Associate Director – Employee Engagement & Community Impact, Social Impact and Sustainability

The Social Impact & Sustainability (SIS) team drives social impact for patients and communities around the world.  We strengthen the communities where our employees live and work by providing financial support to local nonprofit organizations and mobilizing employee expertise through grants and volunteer programs. Together, these efforts catalyze innovation in community solutions that facilitate access to quality health care in under-resourced communities where company has a presence.

The Associate Director, Employee Engagement & Community Impact will lead the strategy and opportunities for company’s employee engagement programs globally, including employee giving, volunteering, and related community-based engagement initiatives. This role combines program strategy, operational excellence, stakeholder management, corporate giving and compliance expertise, technology platform management, communications coordination, and financial stewardship.  The ideal candidate brings strong program leadership, a commitment to employee engagement, and a passion for creating meaningful employee and community impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead strategy and day-to-day management of the Company’s employee- giving and matching gifts platform, program, and processes
• Provide oversight of employee giving fund disbursement activities, cash distributions, reconciliations, performance metrics and related operational processes, ensuring appropriate governance, compliance, financial integrity, and resource stewardship
• Maintain associated vendor relationships, governance and collaboration to ensure efficient and effective operations, address program challenges, and continuously enhance employee experience
• Identify opportunities to expand employee reach, participation, and program effectiveness  
• Recommend and coordinate giving opportunities, including global or local campaign activations
• Serve as a subject matter expert on employee engagement programs, offering consultative support and ensuring adherence to established policies, procedures, and governance requirements.
• Lead stakeholder collaboration efforts to identify user requirements and program obstacles, and strengthen user engagement and satisfaction with the employee engagement giving and volunteering initiatives

• Partner with company’s communications and related third party vendors to develop and execute employee communications, outreach strategies, and promotional campaigns that drive awareness, participation, and engagement across employee giving and volunteering programs
• Monitor participation, activity, and outcomes to support measurement of employee engagement and social impact
• Ensure programs are executed in alignment with company’s code of conduct, values, policies, and applicable legal, compliance, and governance requirements

• Lead the strategy and execution of employee volunteering programs, including a global employee volunteering champions network, fostering employee engagement and mobilizing employees to contribute their time, skills, and resources in support of local community needs
• Mobilize and support employee champions to engage with community leaders in company’s communities to ensure employee volunteering align with community needs
• Oversee the administration of the employee engagement platform, including Dollars for Doers (employee volunteer grant program), participation tracking, impact measurement, reporting, and continuous program improvements and vendor coordination
• Partner with internal stakeholders to expand and promote volunteer opportunities, resources, and programs to mobilize employees and teams to engage in meaningful volunteer activities aligned with their interests and community needs
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees by answering questions, providing guidance, resources, and support related to volunteer opportunities and program participation
• Partner with company’s Communications on volunteer-related communications and outreach
• Ensure adherence to company’s code of conduct, values, standards and polices, as well as program legal and compliance requirements and governance

Minimum Required Experience and Skills:

• BA or BS degree in Business, Public Health, or related field 

• Minimum five years of experience in employee engagement, employee giving, volunteer management, including employee giving programs and platforms
• Minimum five years of experience in corporate philanthropy, social impact, or corporate responsibility
• Demonstrated experience in vendor management, community engagement, and nonprofit and non-governmental organization partnerships across geographies and cultures
• Proven ability to build and sustain effective relationships with vendors, internal stakeholders, nonprofit partners, and external organizations
• Demonstrated success managing multi-million-dollar budgets, vendors, contracts, and service agreements
• Strong analytical skills and Excel skills, and experience developing and utilizing metrics, dashboards, and reporting frameworks to measure participation, evaluate program effectiveness, and demonstrate impact
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, problem-solve, and adapt in ambiguous or fast-paced environments
• Exceptional executive presence and stakeholder engagement skills, including the ability to influence senior leaders, build consensus, and secure organizational alignment.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide business transformation initiatives that drive operational excellence, user adoption, and sustainable change
• Strong operations and project management skills with the ability to lead multiple initiatives from planning through execution
• Experience working in regulated environments with accountability for governance, compliance, audit readiness, and risk mitigation
• Collaborative leadership style with a commitment to continuous learning, continuous improvement, and the ability to work effectively in a matrixed organization.

• Advanced experience with enterprise platforms (such as SAP, Ariba), and related tools supporting compliant program execution, financial management, and workflow approvals.
• Strong analytical skills, Excel skills, and experience developing performance metrics, dashboards, and reporting frameworks to evaluate program effectiveness and inform decision making.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation and presentation development skills, including presentations aimed at communicating to executive leadership, governance committees, employee audiences, and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex data, stakeholder feedback, and business insights into strategic recommendations and action plans.
• Knowledge of corporate citizenship trends, employee engagement practices, and emerging workplace giving technologies.
• Experience representing an organization externally through partnerships, conferences, industry associations, or nonprofit collaborations.

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As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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

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The salary range for this role is

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.