Executive Director, Network Strategy Execution and Product Source Management

Merck•Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

6d•$231,900 - $365,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Executive Director, Network Strategy Execution (NS&E) and Product Source Management is responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading execution of global product source changes and network rationalization activities, where applicable. This role ensures delivery of business priorities, execution excellence, and alignment across a complex, global manufacturing network. The Executive Director operates in a managerial capacity, overseeing a team of Directors and their respective teams to manage a portfolio of strategic sourcing change and network execution initiatives. This role partners closely with Manufacturing Operating Unit leaders, site leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders across Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Technical, Finance, Global Engineering Services and other functions to ensure integrated execution and decision-making. The ideal candidate brings deep knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturing and enterprise operations, strong strategic and operational leadership, and the ability to drive accountability across the organization. The role requires compliance with company and divisional policies, ethical business practices, and applicable laws and regulations.

Requirements

15+ years of progressively responsible experience in manufacturing, operations, network strategy, supply chain, product source management, or related functions
Significant experience leading senior managers, directors, or large global teams in a matrixed environment
Deep understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing, operations, and enterprise business processes
Proven ability to lead complex, multi-workstream strategic initiatives from planning through execution
Strong financial and business acumen, including the ability to evaluate tradeoffs and business impact
Demonstrated experience influencing senior leaders and driving alignment across cross-functional stakeholders
Excellent communication, presentation, and executive-level stakeholder management skills
Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and risk management capabilities
Demonstrated success in talent development, organizational leadership, and building high-performing teams
Ability to operate independently with broad enterprise perspective and sound judgment
Strong understanding of regulatory, quality, technical, and operational considerations in pharmaceutical manufacturing
Budget Development
Business Case Development
Business Decisions
Corporate Ethics
Creativity
Decision Making
Enterprise Operations
Feasibility Studies
Negotiation
Organizational Capability
People Leadership
Performance Monitoring
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Portfolio Management
Professional Integrity
Risk Management
Schedule Management
Stakeholder Communications
Stakeholder Management
Status Reporting
Strategic Leadership
Subcontract Management
Team Effectiveness
Technical Problem-Solving
Vision Casting

Nice To Haves

Background in Engineering, or a related discipline preferred
Advanced degree preferred
Experience in manufacturing network strategy, source changes, or site rationalization
Experience in pharmaceutical or life sciences manufacturing leadership roles

Responsibilities

Set the strategic direction for the product source management and network execution portfolio within NS&E.
Lead execution of network rationalization strategies and global product source change aligned to enterprise and divisional priorities.
Translate business objectives into actionable portfolio plans, priorities, and performance expectations.
Ensure the organization remains focused on execution excellence, speed, quality, and business impact.
Lead, coach, and develop the organization.
Build a strong leadership pipeline by actively developing current and future leaders across the organization.
Provide regular feedback, coaching, mentoring, and career development support to direct and indirect reports.
Create meaningful growth opportunities through stretch assignments, succession planning, and role development.
Foster a culture of learning, accountability, collaboration, and inclusion.
Assess organizational capability gaps and implement development plans to strengthen team effectiveness.
Drive employee engagement and create an environment where people feel empowered, supported, and challenged to perform at their best.
Ensure talent management processes are effectively used to recruit, retain, develop, and advance high-potential employees.
Oversee the integrated portfolio of network actions and global source change projects across the operating area.
Ensure plans remain on track, risks are proactively managed, and dependencies are effectively coordinated across projects.
Establish clear governance, reporting, and escalation mechanisms to support decision-making and execution.
Ensure lessons learned are captured and applied across the portfolio to improve future performance.
Serve as a senior leader and primary escalation point for Operating Unit leaders and impacted site leaders.
Build strong partnerships across Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Technical, Finance, and related functions.
Provide regular updates to executive sponsors, senior leadership, and governance forums on project progress, risks, and decisions required.
Ensure transparent and effective communication across internal stakeholders to support alignment and action.
Support and guide the development of business cases for network evaluations.
Evaluate strategic options using operational, financial, technical, and execution considerations.
Ensure recommendations are supported by robust analysis, sound judgment, and alignment with enterprise strategy.
Contribute to high-impact decisions affecting the long-term structure and performance of the manufacturing network.
Proactively identify risks, issues, and constraints that may affect portfolio delivery or business objectives.
Drive rapid escalation, issue resolution, and mitigation planning for complex or high-impact problems.
Ensure performance metrics are defined, tracked, and used to drive accountability and improvement.
Maintain strong governance and disciplined execution across all team activities.
Serve as the process owner for key NS&E systems and business processes as assigned.
Ensure tier processes within NS&E are maintained, documented, understood, and followed.
Drive continuous improvement in execution methods, tools, governance, and organizational capability.
Promote standardization, efficiency, and best practice sharing across the team and broader network.
Ensure all activities are conducted in compliance with company policies, divisional procedures, ethical business practices, and applicable laws and regulations.
Model strong leadership, sound judgment, and a commitment to operational excellence.
Reinforce a culture of accountability, respect, inclusion, and results-oriented execution.