Director, DHT Coordinator, GDMS Data Integration and Automation - Hybrid

Merck & Co 2 Locations Updated 15 October 2026
Pharma

Job description

Job Description Role Summary: The Director, Digital Health Technology (DHT) leads strategy and execution of DHT delivery across a Therapeutic Area, providing portfolio-level oversight and accountability for escalation management, and serving as a design authority. This role ensures TA-wide standards, consistent architectures, and end-to-end lifecycle management—from pre-production readiness through in-life change control to decommissioning—while maintaining compliance with GxP, Part 11, and departmental SOPs. Accountability includes high-impact deliverables, managing service provider performance, driving process optimization and technology enablement, and partnering with DI&A and data standards teams to align with enterprise strategy. Additionally, the position builds long-term capability through training, mentorship, and succession planning, while staying close enough to ensure operational excellence. Responsibilities: DHT System delivery & study execution: Accountable for portfolio and programs SDLC delivery anticipating regulatory/compliance risks and driving product, process, and service improvements while ensuring consistency, scalability, and compliance (GxP, Part 11, Departmental SOPs). Oversee full lifecycle management across TA portfolio, including pre-production readiness, post-production monitoring, change control, and timely decommissioning/archival with audit-ready documentation. Hold Service Providers accountable for quality and innovation to achieve strategic milestones and objectives; ensure service levels are met or exceeded. Build collaborative relationships and take a leadership role to align Service Providers and internal stakeholders on fit-for-purpose solutions tied to study and portfolio milestones, contributing to departmental strategy execution. Provide oversight for end-to-end delivery of complex data-management activities across multiple studies and systems, anticipating regulatory/compliance issues and solving unique challenges with broad business impact. Contribute to and shape departmental strategy by initiating and leading high-impact projects and initiatives. Data integration, quality & system operations Oversight of end-to-end data integrity and compliance across all studies and systems, proactively identifying internal/external risks and recommending improvements. Monitor data integrations and quality, ensuring robust interoperability (APIs, files, schedules), resiliency, and error handling; anticipate systemic issues; support defect triage and drive timely resolution. Provide technical leadership, guidance, and reviews; advise on design trade-offs and complex data mapping/reporting/archiving Governance, compliance & continuous improvement: Contribute to departmental strategy by establishing and scaling TA-level standards, templates, and design patterns for DHT setup, flows, and reporting that improve products, processes, and services. Represent DHT in governance and leadership and industry forums; anticipate emerging business and regulatory issues, and recommend strategic actions. Drive process optimization and technology enablement; identify and implement improvements (templates, test automation, dashboards); scale best practices and tools. Partner with DI&A and data standards teams on roadmaps and alignment to enterprise data strategy. Lead adoption and change across Service Providers and internal stakeholders to standardize DHT systems, acting as facilitator and mentor to empower others. Anticipate and prepare for regulatory inspections and audits, leading readiness with expert guidance. Proactively identify risks, dependencies, and cross-functional impacts; recommend strategic mitigations that solve unique, complex problems with broad impact. Define OKRs/KPIs; report organizational performance, risks, and investment needs; recommend data-driven actions to leadership. Ensure maintenance of SOPs, reference documents, and execution resources relevant to DHT setup and operations. Lead capability building: define curricula, mentorship models, and competency frameworks; champion knowledge sharing and communities of practice; provide input into succession planning. Provide leadership for training and education for stakeholders; develop training materials and support onboarding and recognition programs. Technical skills: Advanced expertise with electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment (eCOA) or Digital Health Technology (DHT) platforms used in clinical trials Expert-level knowledge of the clinical development process, DHT, electronic data capture, preferably through submission; thorough knowledge of clinical data management. Advanced understanding of UAT processes, system validation, and regulatory compliance requirements for clinical data systems Demonstrated ability to set TA-wide requirements for DHT configuration, integration, validation, and observability. Soft skills: Distill complex issues into decision-ready narratives; frame options, risks, and recommendations to influence senior decisions. Strong influence skills and able to drive adoption of standardized methods/ways of working; mobilize cross-functional champions and measure uptake. Align senior stakeholders on objectives, interfaces, and responsibilities; enforce clean handoffs and resolve conflicts. Coordinate decisions across regions/time zones; use asynchronous mechanisms to maintain momentum. Apply strong project management skills to drive on-time, high-quality delivery; lead technical team meetings, coordinate resources, and communicate status, risks, and mitigations to senior leadership. Ability to evaluate platforms, build vs. buy, PoCs, performance/cost trade-offs at scale. Ability to engage service provider, leadership, and industry forums; represent team professionally and credibly under pressure; maintain resilience and composure Enterprise Leadership Skills: Business Savviness | Anticipate business and regulatory issues and shape strategy accordingly; connect technical expertise to organizational and industry context to make strategic recommendations Influence | Lead large teams / projects, help shape departmental strategy, influence leaders, peers, and cross-functional partners to align on decisions and strategic direction Change Catalyst | Drive improvements (e.g., organizational and cultural changes) with broader impact; demonstrate adaptability and ability to collaborate with others to make change successful; help others overcome resistance to change Qualifications & experience: Bachelor's Degree, preferably in life sciences, computer science, engineering or related discipline with a minimum of 10 years’ experience in eCOA/DHT or equivalent relevant industry experience, including: Demonstrate deep subject matter expertise People management skills OR Advanced Degree (Masters or Doctorate), preferably in life sciences, computer science, engineering or related discipline with a minimum of 8 years’ experience in eCOA/DHT or equivalent relevant industry experience, including: Demonstrate deep subject matter expertise People management skills clinicaltrialjobs EligibleforERP #GDMS Required Skills: Clinical Data Management, Clinical Development, Clinical Outcomes, Clinical Study Management, Data Int

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