Director, Site Budgets and Payments Operational Excellence

The Head, Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence is accountable for stewardship of the end-to-end global processes through which the Site Budgets and Site Payments capabilities operate. The role leads global process architecture, integration, governance, implementation, enablement, analytics, and continuous improvement across budgets, payment setup, payment execution, systems, and downstream processes. It ensures globally coherent, scalable, compliant, and sustainable ways of working to support globally coherent, scalable, compliant, and sustainable ways of working across capability and delivery teams.

The role partners closely with Site Budgets, Site Payment Operations, country and regional delivery teams, Digital/IT, Business Enablement, Finance, Tax, Compliance, vendors, and other functional owners to align functional requirements, operational priorities, local needs, and technology delivery within a common global process.

• →Own the global Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence capability and the stewardship model for end-to-end budget and payment processes, defining its strategic direction and ensuring process architecture, systems integration, governance, analytics, enablement, and organizational capabilities evolve to meet changing portfolio, market, and business needs.
• →Serve as the senior authority for end-to-end process stewardship across Site Budgets and Site Payments, including process architecture, cross-functional and cross-system integration, governance, implementation, analytics, enablement, organizational effectiveness, and business transformation. 
• →Establish and maintain globally consistent end-to-end process architecture, documentation, governance, and change control, incorporating ex-US requirements and standardizing ways of working while defining and managing approved regional and local variations.
• →Lead the Regional Support Model and regional onboarding and implementation approach, ensuring effective resource deployment, incorporation of country requirements, implementation support, operational flexibility, adoption, and benefits realization across regions and business priorities.
• →Build organizational capability through common training, communications, onboarding, knowledge management, and change strategies that improve readiness, consistent adoption, and operational effectiveness across regions.
• →Steward the integrated business process and systems roadmap for budget and payment operations, coordinating enhancement intake, cross-functional prioritization, dependencies, and sequencing , in partnership with capability owners responsible for functional requirements and acceptance and technology owners responsible for technical delivery and platform reliability.
• →Partner with Site Budgets and Site Payment Operations leadership to gather and reconcile requirements, priorities, risks, and future capability needs; translate them into integrated process, governance, analytics, enablement, and change solutions; and obtain functional acceptance from the accountable capability owner before implementation.
• →Establish common analytics and use operational data, performance metrics, and stakeholder insights to guide integrated priorities, measure adoption and benefits, identify recurring issues, and support sound cross-capability and regional decisions. 
• →Lead end-to-end root-cause analysis, remediation governance, and continuous improvement for cross-functional, cross-system, and recurring process issues, converting operational problems into scalable improvements while ensuring immediate operational containment remains with the relevant delivery owner.
• →Represent Regional Operations in governance forums and cross-functional partnerships as the accountable leader for Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence and end-to-end process stewardship, jointly shaping the common global process and integrated roadmap with the Site Budgets and Site Payment Operations capability owners.
• →Ensure end-to-end process strategies, governance, documentation, integrations, and controls are aligned with applicable regulations, corporate policies, and compliant business practices.
• →Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, organizational learning, and data-driven decision-making.

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree is required (scientific, business, finance, technology, or related discipline preferred); advanced degree a plus.

• 10+ years of clinical research experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, including experience leading operational teams and driving business outcomes in complex environments.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of clinical trial financial operations, including site payments, investigator grants, Fair Market Value principles, and related operational processes.
• Experience managing directly or indirectly teams of professional employees.
• Proven success leading teams, developing talent, and driving operational performance in a matrixed environment.
• Ability to leverage data and insights to support decision-making, continuous improvement, and achievement of business objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues and influence decision-making at senior leadership levels.
• Strong collaboration, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop effective partnerships across functions and geographies.
• Demonstrates initiative, innovative thinking, and a continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to challenge traditional approaches and identify opportunities to simplify, modernize, and transform how work is performed.
• Strong communication, presentation, and change leadership skills.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply Good Clinical Practice (GCP)/ International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and execution management skills.
• Sponsors responsible digital, data-driven and AI-enabled ways of working.

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Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.