Responsibilities

• Manage branded and unbranded communications activities in support of our company ophthalmology portfolio, with a heavy emphasis on milestone communications (regulatory approvals, data releases, medical meeting communications).
• Act as strategic counselor on strategy and issues management, in coordination with Executive Director, peers and other team members.
• Provide strategic oversight and drive ongoing support and execution of signature U.S. unbranded patient/consumer programs including engagement with patient advocacy organizations; work closely with country communicators to enable local activations of unbranded campaigns.
• Serve as primary liaison with our company Patient Innovation & Engagement team and U.S./global Marketing teams, our company Research Labs and other cross-functional stakeholders.
• Responsible for communication to internal and external audiences in alignment with the company’s corporate narrative and Specialty & Pharma business strategy while continuously partnering with various stakeholders to develop strategic communications aligned with key business priorities.
• Proactively evaluate innovative and creative omni-channel strategies to engage with internal and external stakeholders aligned with key priorities; ensure that the strategies are robust and complementary.
• Develop and communicate strategies, programs and materials for use by the markets, regions and subsidiaries worldwide; help advise regions and subsidiaries for franchise and product communications issues.
• Serve as a liaison to third party groups (including advocacy organizations) and external experts (including researchers) and to trade and local news media.
• Directly manage public relations agencies and related budgets; directly and/or in-directly manager team members.

Requirements

• Requires a minimum of eight (8) years’ experience in a communications or public relations role within the pharmaceutical industry (agency or in-house).
• Deep pharmaceutical product communications experience – including background managing communications for a new product launch – strongly preferred; experience in the ophthalmology space highly desirable.
• Ability to confidently lead and provide strategic counsel to executives to support business goals, while simultaneously delivering at the tactical level.
• Ability to handle crisis communications, provide long-term strategic communications counsel and deliver on short-term communication tactics and objectives.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills across a variety of mediums/channels (e.g., print, digital, presentation); keen eye for detail.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to juggle multiple tasks, stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Team player, collaborative spirit, ability to succeed in a fast-paced, high-visibility role.
• Experience managing and mentoring team members; strong agency and budget management experience.
• Minimum of a BA required

Preferred

• ophthalmology space highly desirable

Benefits

• 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 .