AVP, Data Strategy and Knowledge Management

Job Description

The Head of Data Strategy, Governance and Knowledge Management is a pivotal leadership role that is accountable for the enterprise-wide data strategy, driving it's execution in strong partnership with business units/division IT to align functional data needs.

The leader is accountable for master data, data quality, metadata, reference data, governance and knowledge management frameworks, ensuring enterprise-wide compliance and integrity. They work closely with senior leaders across the enterprise, particularly in BU-aligned IT divisions, to embed governance and quality practices into business-critical systems. They also oversee the governance of procured datasets and enterprise information architecture.

Position Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Data Strategy & Executive Leadership
  
  • 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
• Enterprise Data Domains, Metadata & Taxonomy Management
  
  • 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.
• Data Quality Frameworks
  
  • 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
• Governance of External Datasets
  
  • 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
• Information Architecture & Governance
  
  • 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
• Knowledge Management & Reuse
  
  • 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
• Enterprise Collaboration across IT
  
  • Partners with senior leaders across BU-aligned IT divisions to embed governance, quality, and compliance practices into business-critical systems and platforms
• Managerial Responsibilities:
  
  • Manages team of 2 Executive Directors and 8 directors as direct reports plus the respective teams of approximately 90 employees.

Education Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or related field required; Master's degree preferred (MBA, Information Management, or related)

Behavioral Competencies Required:

• 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

Functional Competencies Required:

• 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

Experience Requirements:

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

Required Skills:
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 Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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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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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

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, Monday - 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".

The salary range for this role is
$282,200.00 - $444,200.00

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 ;br>
You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
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.

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Job Posting End Date:
02/18/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.