Senior Strategic Insights Lead (x2) at Merck

Job Description:

Position Overview:

Deliver customer and market insights effectively and efficiently to the business units (BUs) to enable better decision-making and execution through performance monitoring and cross-functional working, delivering integrated promotional strategies that optimise the customer experience and drive business performance. A member of a highly skilled team with greater customer and brand understanding, consulting as a business partner to inform strategic direction and effective tactical implementation.

Key Responsibilities: Strategic Planning:

• Strategic planning to support multiple franchises/indications. National/Regional/Local Customer/ Patient Mapping, persona development and Profiling
• Lead the Business Questions process: work cross functionally to feed data gaps into the DHH annual roadmap
• Resource planning, horizon scanning, go to market modelling including segmentation, targeting and salesforce planning from data already available to the market.
• Deliver clear data-evidenced strategic recommendations to the business to support continuous improvement from a patient, revenue and customer experience perspective
• Develop and maintain robust, insight-led forecasts by validating key assumptions (e.g., market dynamics, demand drivers, competitive scenarios) and aligning inputs with strategic priorities to support credible planning and decision-making.
• Create and deliver clear and compelling reports and guidance using dashboards, data products, and tools to communicate the business outcomes and customer impact of commercial initiatives
• Support the adoption of and routine use of Global/Regional initiatives in the commercial business
• Stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices in customer experience measurement and analytics

Customer Excellence Insights:

Utilise and synthesise available data products to inform strategies, decisions and influence outcomes. These include research, data science, analytics, and dashboards to support:

Brand Performance & Insights:

• Understand brand performance metrics to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• Provide insights to enhance sales performance, brand positioning and market share, including competitor intelligence and market management.

Sales Force Effectiveness:

• Evaluate salesforce effectiveness through management of the sales force incentive programme
• Provide insights to optimise customer engagement across multiple touchpoints identifying key metrics and areas for improvement to enhance sales productivity

Omnichannel Effectiveness:

• Assess the effectiveness of omnichannel strategies, end-to-end customer journeys, campaign performance, and engagement across multiple touchpoints.
• Evaluate and monitor multi-channel preferences, lead and lag indicators, as well as OKRs.
• Understanding tagging infrastructure to then support and guide approach that ensure downstream reporting can be delivered. Working closely with Digital Teams on issues management

Qualifications, Skills & Experience Required: Required:

• Degree level education, preferred degrees include Science, technology, engineering, maths and business.
• Analytical functional roles/ experience within pharmaceutical, biotech or medical industries.
• Experienced in strategic planning, go to market modelling, performance reporting & KPI setting.
• Strong numeracy, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and able to quickly learn new technologies and tools.
• Excellent planning, prioritisation, coordination, and project management abilities, with a focus on delivering results.
• Good communication, facilitation, and teamwork skills; collaborative approach.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty; detail-oriented and curious with a willingness to learn.
• Familiarity with key systems (e.g., Veeva CRM, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Veeva Promo Mats).
• Strong understanding and analysis of internal and external data sources, guidelines, and their applications.
• Strong knowledge of NHS structures and networks.
• Broad understanding of our organization products, therapy/service business areas, key competitors, and the wider industry.
• Strategic thinker with an objective, holistic perspective and a willingness to challenge the status quo.

Preferred:

• Understanding of statistical techniques and methodologies.
• Awareness of Digital Tracking and analytics tools including Hotjar, heat mapping, google optimise, google analytics.
• Understanding of Market Research and analysis methodologies, techniques and guidelines.
• Backend analytics infrastructure understanding including data layers and tables.
• Knowledge of analytical visualisation tools (Excel, Spotfire, Power BI, Google Analytics) and implementing algorithms in data tools and creating relationships across data sets to generate meaningful data visuals to support business decision-making.

Closing date for applications: 15/05/2026

Required Skills:

Business Analysis, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience Management, Demand Management, Detail-Oriented, Google Analytics, Innovation, Omnichannel Retailing, Promotional Strategies, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, Trend Knowledge

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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: VISA Sponsorship:Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift: Valid Driving License:Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

05/16/2026

**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.