Director, Med Coding

Merck • North Wales, PA

7d • $173,200 - $272,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Medical Coding is accountable for the global leadership of Safety Data Management (SDM), Individual Case Safety Report (ICSR) management, medical coding operations, quality oversight, inspection readiness, system enablement, process optimization, and people leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or related field with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, including 7 years in the biopharmaceutical industry and 3 years of people leadership experience; OR Advanced degree (Master’s or Doctorate) in Life Sciences or related field with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience, including 5 years in the biopharmaceutical industry and 3 years of people leadership experience.
• Deep subject matter expertise in pharmacovigilance, ICSR processes, medical coding, safety data management, and global regulatory requirements.
• Strong understanding of clinical development, global safety operations, compliance frameworks, and inspection readiness.
• Experience leading global, cross-functional teams and driving operational excellence across complex safety data management environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in performance management, resource planning, capacity modeling, process optimization, and data-driven decision-making.
• Knowledge of safety systems, databases, reporting tools, workflow validation, automation, and technology-enabled process improvements.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment across global organizations.
• Proven ability to lead change, manage ambiguity, and foster an inclusive, high-performing team culture.
• Fluent English communication skills, both written and verbal.

Nice To Haves

• Strategic leadership, customer focus, and enterprise mindset.
• Strong partnership-building and networking capabilities across global and cross-functional teams.
• Continuous improvement mindset with demonstrated success driving transformation and innovation.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of global Safety Data Management (SDM) operations, ensuring compliant, high-quality execution of case processing, medical coding, documentation, and training activities.
• Lead the development, governance, and continuous improvement of SDM processes, capabilities, and operational frameworks to meet evolving business and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure global inspection readiness, regulatory compliance, and adherence to pharmacovigilance, GxP, ICH-GCP, and company quality standards.
• Oversee process standardization, quality management, documentation lifecycle management, training programs, and operational governance across global teams.
• Drive operational excellence through process optimization, risk mitigation, performance monitoring, quality trend analysis, and implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).
• Partner with Global Clinical Safety & Pharmacovigilance, IT, Data Integration & Automation, and external vendors to advance system enhancements, automation, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Provide strategic input into technology roadmaps, platform governance, system releases, and business cases that support future-state safety data operations.
• Lead audit and inspection support activities, serving as an escalation point for compliance issues and high-impact regulatory findings.
• Build and maintain strong cross-functional partnerships to ensure alignment, stakeholder engagement, and successful delivery of enterprise priorities.
• Manage and develop high-performing teams through effective goal setting, coaching, performance management, succession planning, talent development, and recruitment.
• Oversee workforce planning, budget management, and optimization of internal, contingent, and offshore resources to support organizational objectives.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performance culture that promotes continuous learning, innovation, accountability, and employee engagement.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days
• annual bonus
• long-term incentive

What This Job Offers

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