Associate Director, Marketing -Thought Leader Marketing Liaison

Merck•Washington, DC

11d•$142,400 - $224,100•Remote

About The Position

Our US Immunology team is committed to transforming the lives of patients living with Inflammatory Bowl Disease (IBD). We aspire to achieve this through relentless commitment to patients, innovation, ensuring access to life-changing therapies, and collaborating with healthcare systems, governments, and payers to make treatments available to those who need them most. Our focus is on the patients, scientific rigor and flawless execution—bringing breakthrough therapies to patients who need them. Thought Leader Marketing Liaison (TLML) (Associate Director) is a key member of the Immunology brand marketing organization reporting directly to the Director, Thought Leader Liaison Team Leader. This position is responsible for ensuring that advocacy development, platform and product positioning, speaker program preparation and management, and congress engagement are strategically aligned with brand objectives and executed in a compliant manner. This will help create a strong and sustained our company presence across local, regional, and national IBD communities. Additionally, this role is critical to ensure that key scientific leader insights directly inform brand and go-to-market strategies. Available Territories: Northeast | Southeast | Great Lakes/Ohio Valley | Central | West Position Type: Remote/Field Based (Requires 60%-70% regional and national travel) Candidates must reside within major metro areas in or near their assigned region near a major airport.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MS, PharmD, or equivalent) preferred.
Minimum 5-8 years in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, or field medical engagement or KOL management roles.
At least 2 years of IBD experience strongly preferred with existing Key KOL networks in IBD.
Demonstrated success in building and maintaining scientific relationships with KOLs, speakers, or professional societies in a highly regulated environment.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
Proven ability to synthesize insights into strategic recommendations.
Ability to influence and collaborate across a matrixed environment without direct authority.
Travel up to 60% (including weekends and evenings for congresses and advisory meetings).
Valid driver’s license.
Candidates must live in or near geographical area and should reside near a major US airport to fulfill travel requirements for this role.

Nice To Haves

Adaptability
Adaptability
Brand Management
Brand Marketing
Brand Strategy
Content Creation
Creativity
Cross-Functional Leadership
Customer Experience Strategy
Customer Insights
Customer Strategy
Digital Consumer Engagement
Digital Marketing
Direct Marketing
Go-to-Market Strategies
Marketing
Marketing Management
Market Research
Market Segmentation
Multidisciplinary Collaboration
Omnichannel Marketing
Pharmaceutical Sales
Product Launches
Product Management
Product Marketing
+ 2 more

Responsibilities

Assist in identification and mapping of national and regional scientific leaders (SLs), clinical leaders, and emerging experts across the US IBD landscape.
Develop and assess advocacy of key opinion leaders around the scientific messages, product positioning, and medical education content.
Execute engagements with SLs, including congress participation, site visits, and HQ-approved activities (e.g., advisory boards, customer strategy sessions).
Gather actionable insights from SLs to inform marketing strategies and brand planning.
Provide real-time insights from KOL’s on approved key business questions / topics.
Execute engagement plans with key thought leaders throughout the US and support development of approved educational content based on KOL and faculty input.
Collaborate with marketing team to determine participation and level of support in key IBD conferences.
Secure key engagement meetings and congress execution between HQ employees and KOLs
Help identify and manage a US IBD Speaker Bureau, including faculty identification, onboarding, and training as appropriate to approved content.
Ensure speaker advocacy aligns to our scientific platform key messages and supports speaker readiness for educational speaker engagements including congress product theatres.
Collaborate with field facing roles according to our company's Policy to ensure alignment on SL needs and account dynamics
Ensure strict adherence to compliance regulations, internal policies, and industry standards in all engagement activities