Senior Specialist , Data Science, Ophthalmology

About

This role will reside within the Digital Human Health (DHH) US Market Engagement Team. This team provides strategic thought‑partnership to US commercial stakeholders through understanding brand strategy, co‑creating DHH demand and associated business requirements aligned to business priorities. The US Market Engagement team quarterbacks demand fulfillment and leads the activation of DHH products and services.

The Senior Specialist will be responsible for developing and communicating data‑driven and actionable insights that drive greater customer and market understanding to inform launch & go‑to‑market strategies and help meet commercial objectives.

The individual in this role will be an independent contributor, supporting commercial insight and analytics needs for US marketing teams. The person will have demonstrated consistently strong leadership skills, an ability to work objectively and deal well with ambiguity and strong partnership skills. They will empower a growth mindset and inspire a culture of continual learning. This role will require interfacing and collaborating with many teams requiring strong communication skills.

The preferred candidate will have an entrepreneurial spirit, consultative and strategic mindset, experience in Ophthalmology (AI, agentic etc.), and a demonstrated record of producing actionable insights from analytics. The person should be able to identify the data, analytics and research needs to define, enable, and inform commercial strategies of our brand and business leaders. The selected candidate should have a good understanding of US data landscape, commercial analytics capabilities, including application of GenAI to drive effectiveness. The individual who will thrive in this role will be motivated by developing a deep appreciation of pharma secondary data sources and possess an ability to define and translate objectives and business questions into analytical problems that require advanced and scalable solutions that produce actionable insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate business needs and priorities to build analytical plans that answer business questions by providing actionable insights. Effectively communicating advanced analytics to stakeholders to inform business decisions.
• Communicate & collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams with competencies in market research, forecasting, commercial analytics, data science, customer engagement, data strategy, population health, competitive insights, marketing operations, medical & clinical backgrounds.
• Stay current with industry trends and advancements in analytical methodologies to bring new ideas forward (including application of GenAI).
• Contribute to innovative experiments, specifically to idea generation, idea incubation and/or experimentation, identifying tangible and measurable criteria to make meaningful improvements to the business processes and strategies.
• Derive actionable business insights from various data sources, develop clear data story, and communicate effectively to business stakeholders.

Education Requirements

• BS (or equivalent) in Data Science, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Statistics, Decision Science, Marketing, Engineering, Public Health, or equivalent scientific/commercial discipline.

Required Experience and Skills

• 3+ years of relevant experience delivering complex analytical projects in the pharmaceutical, biotech, consulting, or healthcare industry.
• Knowledge in mining patient medical claims/EMR data with a strategic mindset and proven record of being able to produce actionable business insights that drive positive commercial results.
• Self‑motivated, proactive mindset, and ability to work independently.
• Effective interpersonal skills, communication skills, and stakeholder management, including experience collaborating in a matrixed organization and ability to align stakeholders on data‑driven decisions.
• Strong business acumen and consultative skills, with proven ability to comprehend business processes and commercial strategies in detail and translate these into detailed business standards/questions that power analytics.
• Effective organizational and project management skills to work effectively across the organization and manage a team of business analysts and data scientists efficiently and effectively.
• Innovative thinking with affinity toward experimentation and appropriate risk‑taking, including curiosity about how agentic AI and automation can enhance commercial analytics and insight generation.
• Awareness of the opportunities, limitations, and responsible use of AI (including agentic AI) in a regulated environment (e.g., data privacy, validation of AI‑generated outputs).
• Prior hands‑on experience working with healthcare data especially EMR/EHR, Claims Data (i.e., IQVIA APLD) and various data offerings.
• Ability to develop efficient programming code and software assets that provide advanced analytical functionality.
• Proven data science experience leveraging advanced statistical methods, Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing (NLP) modeling and model evaluation is a plus.
• Knowledge of both machine learning and descriptive algorithms/modeling using such languages as Python, R Studio, SAS, SQL, etc.
• Understands the business context, challenge, limitation, constraints and goals to effectively match the capability of the statistical and mathematical and M/L approaches to the business, scientific and operational challenge.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Domain knowledge in Ophthalmology, specifically as it relates to data analytics.

Required Skills

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Brand Strategy
• Business Intelligence (BI)
• Business Processes
• Collaborative Communications
• Commercial Analytics
• Commercial Strategies
• Customer Engagement
• Data Analysis
• Database Design
• Data Modeling
• Data Visualization
• Machine Learning (ML)
• Market Research
• Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Ophthalmology
• Optometry
• Python (Programming Language)
• Software Development
• Stakeholder Relationship Management
• Waterfall Model

Preferred Skills

(No specific items listed; section retained for completeness.)

Compensation

• Salary range: $129,000.00 – $203,100.00
• The salary range reflects the lowest to highest pay the company believes it would offer for this role at the time of posting. Placement within the range will depend on education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.
• Eligible for annual bonus and long‑term incentive, if applicable.

Benefits

• Comprehensive package including medical, dental, vision, and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• Retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• Paid holidays, vacation, compassionate and sick days
• More information at: https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits

Work Model

• Hybrid (effective September 5 2023): three on‑site days per week (Monday‑Thursday, specific days may vary), Friday remote unless business‑critical tasks require on‑site presence.
• Does not apply to field‑based, facility‑based, manufacturing‑based, research‑based, collective‑bargaining‑covered, or designated remote positions.

Application Information

• Apply through: https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or Workday Jobs Hub for current employees)
• Application deadline is stated on the posting.
• San Francisco Residents Only: Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
• Los Angeles Residents Only: Qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, will be considered in accordance with the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

• Merck & Co., Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibit discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other legally protected characteristics.
• As a federal contractor, we comply with affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
• For more information about personal rights under U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit EEOC Know Your Rights and EEOC GINA Supplement.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together talented, 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.

Additional Details

• 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: 04/07/2026 (effective until 11:59:59 PM the day before)

Search Firm Notice

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC) does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs/resumes submitted by search firms without a valid written search agreement will be deemed the sole property of Merck. No fee will be paid for hires resulting from unsolicited referrals. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position‑specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.