Operations Project Manager Jobs in New Jersey

Job Description

The Opportunity
As our company accelerates its adoption of artificial intelligence, we are evolving into an organization powered by intelligent products, agentic workflows, and agile teams. To deliver measurable business value, we are transforming Digital Human Health (DHH) operations to better plan, execute and measure our strategic programs and commercial enabling platforms and solutions. We are focused on continuous process improvement and leveraging digital, data, and agentic solutions to reimagine our operating processes.

Role Overview
We are seeking a highly operational and technically fluent Director to serve as the Operational Integrator for the Portfolio Management and Operational Enablement (PM&OE) Team. Reporting to the Associate Vice President, PM&OE, this individual will act as the central operational “connective tissue” across all verticals, bringing a strategic operations or consulting mindset to provide rigorous quality control and delivery oversight across critical outputs. The individual in this role will also have accountability to the DHH senior leadership team and will be required to interface across Value Teams in DHH to ensure operational connectivity and outcomes. The role requires deep proficiency in the “Business of IT” ways of working, systems, and tooling. The core mandate is to pressure-test deliverables across the Finance, Strategy/OKRs, Architecture, and ensure DHH’s operational machinery runs with precision, affording leadership the capacity to focus on strategic imperatives. Success will be measured by improved team effectiveness, stronger operational rigor, faster decision-making, and seamless cross-functional execution.

Key Responsibilities
Cross-Team Alignment & Operating Rhythm

• DHH SLT Partnership & Operational Alignment: Serve as a trusted operational partner to the PM&OE Leader, connecting team priorities with broader DHH operational standards and cross-functional outcomes to strengthen operational excellence, accelerate execution, and improve consistency across DHH.
• Team Integration & Operating Cadence: Partner across PM&OE to drive seamless delivery, cross-functional alignment, and clear communication across all pillars. Design and continuously evolve PM&OE’s operating model and leadership cadence so forums reinforce accountability, informed decision-making, transparency, and execution against the highest priorities.
• Cross-Functional Bottleneck Resolution: Lead the triage and resolution of operational hurdles, applying critical thinking and structured problem-solving to quickly unpack complex IT and operational challenges, clarify ownership, and facilitate resolution.
• Special Cross-Pillar Initiatives: Direct sensitive, high-priority, or cross-functional operational initiatives requiring coordinated execution across multiple PM&OE groups.
• Capacity & Delivery Planning: Maintain visibility into team bandwidth and delivery risk, dynamically shifting resources and priorities to meet critical operational deadlines without compromising quality.

Executive Readiness & Synthesis

• Deliverable Review & Quality Assurance: Drive quality assurance for critical deliverables, presentations, and reports, applying a rigorous consulting lens to data accuracy, affordability, narrative clarity, and alignment with overarching DHH strategic programs.
• Scale DHH Best Practices: Partner with leadership to identify, package, and share PM&OE operational best practices, frameworks, and success stories with the broader DHH community, other technology divisions and global IT leadership, scaling proven approaches across the broader organization.
• Represent PM&OE Operations: Serve as an operational delegate for PM&OE in cross-functional meetings and technical forums, as requested by leadership, ensuring consistent communication and accurate representation of PM&OE priorities to internal and external audiences.

Operational Improvement Adoption & Activation

• Drive Cross-Team Adoption: Partner closely with operational improvement functions to implement and embed new workflows, tools, operating standards, and AI-enabled or agentic capabilities across DHH.
• Track Outcomes & Results: Monitor execution and measure the real-world impact of operational improvement initiatives, ensuring they deliver intended efficiency, quality, and time-saving outcomes.
• Gather Operational Feedback: Collect ongoing feedback across PM&OE teams during rollouts to identify adoption hurdles, refine handoffs, and ensure process changes reduce administrative drag in practice.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Background in management consulting or deep experience in strategic operations is highly preferred, demonstrating an ability to apply analytical rigor and structured problem-solving to complex business challenges.
• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Information Science, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 10 years experience in operational leadership, integration, or strategic implementation roles within a complex, matrixed IT or Digital Health organization.
• Deep understanding of the “Business of IT,” with proven capability in overseeing financial planning, budget implementation, and operational metrics.
• Highly technically proficient across enterprise IT systems, tooling, and digital enablement platforms.
• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to critically review and pressure-test complex financial models, technical strategy documents, and executive presentations.
• Strong people leadership and lateral management skills, capable of holding senior finance and strategy directors accountable for quality and delivery.
• Extensive experience in healthcare, life sciences, or other regulated environments requiring strict adherence to privacy, compliance, and governance by design.
• Demonstrate ability to partner effectively across a highly matrixed organization and large, cross-functional teams, consistently fostering a One Team mindset.
• Enable interconnected problem-solving with other DHH functional colleagues and business colleagues around targeted business questions.
• Be a thought leader and strategic partner across the DHH community via the establishment of close, trust-based relationships.
• Lead cross-functional communication, alignment, and change management activities supporting strategic initiatives.
• Develop executive-ready materials, summaries, and recommendations to support leadership decision-making.
• Travel may be required (

Required Skills:
Acquisitions Divestitures, Acquisitions Divestitures, Adaptability, Analytical Tools, Business Alignment, Business Operations, Cost Efficiency, Cross-Functional Project Management, Data-Driven Decision Making, Delivery Management, Developing Proposals, Efficiency Improvements, Environmental Scanning, Influencing Skills, Management Consulting, Market Access, Market Research, Oncology Marketing, Operational Efficiency, Operations Management, Organizational Leadership, Overcome Obstacles, Performance Improvements, Pharmaceutical Industry, Problem Analysis {+ 8 more}

Preferred Skills:
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Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:
Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.
As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is
$173,200.00 - $272,600.00
This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Job Posting End Date:
10/1/2026*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R417525