Associate Director Marketing

Merck • North Wales, PA

5d • $142,400 - $224,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Web Operations and Design System serves as the strategic lead for advancing Web Channel capabilities, the multi-brand design system, and the digital experience for U.S. Market Business Units across Healthcare Professional (HCP), Healthcare Consumer (HCC), and AI-driven search audiences. The role guides the evolution, governance, and adoption of web design systems so web experiences are meaningful, compliant, and optimized for discovery, interpretation, and citation by external AI-driven search engines, large language models, and conversational interfaces.

The position partners with the Digital Engagement Operations team and works across Marketing/Promotion, Digital Execution, IT, Design, and Development. It provides subject-matter expertise, defines customer-centric solutions, and shapes guidance with Legal and Regulatory teams to maintain high-quality, compliant web marketing resources. The role independently manages the U.S. design system roadmap, prioritizes capabilities that improve user experience and support business objectives, stewards accessibility and compliance improvements, streamlines review cycles, and advances standards, processes, and tools for web projects.

The role also leads the future direction of how U.S. Market Human Health web content is structured, governed, and activated as technology and discovery trends evolve. It is a hybrid position based primarily in North Wales, Pennsylvania, with 10% travel and a day shift. The employee status is regular, and relocation is not offered.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 7 years of professional experience, including at least 5 years in digital marketing, web strategy, IT, design systems, or related digital channel fields.
• Experience managing a product backlog (such as Jira), prioritizing capabilities, and driving digital channel roadmaps.
• Experience with multi-brand design systems (such as Figma) and creative/development workflow tools.
• Strong understanding of web usability (UX), accessibility standards including automated scans and manual reviews, and compliance processes in a highly regulated environment.
• Experience applying web discoverability principles, including search engine optimization, AI-driven search, structured content, semantic markup, and content strategies that improve how digital experiences are found, interpreted, and cited.
• Track record of cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, IT, Design, Development, and Legal/Regulatory/Compliance teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional influence skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience launching and leading new web capabilities and scaling operational improvements.
• Agile experience, including Jira backlog ownership, standups, and ticketing processes.
• Background in HCC and HCP engagement, pharmaceutical marketing, or other regulated industries.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking, and comfort managing competing priorities in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision, oversight, and management of U.S. Human Health web user experience across consumer and HCP portals.
• Help define and champion the future-state discoverability vision of the Customer Engagement Orchestration team.
• Develop and implement a forward-thinking HCC web strategy aligned with business objectives and evolving digital technologies and trends.
• Develop, establish, and maintain web channel and design system standards, templates, and technical and business documentation, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and consistency.
• Manage web channel standards materials through Legal and Regulatory review and approval to promote alignment and standardization across websites.
• Assess and prioritize new web functionalities, technologies, and industry best practices to improve customer engagement.
• Lead pilot initiatives for new capabilities and operationalize them for reuse across brands and channels.
• Drive enhancements to U.S. design system components to improve content discoverability and engagement.
• Champion experimentation to validate user-experience improvements and optimize high-value actions.
• Lead research, prototyping, and testing; analyze web performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert, providing strategic guidance and resolving complex challenges across teams and initiatives.
• Own the Jira backlog, facilitate standups, and establish ticketing processes to improve throughput and predictability for HCC and Platform Development teams.
• Use strategic thinking and presentations to influence leadership and cross-functional decisions.
• Manage urgent needs and competing priorities while ensuring execution in a dynamic environment.
• Proactively identify problems and implement solutions to maintain stakeholder alignment and operational efficiency.
• Provide training and education on web channel standards, solutions, and U.S. design system guidelines to internal teams and external partners.
• Partner with IT, digital execution teams, creative agencies, and marketing stakeholders to define technical execution and implement process improvements.
• Collaborate with Legal, Regulatory, and Marketing teams to share best practices and standardized design system components.
• Build trusted relationships with Legal and Regulatory review teams to streamline approvals and reduce cycle times.

Benefits

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

What This Job Offers

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