Director, Group Portfolio Execution

Merck•Burlington, MA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Start your next chapter and join EMD Serono. Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us. United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe. This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US. As a Director, Group Portfolio Execution, you will own the end-to-end integration and carve-out execution for our small to mid-size strategic deals. Reporting to the Head of Portfolio Execution (VP), you will be joining a highly energetic, mission-driven team of experienced integration and carve-out leaders managing these strategic initiatives across the three sectors.

Requirements

Master’s degree, e.g., in Business Administration, Economics, Finance or related fields
Minimum 6 years of experience with global, matrixed organizations
Minimum 6 years of experience in management consulting or similar positions, with demonstrated success in steering large, cross-functional teams and overseeing substantial resources in complex environments
Demonstrated minimum 2 years of leading operational post-merger integrations and / or carve-outs across various deal types (e.g., share deals, asset deals, standalone / incubator integrations, spin-off).
Minimum 2 years of leadership experience
Broad-based knowledge and project experience in the industries in which our company operates (Life Science / Healthcare and / or Electronics) – with curiosity about the technologies shaping our future
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail
Good balance of strategic and operational strength
Exceptional organizational skills, with ability to work in an agile manner and change course as required; able to systematically work through ambiguity
Skilled at building credibility and networks – from working teams to C-suite – both internally and with external partners
Strong business acumen – deep understanding of business processes / operating models, with knowledge of financial analysis, ROI analysis and key performance indicators
Continuous learning orientation and ability to quickly acquire new skills and domain knowledge in evolving business contexts
Strong drive, especially in fast-paced, complex and high-pressure environments, showing resilience and adaptability
Proven ability to make sound, data-driven decisions with confidence and minimal need for escalation
Culturally and politically savvy, strong in change management and communications

Nice To Haves

MBA degree
Proficient financial literacy and experience in financial due diligence, valuation, and M&A lifecycle
Multi-year experience in strategy, business development, portfolio management, investment banking, or related field is a plus
AI literacy or interest in AI – including critical thinking and experience with AI tools, concepts and prompt engineering to accelerate project execution and drive synergies

Responsibilities

Represent integration interests during due diligence.
Own and lead assigned integration or carve-out projects end-to-end – serving as the primary point of contact with full accountability across all workstreams.
Design and drive a structured, disciplined implementation strategy – from project set-up and timeline planning through milestone delivery – dynamically adapting and recalibrating plans as the situation evolves.
Build trusted partnerships and align with key stakeholders and business leaders, mobilizing necessary cross-functional team members and providing clear direction and oversight for accountabilities and assignments.
Drive creation and sign-off of the future target operating model.
Ensure smooth delivery at country level.
Orchestrate high-impact workstream governance – establishing meeting cadence, creating and deploying common frameworks for feedback, inputs, and deliverables within a business unit and across our company – keeping all teams laser-focused on value drivers and key enablers across the company.
Drive fast decision-making – proactively identifying and resolving risks and pivoting course decisively to protect deal success.
Ensure full compliance with legal and regulatory requirements throughout the transaction lifecycle, safeguarding our organizational and financial interests.
Plan and manage overall integration / separation cost budget.
Ensure people and organizational aspects (culture, org design, retention and engagement, capability identification and preservation) are appropriately considered and managed in integrations.
Lead the end-to-end definition, implementation, and delivery of post-closing services (incl. Manufacturing Supply Agreements (MSAs) and Transitional Service Agreements (TSAs) in carve-out projects.
Lead and manage timely and effective post-closing agreement exit in integrations.
Understand and communicate concerns, motivations and needs of all entities to ensure maximum benefit is realized and business momentum is maintained / increased.
Track and report performance against agreed-upon milestones and deliverables (as well as top- and bottom-line synergy / value creation targets in integrations).
Maintain a structured approach for keeping all relevant stakeholders informed – reporting integration / carve-out progress against financial and non-financial targets, surfacing roadblocks, and driving timely escalation to senior leadership.
Create a clear roadmap and transition plan for handover and ongoing ownership.
Actively coach and develop junior team members.
Continuously evolve transaction execution-related best practices and engage in best-practice building.