Director, Market Research

MSD•Rahway, PA

1d•$187,000 - $294,400•Hybrid

About The Position

Our Company is passionate about bringing our medicines and vaccines to our customers around the world. Through market research, digital listening, and patient analytics, we are able to understand our customers’ needs and strive to provide solutions to meet them. At our Company, we are leveraging insights, analytics and technology, as we invent for life on behalf of patients around the world. We are seeking those who have a passion for using strategic insights, data and analytics to drive decision making, that will allow us to tackle some of the world’s greatest health threats. As the Director, Primary Market Research for Vaccines, you will join a team of passionate, data-driven strategists who partner with stakeholders at local, regional and global levels to enable value-driven decision making. You will lead and coach a team of market research professionals (both US based and indirect team members based in India) responsible for planning, prioritizing, managing and executing work across the vaccines portfolio spanning pre- and post-launch, as well as future assets. You will manage a diverse set of stakeholders at all levels and collaborate closely with peers in the Primary Market Leadership team and across the Digital Human Health (DHH) organization. Your Market Research and Analytics expertise will position you as a strategic partner who proactively engages cross-functional brand teams to address key business questions. You will be an exceptional leader and active member of the Primary Market Research leadership team. You will collaborate to define and maintain best practices, and test and implement innovative approaches to generating and delivering insights in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate is a subject-matter expert in market research methodology who partners closely with stakeholders across Business Insights & Analytics, Pricing & Access, Sales, Promotion, U.S. and Global Marketing, Forecasting, and other Digital Human Health teams to elevate the impact of the market research function. The Director consistently demonstrates strong leadership, a transformational mindset, cultural awareness, and resilience, and thrives in a rapidly changing environment. Key responsibilities include and are not limited to the following: Lead a team of market research professionals (US and global) to design and execute research plans across the product lifecycle—from Business Development (BD) and early development through launch and mature phases—providing strategic partnership to the business by: Framing critical business questions and identifying information needs Integrating considerations from other data sources and developing research/analysis plans Managing the research process to deliver objective insights on customers, competitors, and market developments Clearly articulating rationale, hypotheses, and methodology to leadership and franchise/client teams to ensure objectives are met and communicated across all levels Assessing and directing vendor capabilities; managing analytic risks Facilitating strategic discussions with marketing/commercial teams to drive data‑driven decision-making and planning Integrating multiple sources/studies to present strategic options Providing consultative guidance to marketing/commercial teams Take end-to-end ownership of team performance: ensure understanding of business challenges and information needs; evaluate alternatives; select appropriate methods; apply best practices; and champion new techniques/innovations to meet objectives. Serve as a thought leader and strategic partner across commercial, R&D, and medical functions. Embrace innovation and technology to modernize market research, uncover growth opportunities, and provide actionable brand- and portfolio-level insights in near real time. Collaborate proactively with cross-functional partners—Business Insights & Analytics, Marketing, Marketing Communications, Market Access, Commercial, and advertising agencies—to ensure integrated launch and post‑launch execution. Partner with Forecasting to inform strategic assumptions, brand forecasts, KPI tracking, and benchmarking dashboards. Partner with analytic functions to expand the use of novel data sources, including Real‑World Data (RWD). Lead ad hoc initiatives as needed. Work effectively across multiple time zones and geographies. Mentor and develop junior researchers; support ongoing growth of the team.

Requirements

BA/BS in Business / Marketing / Healthcare
Minimum 10 years of experience in global pharmaceutical marketing and/or market research
Expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies; strong understanding of secondary datasets/analytics and epidemiology data
Exposure to adjacent functions such as analytics, sales, forecasting, market access and pricing, marketing, or competitive intelligence
Demonstrated ability to lead change: proactively prioritize, drive efficiency, challenge the status quo, and apply innovative approaches
Proven strategic partner/consultant with the ability to quickly build trust and credibility and develop effective cross-functional relationships
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to think strategically and objectively; adept at communicating research outputs through storytelling that turns data into actionable insights
Technical proficiency and learning agility to master current and emerging market research techniques—including AI—in a rapidly evolving, ambiguous environment
Building Trust
Business Analysis
Business Development
Communication
Customer Insights
Data Analysis
Epidemiology
Forecasting
Go-to-Market Strategies
Market Access
Marketing
Market Research
Motivating Teams
Project Management
REMOTE_SKILL-1-52891
Researching
Stakeholder Relationship Management
Strategic Insights
Supplier Management
Talent Management
User Research
Waterfall Model

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (e.g., MBA, PharmD, PhD)
Knowledge of vaccines portfolio preferred; experience with global product launches is an advantage
Launch excellence (e.g., go-to-market strategy, cross-functional readiness, post-launch optimization)
Early commercial development knowledge (e.g., target product profile shaping, demand assessment, value/Access inputs, early forecasting)
Project management and stakeholder management (plan, prioritize, manage risks/dependencies, drive alignment across functions)
Business acumen and strategic thinking (market sizing, competitive assessment, scenario planning, portfolio trade-offs)
Marketing strategy development (positioning, segmentation/targeting, value propositions, messaging)
Leadership that emphasizes customer focus, decision making, courage & candor, and collaboration / teamwork
Ability to motivate teams and support/lead transformation in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
People leadership and management (coaching, performance management, talent development)

Responsibilities

Lead a team of market research professionals (US and global) to design and execute research plans across the product lifecycle—from Business Development (BD) and early development through launch and mature phases—providing strategic partnership to the business by: Framing critical business questions and identifying information needs Integrating considerations from other data sources and developing research/analysis plans Managing the research process to deliver objective insights on customers, competitors, and market developments Clearly articulating rationale, hypotheses, and methodology to leadership and franchise/client teams to ensure objectives are met and communicated across all levels Assessing and directing vendor capabilities; managing analytic risks Facilitating strategic discussions with marketing/commercial teams to drive data‑driven decision-making and planning Integrating multiple sources/studies to present strategic options Providing consultative guidance to marketing/commercial teams
Take end-to-end ownership of team performance: ensure understanding of business challenges and information needs; evaluate alternatives; select appropriate methods; apply best practices; and champion new techniques/innovations to meet objectives.
Serve as a thought leader and strategic partner across commercial, R&D, and medical functions.
Embrace innovation and technology to modernize market research, uncover growth opportunities, and provide actionable brand- and portfolio-level insights in near real time.
Collaborate proactively with cross-functional partners—Business Insights & Analytics, Marketing, Marketing Communications, Market Access, Commercial, and advertising agencies—to ensure integrated launch and post‑launch execution.
Partner with Forecasting to inform strategic assumptions, brand forecasts, KPI tracking, and benchmarking dashboards.
Partner with analytic functions to expand the use of novel data sources, including Real‑World Data (RWD).
Lead ad hoc initiatives as needed.
Work effectively across multiple time zones and geographies.
Mentor and develop junior researchers; support ongoing growth of the team.