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Assoc. Dir, Marketing

Merck · North Wales, PA, USA ·

Job type:
Full Time

Associate Director, Marketing - Healthcare Consumer (HCC) Strategy Lead, HPV Adult

The Associate Director, HCC Strategy Lead for the HPV Adult segment is the strategic owner of consumer marketing for the adult HPV vaccination business. This role drives the end-to-end consumer approach - from insight generation to strategy development, path-to-vaccination and content & channel plans through omnichannel delivery - to increase adult vaccination intent and action in alignment with brand, enterprise, and public health objectives.
The role requires deep expertise in healthcare consumer behavior, digital engagement, and agile marketing, as well as the ability to translate insights into campaigns and plans that motivate adults to initiate and complete the HPV vaccine series. As the adult HPV landscape evolves, this role also leads scenario planning, cross-functional alignment, and innovation across channels, path-to-purchase, messaging, and measurement frameworks.
Given the dynamic nature of marketing tech, the vaccines legal & policy environment and our company approach to Capabilities (OMM) and Content (Strategy & Accelerator), the successful candidate will need a high level of learning agility, resilience, comfort with ambiguity, experience navigating a heavily matrixed organization and willingness to pioneer new approaches.
Key Responsibilities

Own Adult Consumer Strategy for the US HPV franchise, including insights, strategic priorities, target-setting and short- and long-term plans. Recommend Adult HCC strategic priorities (in collaboration with MPO, xFranchise and xF teams members) to USCL and G9 LT.
Define learning objectives and work with DHH, Hub and Agency teams to set and execute insight and learning plans. Scope includes foundational/ongoing insights (target development, drivers, barriers etc), marketing performance analytics (to be specified via OGSTMAs), business performance (including sub-targtets and channels) as well as synthesis and integration across different measurement domains. Drive translation from data/learning to insights, strategies, forecasts and action plans.
Lead day-to-day engagement with creative, media, research, and digital agencies. Lead work through insight, brief, development, validation, approval, primary production and delivery. Partner with MPO and Hub teams to support pull-through of key and amplify content to deliver on full requirements of marketing plans.
Partner with MPO, agencies, Adolescent team, Global Franchise, Hub and analytics teams to deliver plans, campaigns and content that match channel, content and consumer job-to-be-done to drive measurable progress against objectives.
Coordinate with HCP marketing counterpart to ensure message consistency and strategic alignment across consumer and professional channels. Ensure seamless pull through for consumers and HCPs in Pharmacy channel.
Manage assigned marketing budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources to maximize ROI. Ensure ongoing budget tracking, forecasting, and scenario planning to support financial stewardship.
Ensure all marketing activities comply with company policies, industry regulations, and DTC guidelines. Anticipate regulatory risks and proactively adjust strategies to maintain compliance.
Education

Required: BA/BS
Preferred: MBA or equivalent
Required Experience & Skills

Minimum 7 years of marketing experience, preferably in healthcare consumer or general consumer marketing
Proven success developing and executing consumer marketing strategies in pharma or other regulated industries
Deep knowledge of digital marketing channels, content strategy, social media ecosystems, performance marketing and measurement frameworks
Strong analytical skills and comfort with data-driven decision-making
Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills
Familiarity with compliance, regulatory processes, and DTC marketing requirements
Experience working in agile marketing environments
Preferred Experience, Skills and Attributes

Openminded and intellectually curious; deeply familiar with "how we do things at our company" and at the same time thirsty to learn more about our customers and willing/able to consider novel or new-to-our company approaches to tackle challenges and unlock growth
Shows tenacity and willingness to challenge the status quo, while demonstrating maturity in understanding that sometimes "no" is a key step on the path to landing big opportunities.
Ability to think and approach complex problems in a structured way
Broader industry experience (eg CPG, Agency, eCommerce, etc)
Location & Work Model

Upper Gwynedd, PA - Hybrid (3 days on-site per week per U.S. Hybrid Work Model)
Travel:

Required Skills: Adaptability, Brand Management, Budget Management, Business Metrics, Change Agility, Content Creation, Creativity, Cross-Functional Alignment, Cross-Functional Leadership, Customer Insights, Digital Consumer Engagement, Digital Marketing, Learning Agility, Marketing Budget Management, Marketing Data Analytics, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Omnichannel Marketing, Product Launches, Product Management, Regulatory Risk, Scenario Planning, Social Media Management {+ 2 more}
Preferred Skills: