Director, Sustainability Strategy & Engagement

Merck is seeking a Director of Sustainability Strategy & Engagement in Rahway, NJ. This role involves leading sustainability initiatives, collaborating with internal stakeholders, advising on best practices, and supporting regulatory reporting. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills and business acumen, and will work closely with cross-functional teams to align sustainability strategies with business objectives. The position is full-time with a salary range of $170K–$267K.
The Director, Sustainability Strategy & Engagement will join the Company as a member of Social Impact & Sustainability (SIS), serving as a strategic consulting lead for the sustainability areas of focus. This leader will be familiar with the landscape and help drive outcomes that create value in alignment with our strategic roadmap and establish best practices. This person should have a successful track record of achievement, strong leadership, and business acumen to serve as a trusted advisor with cross-functional leaders to provide insights on highly complex and/or sensitive economic and social issues that have the potential to impact the Company’s reputation and license to operate. The candidate selected for this role will work under the guidance of the Associate Vice President, Sustainability Strategy & Engagement, in a fast-paced and changing environment with a rapidly evolving set of expectations from all stakeholder groups.

The SIS team is dynamic and entrepreneurial, focused on achieving results through collaboration and staying ahead of external developments. We are dedicated to incorporating responsible practices into our operations. We strive to advance our sustainability commitments, manage sustainability reporting, and utilize data and tools effectively, all while engaging stakeholders to drive support and involvement.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Lead the ongoing refinement and implementation of the company’s sustainability strategy that is aligned with the company’s business approach and define clear guidelines to meet the sustainability objectives.
• Proactively collaborate and facilitate dialogue with internal stakeholders, including corporate executives, to assure ongoing support for and develop strategies and tactics to address key issues within the focus areas, including the identification and tracking of key metrics and goals as appropriate.
• Help advise leadership on global best practices, risks and opportunities, through monitoring and analyzing strategies, trends, policies, and programs.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders. This includes implementing strategies to meet stakeholder (customer, government, investor, employee) expectations and participating in internal working groups with cross-functional peers to ensure sustainability progress.
• Provide strategic leadership in the update of the multi-year sustainability strategic roadmap, aligned with company strategic priorities. Collaborate with key business units/leaders on the development and execution of key activities on the roadmap.
• Support regulatory reporting requirements (i.e. CSRD, CSDD) alongside Finance and the Sustainability strategic reporting team.