Assoc. Dir, DSCS Digital Technologies, Decision Intelligence (m/f/d)

Merck • Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

20h • $142,400 - $224,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Decision Intelligence is a technical role within Merck’s DSCS Digital Technologies organization, which drives digital transformation, data architecture, and technology solutions for Development Sciences and Clinical Supply. The role develops advanced analytics and operations research capabilities to support data-driven decisions and DSCS business operations, with a focus on modeling, simulation, and optimization for complex business problems.

The position translates business problems and stakeholder requirements into mathematical models, technical specifications, and decision-support capabilities. It develops forecasting and stochastic optimization methods, scalable data foundations and pipelines, analytics integrated with web applications or AI agents, and custom applications that help business users work with data and model outputs. In partnership with DSCS subject-matter experts and digital teams, the role supports AI-enabled processes, business cases and value measurement, and the advancement of reusable decision intelligence methods across business domains.

The role also documents models, code, processes, data models, and architecture, and provides training and technical support as new capabilities are introduced. The position is hybrid, has 10% travel, and offers a US salary range of USD 142,400–224,100, with eligibility for an annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience in data science, operations research, data engineering, or a related highly technical role; alternatively, the education section specifies a PhD with 1+ year of experience or a bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of experience in a comparable technical field.
• PhD with 1+ year of experience or a bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of experience in Engineering, Operations Research, Data Science, or a comparable technical field.
• Strong expertise in Python and experience building and deploying advanced machine learning models.
• Proven experience gathering complex requirements from non-technical stakeholders and translating them into actionable technical roadmaps.
• Proven experience using GitHub for version control; comfort using AI-assisted development tools such as Cline and an IDE such as VS Code or equivalent.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to formulate complex business challenges as mathematical problems and technical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and drive change with diverse technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and senior executives.
• Independent decision-making ability and a proactive approach to leading projects and delivering results.
• Pharmaceutical development and/or clinical supply chain experience.
• Required skills listed in the posting include analytical problem solving, biotechnology manufacturing, data analytics, data science, decision analysis, decision management, GitHub, machine learning, operations research, Python, regulatory compliance, SQL databases, version control, and version control systems.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of CMC development across modalities such as small molecules, large molecules, and vaccines is strongly preferred.
• Databricks and MLOps experience.
• Familiarity with or strong interest in Agentic AI and integrating AI agents into workflows.
• Experience deploying applications or agents.

Responsibilities

• Translate business processes and stakeholder requirements into mathematical representations and technical specifications for models, agents, and data products.
• Develop mathematical models to simulate or optimize business processes, using methods such as machine learning, discrete event simulation, and optimization.
• Develop probabilistic forecasting and stochastic optimization techniques to support strategic decisions under uncertainty.
• Translate data and model outputs into clear, concise, interpretable business insights; collaborate with Change Management and functional SMEs to implement AI-enabled decision-making processes across DSCS.
• Develop business cases and articulate value propositions for new digital capabilities in collaboration with DSCS SMEs.
• Define and track KPIs to monitor value realized through digital transformation.
• Design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines using Databricks, Python, Dataverse, and advanced SQL, transforming raw data into contextualized, AI-ready data products.
• Collaborate with the Agentic Intelligence team to design, test, and implement agentic AI workflows using tools such as Copilot Studio.
• Collaborate with Digital Operations Shared Services to develop and deploy user-friendly web applications for interacting with data and analytics.
• Use modern development environments and AI coding assistants alongside GitHub to manage code and maintain quality for scripts, applications, and data models.
• Work with system architects to support scalable, secure, and efficient DevOps.
• Document processes, code, mathematical models, data models, and system architectures; provide training and technical support to end users.
• Contribute reusable methods and components to the DDT Decision Intelligence Strategic Roadmap.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, healthcare, and other insurance benefits for employees and family.
• Retirement benefits, including 401(k).
• Paid holidays, vacation, compassionate days, and sick days.
• Eligible for an annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director