Team Lead East - Senior Director, US Medical Affairs, GI Oncology, (Remote)

Regional Medical Scientific Senior Director Team Lead

The Regional Medical Scientific Senior Director Team Lead (RMSD TL) is a credentialed therapeutic and disease expert who owns leadership, management, and full accountability for a regional, field-based team of Regional Medical Scientific Directors (RMSD) and their prioritized deliverables. The RMSD TL drives consistent, compliant execution of field medical plans, ensuring the team delivers high-impact scientific exchange, insights, congress engagement, and research contributions that advance US Medical Affairs (USMA) and Value and Implementation (V&I) Goals and other corporate priorities. This role requires a proactive, accountable leader who combines scientific credibility with strong people leadership, strategic focus, and operational discipline. The RMSD TL must be willing to make and own difficult decisions, influence cross-functional partners, and deliver measurable field impact.

Leadership and Management

Clearly communicates USMA-aligned field execution plans and expectations; monitor progress and course-correct to meet country medical affairs plans (CMAP) and Field Engagement Plan (FEP) objectives and timelines aligned to : Scientific Exchange, Insights, Scientific Congresses, and Research.

Champions the team's contribution to USMA and V&I priorities; ensure field insights and research outputs are captured, synthesized, and translated into actionable recommendations.

Manages, recruits, and onboards a team of field-based medical affairs professionals.

Assess RMSD performance to objectives and competencies by using our company's performance principles through routine field observation / coaching visits, internal and external stakeholder feedback, and field / customer metric analysis.

Supports the professional growth and development plans of each RMSD through coaching, guidance, and partnership in developing and implementing individualized employee development.

Advocates for and contributes to the development of internal resources and processes that elevate field effectiveness and operational excellence.

Leverages external and internal resources to advance team capability, scientific credibility, and strategic impact.

Compliance and Ethical Leadership

Models and enforces the highest standards of ethics and compliance; ensure all team activities adhere to company policies, SOPs, and relevant regulatory guidance (including safe field practices such as driver safety).

Owns compliance readiness : continuously assess compliance risks, implement preventive measures, and lead timely remediation when issues arise.

Acts as a financial steward of Our Company resources with respect to individual and employee actions; reviews and approves expense reports.

Demonstrates eagerness to contribute to an environment of belonging, inclusion, and empowerment.

Leads by example and serves as a role model for creating, leading, and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Strategic Planning and Execution

In alignment with the Executive Director of US Medical Affairs, engages with cross-functional partners to develop the FEP that aligns with the CMAP goals and ensures strategic execution of the FEP to deliver measurable field impact.

As needed, provides input and / or project management with USMA and V&I cross-functional organizations to support and execute against goals and priorities.

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Minimum :

• MD, PhD, PharmD, DNP, or DO with demonstrated ability to effectively lead and coach scientific / medical colleagues at all skill and knowledge levels.
• 5+ years of experience in a field-based medical role with proven competence in scientific leader engagement, scientific exchange, and research support.
• Relevant therapeutic area knowledge and understanding of its application / implementation in the US healthcare landscape.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills, strong personal integrity, teamwork abilities (including the ability to lead a therapeutic team across a geographical area), business acumen, and focus on scientific education and dialogue.
• A thorough understanding of FDA, OIG, HIPAA, and other ethical guidelines, laws, and regulations relevant to the pharmaceutical industry and its customers to ensure compliance with all external and internal guidelines and standard operating procedures.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and work effectively in a constantly changing environment and to motivate a team to do the same.
• Desire to develop and manage a team in an environment of belonging, engagement, and empowerment by :
• Working to transform the environment, culture, and business landscape.
• Leveraging diversity and inclusion to ensure business value, per global diversity and inclusion strategy.
• Ensuring accountability to drive an inclusive culture.
• Strengthening the foundational elements of diversity.

Preferred

Previous experience managing professional employees.

Strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access), and ability to interface effectively with a variety of technical platforms for the collection, review, and dissemination of medical information.

Scientific / medical and research experience, including demonstrated record of scientific / medical publication.

Additional Skills

Adaptability, Business Acumen, Clinical Trial Support, Customer Engagement, Decision Making, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Healthcare Education, Investigator-Initiated Studies (IIS), Medical Affairs, Medical Marketing Strategy, Microsoft Office Support, Multiple Therapeutic Areas, Operational Excellence, People Leadership, Personnel Administration, Pharmaceutical Medical Affairs, Pharmacy Regulation, Project Human Resource Management, Project Management, Relationship Building, Scientific Communications, Scientific Exchange, and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Required Skills

Advisory Board Development, Clinical Medicine, Clinical Trials, Healthcare Education, Interpersonal Communication, Medical Affairs, Operational Excellence, Professional Networking, Project Management, Scientific Communications, Strategic Planning, Team Leadership.

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.

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 : EEOC Know Your Rights

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.

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

The salary range for this role is $206,200.00 - $324,600.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this 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.

You can apply for this role through https : / / jobs.merck.com / us / en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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