Jobs
Job Description:
The Regional Operations Head(ROH) acts as Chief of Staff to the Regional Head, GCTO Region (RRD), providing end-to-end business and portfolio oversight to ensure performance, quality, and compliance across regional programs and protocols. The Regional Operations Head plays a critical role in supporting strategy development with the RRD and regional leadership team to drive high performance aligned with strategic and operational goals.
Key Responsibilities:
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Chief of Staff & Portfolio Oversight
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Support the RRD and GCTO Region by facilitating cross-functional meetings to align teams on project goals, timelines, and deliverables.
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Prepare dashboards, status reports, and materials to communicate progress, risks, and issues to leadership.
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Act as liaison between RRD, Clinical Research Directors (CRDs), regional teams, and key stakeholders including Research Labs and Human Health (HH) to clarify priorities, resolve conflicts, and ensure alignment on critical GCTO issues.
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Track key milestones, dependencies, and resource gaps, proactively identifying risks and driving follow-up actions to ensure accountability and timely execution.
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Develop and manage the regional project portfolio, tracking realization goals and using data to analyze and propose mitigation strategies.
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Identify inefficiencies and propose process improvements to enhance operational effectiveness.
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Regional Trial Allocation & Clinical Research Strategy
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Oversee regional clinical trial allocation, coordinating allocation proposals and engaging stakeholders across functions to build a comprehensive knowledge base at capability, therapeutic area, scientific, and strategic levels.
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Collaborate with GCTO regional/country leadership, and other key stakeholders in region to develop and align clinical research strategies with long-term regional and corporate objectives.
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Partner with regional support roles to define, track, and align performance metrics and quality standards in project management operations.
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Work closely with the Regional Operations Support Lead (ROSL) to understand capacity needs and integrate them into country allocation discussions.
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Provide guidance to project management teams on developing and implementing regional processes and tools.
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Issue Escalation & Trend Analysis
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Lead regional issue escalation and conduct trend analysis to identify operational challenges across studies and therapeutic areas.
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Facilitate resolution and action plans in coordination with HQ, CRDs, and delegates, serving as a sentinel for operational risks.
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Foster cultural diversity awareness and address cross-country business needs in regional interactions.
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Strategic Leadership & Collaboration
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Contribute to defining and executing regional priorities to ensure successful delivery across countries.
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Provide deep insights into operational strategy, functional areas, and networks that enable effective execution.
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Share best practices, seek improvement opportunities, and drive alignment across GCTO.
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Line Management
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Lead and manage the regional team, including the Regional Operations Lead (ROL), Regional Operations Support Lead (ROSL), and Regional Operations Analyst (ROA).
Education:
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Required: Bachelor’s degree in life science discipline.
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Preferred: Advanced graduate degree (e.g., Master’s in life sciences, or PhD, PharmD). Business and Financial Management (e.g., MBA) advantage.
Required Experience and Skills:
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Clinical Operations Experience: Minimum 10 years of experience in clinical operations, preferably within a Sponsor environment, managing studies in different therapeutic areas, phases, from study initiation through completion. Understanding of inspection readiness.
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Leadership: Strong leadership skills to align teams with the goals and mission of our company Global Clinical Development (GCD), and GCTO. Demonstrated success in building and maintaining networks. Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders, to work independently as well as strong business and financial acumen. Willingness to take accountability for actions and to drive results within region.
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Regulatory Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of ICH GCP guidelines and global, regional, and local regulatory requirements.
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Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to communicate effectively and professionally at all levels. Additional Language Skills: Proficiency in local languages is advantageous but not mandatory.
Required Skills:
Accountability, Biostatistics, Clinical Research Management, Clinical Trial Planning, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Detail-Oriented, Emotional Intelligence, Ethical Standards, Influencing Change, Influential Leadership, Innovation, Leadership, Mentoring Staff, New Technology Integration, Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance, Professional Networking, Scientific Writing, Teamwork
Preferred Skills:
Clinical Research
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:
No relocation
VISA Sponsorship:
No
Travel Requirements:
No Travel Required:
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Remote
Shift:
Not Indicated
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
NA
Job Posting End Date:
03/20/2026
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.
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About Merck

Merck
PublicMultinational pharmaceutical company.
10,001+
Employees
Rahway
Headquarters
Reviews
3.6
19 reviews
Work Life Balance
3.8
Compensation
3.2
Culture
3.0
Career
2.8
Management
2.5
60%
Recommend to a Friend
Pros
Large company with networking opportunities
Good work-life balance
Decent benefits and salary
Cons
Limited upward and lateral mobility
Slow promotion timeline
Favoritism in advancement
Salary Ranges
2,500 data points
Director
Director · Associate Director, D&A Strategy
1 reports
$176,890
total / year
Base
$153,800
Stock
-
Bonus
-
$176,890
$176,890
Interview Experience
20 interviews
Difficulty
2.9
/ 5
Duration
14-28 weeks
Offer Rate
25%
Experience
Positive 10%
Neutral 50%
Negative 40%
Interview Process
1
Application Review
2
Recruiter Screen
3
Hiring Manager Interview
4
Panel Interview
5
Final Decision
Common Questions
Technical Knowledge
Behavioral/STAR
Past Experience
Culture Fit
Case Study
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