Sr. Spclst , Strategic Forecasting

Merck & Co.•North Wales, PA

37d

About The Position

The Senior Specialist, Strategic Forecasting, will be responsible for developing strategic forecasts for a set of products and indications, as well as interpreting implications, developing insights, and communicating these to the business to help action the marketing strategy. The individual in this role will work extremely closely with other Digital Human Health (DHH) functions, including Market Research, Data Science, and Payer Analytics to build a strong perspective on the market and asset situation and thus the inputs to the strategic forecast. She/he will also work very closely across a range of commercial stakeholders, including Global and Regional Marketing, Market Access, and Finance. The individual will be an independent contributor but will partner very closely with other forecasting colleagues in a matrixed structure to develop and deliver forecasting insights. She/he will act as a core point of contact regarding development of product and indication forecasts and forecast-related insights. The ideal candidate will have deep understanding of and experience across a range of forecasting methodologies, as well as a strong understanding of their respective business area (oncology, pharma, or vaccines). They will have demonstrated the ability to quarterback highly cross-functional teams across forecasting, market research and data science, as well shown an aptitude for partnering closely with business and finance teams. They will also have an entrepreneurial spirit, consultative mindset, and strong understanding of the available data landscape and sources of insight. This person will help scope, design, and deliver well-defined forecasting projects (including periodic forecasting cycles) and insights. This role will require interfacing and collaborating with many teams. The candidate will have demonstrated consistently strong leadership skills in addition to an ability to work independently. The person will be required to have a growth mindset and embody a culture of continuous learning. Strong communication skills are essential for a candidate to be successful in this role.

Requirements

deep understanding of and experience across a range of forecasting methodologies
strong understanding of their respective business area (oncology, pharma, or vaccines)
demonstrated the ability to quarterback highly cross-functional teams across forecasting, market research and data science
shown an aptitude for partnering closely with business and finance teams
entrepreneurial spirit
consultative mindset
strong understanding of the available data landscape and sources of insight
demonstrated consistently strong leadership skills
ability to work independently
growth mindset
embody a culture of continuous learning
Strong communication skills

Responsibilities

Working closely with Strategic Forecasting Director, determine appropriate forecast modeling approaches, tools, and techniques for your respective asset(s) and/or indication(s).
Partner closely with Marketing Engagement, Market Research, Data Science, Payer Analytics, and other DHH functions on a continual basis to develop appropriate insights strategies and plans to have the necessary inputs for strategic forecasting.
Develop and deliver the forecasts and forecasting insights for the forecasting cycles aligned with our company enterprise forecasting process, working closely across a matrixed team including both US and India-based colleagues.
Support ongoing understanding of and engagement with the business regarding actual performance against forecast, including what is driving it.
Engage closely with the business (Marketing, Market Access) and Finance in aligning on inputs, outputs, and the overall forecasting insights for each cycle.
Bring a range of forecasting capabilities to bear in addressing business strategy and decision-making.
Partner closely with others in a highly matrixed organization including across large teams, ensuring we always operate as One Team.
Drive frequent, clear communication around the forecasting process, inputs, insights, and other related topics to ensure your business and DHH partner stakeholders are aligned.
Enable interconnected problem-solving with other DHH functional colleagues and business colleagues around targeted business questions.
Be a thought leader and strategic partner for our business partners via the establishment of close, trust-based relationships.
Understand business stakeholders' priorities and help develop strategic forecasting-related solutions that support business objectives in collaboration with the broader commercial insight teams.