Merck · 5 hours ago
AVP, Data Strategy and Knowledge Management
USA - Pennsylvania - West Point
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$282K/yr - $444K/yr
12+ years expMerck is a global healthcare company that is seeking an AVP of Data Strategy and Knowledge Management to lead the enterprise-wide data strategy. The role involves overseeing data governance, quality, and knowledge management frameworks while collaborating with senior leaders to ensure compliance and integrity of data across the organization.
BiotechnologyHealth CareMedicalPharmaceutical
No H1B
Responsibilities
Defines, socializes and drives the enterprise data strategy in close partnership with business and IT leadership, aligning data initiatives with core business objectives and scientific innovation
Acts as a senior liaison to business units and divisional IT function leadership, advocating for and securing buy in on data governance initiatives and master data principles
Defines principles and policies for enterprise data governance by domain, ensuring accountability and ownership across the business
Partners with senior leaders from BU ITs, data stewards, and domain leads to embed data literacy and fluency into the culture
Establishes and leads the enterprise-wide data governance and master data management (MDM) functions, including the definition of roles, responsibilities, and a clear operating model
Accountable for the quality, integrity, and lifecycle management of critical enterprise data domains (e.g., Customer, Product, Supplier, Patient, IT etc.) and their associated metadata, taxonomies, and hierarchies
Builds and maintains metadata catalogs (e.g., lineage, ontologies, controlled vocabularies) to standardize classification and enable enterprise search/discovery
Directs the implementation of modern MDM platforms, tools and practice, defining authoritative data sources and golden record management to ensure a single source of truth
Establishes and enforces frameworks for data quality, standards, monitoring, remediation, and compliance across the enterprise
Defines and implements enterprise-wide data quality rules, reference architectures, and observability (pipelines, DQ scores, trust indicators)
Embeds connectivity with AI governing body to ensure responsible and auditable data consumption
Oversees governance of procured and external datasets, ensuring appropriate use, compliance, licensing, and retention policies
Embeds risk assessment, vendor evaluation, and audit readiness into dataset procurement and use
Owns and collaborated closely with Enterprise Architecture function on enterprise information architecture practices, ensuring scalability, interoperability, and fit-for-purpose design
Embeds access and security enablement policies (RBAC/ABAC, encryption, data residency, privacy-by-design) into enterprise data architecture
Partners with IT and Security to ensure compliance with global regulatory frameworks and organizational risk posture
Establishes enterprise KM strategy to capture, curate, and reuse institutional knowledge, best practices, and playbooks
Enables flow of both explicit (documented) and tacit (know-how) knowledge through standardized governance, platforms, and communities of practice
Partners with senior leaders across BU-aligned IT divisions to embed governance, quality, and compliance practices into business-critical systems and platforms
Manages team of 2 Executive Directors and 8 directors as direct reports plus the respective teams of approximately 90 employees
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or related field required
12–15+ years of experience in defining and implementing said data strategies, data governance, metadata management, and enterprise information architecture with at least 5 years in senior leadership roles
Proven success developing and implementing enterprise data strategies, frameworks, and standards
Ability to set and drive enterprise adoption of governance standards in complex, global environments
Strong influencing skills to engage both senior business executives and technical leaders
Attention to detail while balancing enterprise-level strategy, risk, and regulatory obligations
Collaborative leadership style, building partnerships across BU CIO/CDO teams and corporate function
Expertise in data governance, metadata management, and reference data at enterprise scale
Strong knowledge of compliance frameworks (GxP, GDPR, HIPAA) and ability to ensure audit readiness
Experience leading implementation of enterprise data quality frameworks, not just participating in them
Familiarity with enterprise information architecture practices, including integration with business-critical IT systems
Strong skills in Business Analysis, Compliance Frameworks, Data Governance, Data Quality Control, Data Science, Data Strategies, Demand Management, Encryption, Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Architecture Management, Enterprise Data, Innovation, IT Systems Integration, Leadership, Leadership Training and Development, Metadata Management, Microsoft Office, Reference Architectures, Requirements Management, Risk Assessments, Sourcing and Procurement, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning
Preferred
Master's degree preferred (MBA, Information Management, or related)
Benefits
Medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
Retirement benefits, including 401(k)
Paid holidays
Vacation
Compassionate and sick days
Company
Merck
Merck is a biopharmaceutical company that offers medicines and vaccines for various diseases.
10001+ employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$5.59MKey Investors
Private Capital AdvisorsGavi, the Vaccine Alliance
2018-11-25Post Ipo Equity· $0.59M
2016-01-21Series Unknown· $5M
1980-12-19IPO
Leadership Team
Betty Larson
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Dean Li
Executive Vice President and President, Merck Research Laboratories
Recent News
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