong implementation responsibility
• Ensure shared standards
• Build sustainable Commercial Excellence implementation capability within the Business Unit
Enterprise-DDNA Interface (Strategic & Implementation-Relevant)
• Act as BU-side business counterpart for Digital, Data & Analytics teams
• The role does not own platforms, systems, or analytics delivery, but ensures implementation-relevant coordination for prioritized initiatives
BU Leadership & Cross-Functional Alignment
• Act as strategic and execution-oriented sparring partner for the BU Head and leadership team
• Foster alignment between Marketing, Sales, Medical, and Analytics stakeholders
• Constructively challenge assumptions and ensure decisions are translated into actions
• Represent the BU in relevant Commercial Excellence and L3NEXT forums
What You Bring
Education
• University degree in Business, Economics, Life Sciences, or a comparable field
• Advanced qualification in Business, Strategy, or Analytics is advantageous
Experience
• Extensive experience in Commercial Excellence, Strategy, Launch Excellence, Marketing Operations, or comparable roles
• Proven success in end-to-end management of complex, cross-functional initiatives
• Experience at business unit / leadership team level
• Demonstrated leadership experience is advantageous
• Experience in pharma or complex therapeutic environments is advantageous
Functional Skills & Competencies
• Deep understanding of commercial management and commercial operating models
• Ability to connect strategic direction with operational implementation
• Strong competency in prioritization, trade-off decisions, and value realization
• Experience with impact measurement and performance tracking
• Pronounced business and financial acumen
• Excellent stakeholder management and influence skills
• Solid understanding of DDNA concepts from business and implementation perspectives
Enterprise Leadership Skills
• Enterprise Thinking: Balances business unit priorities with company-wide scalability
• Strategic & Execution Leadership: Sets direction and personally drives implementation where impact is greatest
• Commercial & Patient Centricity: Anchors strategy and implementation in commercial and patient value
• People Leadership: Builds capability, accountability, and implementation excellence
• Ownership & Accountability: Takes responsibility for results and outcomes, not just plans
• Collaboration & Influence: Aligns stakeholders and mobilizes action without formal authority
People with severe disabilities and those with equivalent status will be given preferential consideration if equally qualified.
Required Skills:
Adaptability, Brand Management, Content Creation, Creativity, Cross-Functional Leadership, Customer Insights, Digital Consumer Engagement, Digital Marketing, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Omnichannel Marketing, Product Launches, Product Management, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking
Preferred Skills:
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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:
No Travel Required
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid
Shift:
Not Indicated
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
N/A
Job Posting End Date:
08/17/2026
***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.