Job Abstract

Job Description

The HR Organizational Readiness, Associate Director is an experienced employee engagement, change management and internal communications professional with a passion for driving innovative, employee-centric strategies that engage our company's workforce in high priority initiatives that are directly tied to our strategic priorities. This role will create and lead strategic, high-impact, high exposure programs that drive employee awareness, adoption, and recommendation of HR products and services, while simultaneously realizing our employee value proposition, and catalyzing a positive employee experience with HR products and services.

Primary responsibilities:

• Partner with HR Centers of Excellence to define and execute effective employee engagement plans that promote awareness and adoption of key programs/offerings, improve accessibility and inclusivity, and shape employee interaction/outreach plans that enable our workforce to navigate and have a good experience with high-impact transitions or change events.

• Develop highly integrated engagement strategies, inclusive of change plans, internal marketing and communications, self-serve resources, and leadership level stakeholder alignment presentations

• Effectively lead with influence and build the right stakeholder management plan to ensure alignment to case for change, operational plan and engagement plan and secure resourcing needed to activate plans

• Serve as an employee engagement SME to ensure HR information is delivered effectively to all intended audiences via creating of content and operational / delivery plan focused on creating a seamless and consumer-like content experience.

• Develop effective go to market ‘kits’ of communication materials and support resources for HR initiatives, including high priority portfolio programs and cyclical processes, to enable our workforce to navigate transitions and cyclical processes successfully.

• Partner with global, regional, and local HR and communications colleagues to leverage a variety of channels and digital media to effectively reach target audiences (business leaders, managers, employees, HR teams).

• Lead voice of ‘customer’ sessions with employees to better inform change and comms plans for HR initiatives.

• Leverage a data-driven approach/employee listening insights to inform strategies and measure the effectiveness of change and communications plans against desired outcomes.

• Collaborate across a global HR community to drive effective strategies that consider regional and local market requirements and needs.

• Partner with internal and external suppliers on strategy, design, communications, and interactive multimedia development as needed to best engage employees with HR programs/initiatives.

Qualifications/Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree

• Minimum 10 years’ of professional experience in HR, Change Management, Organizational Readiness, Project Management or related discipline

• 5 years of progressive work experience in the development and implementation of innovative change management and communications strategies

• A strategist, able to see the big picture, and a content creator with proven ability to integrate messaging and delivery across multiple channels and audiences.

• Superior consultative and influencing skills with an ability to work with people at multiple levels across the function

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, global organization

• Excellent written and oral communication skills to effectively and creatively communicate across various stakeholders using compelling story-telling capability

• Strong content and channel management abilities across multiple internal and external digital platforms

• Ability to synthesize complex information into employee-centric communications

• Demonstrated ability to manage supplier engagements and communications budget with 3rd party agency partners

• Metrics-driven focused on using metrics to define strategy and assess the effectiveness of workforce communications.

Preferred Experience:

• 5 years Change Management, internal communications, and/or employee engagement preferred

• PROSCI Certification

NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

Employees working in roles that the Company determines require routine collaboration with external stakeholders, such as customer-facing commercial, or research-based roles, will be expected to comply not only with Company policy but also with policies established by such external stakeholders (for example, a requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access a facility or meet with stakeholders).  Please understand that, as permitted by applicable law, if you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and an essential function of your job is to call on external stakeholders who require vaccination to enter their premises or engage in face-to-face meetings, then your employment may pose an undue burden to business operations, in which case you may not be offered employment, or your employment could be terminated. Please also note that, where permitted by applicable law, the Company reserves the right to require COVID-19 vaccinations for positions, such as in Global Employee Health, where the Company determines in its discretion that the nature of the role presents an increased risk of disease transmission.

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Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, generally Tuesday, Wednesday and either Monday or Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.  This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

Under New York State, Colorado State, Washington State, and California State law, the Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this job. Final determinations with respect to salary will take into account a number of factors, which may include, but not be limited to the primary work location and the chosen candidate’s relevant skills, experience, and education.

Expected salary range:

Available benefits include bonus eligibility, long term incentive if applicable, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. A summary of benefits is listed here.

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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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