Associate Director - IME Forecasting & Market Research

Job Description

Associate Director – Strategic Forecasting & Market Research, IME India Hub

As Associate Director – Strategic Forecasting & Market Research, IME India Hub, you will lead the Strategic Forecasting and Market Research capability within the IME India Hub, delivering reliable forecasts, market research insights, valuations, scenario planning, and decision-support solutions for Human Health International markets.

This role will act as a strategic thought partner to commercial, marketing, finance, access, analytics, and regional teams by translating business questions into structured forecasting, market research, and analytical frameworks. You will integrate complex data, forecast assumptions, primary and secondary research, syndicated sources, and market context into clear recommendations that inform commercial, portfolio, launch, pipeline, BD, and investment decisions.

The role requires strong forecasting methodology, market research expertise, commercial analytics understanding, stakeholder influence, people leadership, GenAI fluency, and the ability to communicate risks, opportunities, and business implications with clarity. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the strategy, operating model, governance, and roadmap for the Strategic Forecasting and Market Research capability within the IME India Hub, ensuring alignment with Human Health International priorities, DHH objectives, business strategy, and regional / market needs.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to business stakeholders by translating commercial questions, investment choices, launch decisions, portfolio priorities, market uncertainties, and performance challenges into structured forecasting, market research, and analytical frameworks.
• Lead and develop a team of Strategic Forecasting and Market Research associates, ensuring clear ownership, effective capacity utilization, delivery discipline, capability development, stakeholder engagement, and measurable business impact.
• Develop, review, and defend reliable forecasts, valuations, business cases, and scenario models that incorporate complex data, business assumptions, market dynamics, future landscape considerations, risks, opportunities, and sensitivity analysis.
• Advise and guide teams on forecast methodology, assumption development, forecast operations, scenario planning, pipeline / BD forecasting, launch forecasting, and approaches to anticipate and plan for potential future market landscapes.
• Inform key commercial, strategic, pipeline, BD, launch, portfolio, and investment decisions across the value chain by integrating forecasting outputs, market research insights, secondary data, syndicated sources, business context, and stakeholder input into actionable recommendations.
• Collaborate with marketing, finance, market access, analytics, and regional teams to address key business decisions including strategy development, forecast assumptions, execution choices, performance measurement, KPI tracking, and business case benefit monitoring.
• Develop and implement compliant market research plans, timelines, budgets, methodologies, and insight-generation approaches in collaboration with marketing teams, agencies, and other stakeholders, aligned to business priorities and strategic decision needs.
• Engage with external market research agencies and internal partners to ensure appropriate methodologies, innovative approaches, quality standards, integration of primary and secondary insights, and compelling storytelling to guide business decisions.
• Embed automation, GenAI, advanced analytics, reusable frameworks, and responsible AI practices into forecasting and market research workflows to improve productivity, consistency, insight synthesis, scenario generation, documentation, and decision support.

Required Experience, Skills and Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in strategic forecasting, market research, business insights, commercial analytics, finance analytics, portfolio analytics, consulting, commercial strategy, or related analytical functions.
• 4+ years of leadership experience managing forecasting, market research, analytics, insights, or cross-functional teams in a global, regional, or matrixed environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, analytics, economics, finance, engineering, data science, life sciences, healthcare, statistics, or a related discipline; advanced degree such as MBA, MS, MPH, or equivalent preferred.
• Strong experience in forecasting methodology, business valuation, forecast operations, assumption development, scenario planning, sensitivity analysis, launch forecasting, pipeline / BD forecasting, and communicating risks and opportunities.
• Strong understanding of market research approaches, including primary research, secondary research, syndicated reports, database analysis, agency management, research planning, methodology selection, insight synthesis, and compliant research execution.
• Demonstrated ability to act as a thought partner to commercial, marketing, finance, access, and regional stakeholders by translating business questions into structured forecasting, market research, and analytics approaches.
• Strong understanding of pharma commercial analytics domains including market performance, brand performance, customer engagement, omnichannel analytics, launch readiness, field effectiveness, access dynamics, pipeline / BD assessments, and executive business reviews.
• Knowledge of key pharma commercial analytics and research data sources, including sales data, prescription / Rx data, claims data, patient-level data, CRM and field activity data, digital engagement data, market research data, forecast assumptions, syndicated reports, and third-party sources such as IQVIA or similar providers.
• Experience defining approaches for evaluating, sourcing, creating, integrating, and governing data assets to support forecasts, market research, KPI tracking, benefit monitoring, business cases, analytics products, and strategic decision-making.
• Strong GenAI and digital fluency, including the ability to identify GenAI-enabled opportunities for research synthesis, forecast documentation, scenario generation, insight summarization, data storytelling, productivity improvement, and responsible AI-enabled analytics workflows.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

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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. 

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