Merck & Co.

Job Description

The Position

Our Central Data & Analytics (CDNA) organization is seeking a strategic, forward-thinking Architect/Strategist to join its Strategy & Architecture (SnA) team. This role will focus on driving cross-capability strategies across product lines, CTO functions, and divisional ecosystems—encompassing architecture, investment, product vision, and operating models.

The role is designed for a highly collaborative individual who can bridge technical depth and business impact while influencing and harmonizing strategy across the enterprise.

As a thought partner to product and platform teams, divisional architecture groups, and CTO-aligned stakeholders, you will help Our Company unlock value through consistent strategy execution, architectural alignment, and adoption of scalable data and AI capabilities.

What will you do?

• Lead cross-capability strategy initiatives spanning architecture, investment planning, product vision, and operating models across CDNA product lines.
• Drive the formulation of interoperable strategies in partnership with divisions—ensuring these strategies are translated into actionable, reusable architecture and delivery blueprints.
• Shape and advance strategic efforts such as enablement of AI/ML and agentic capabilities, and unified approaches to data access, governance, and knowledge reuse.
• Promote adoption and socialization of strategic frameworks across divisions, product teams, and CTO-aligned functions through forums, publications, and direct engagement.
• Embed a value realization mindset, ensuring strategic initiatives lead to measurable business outcomes, improved interoperability, and cost-effective capability deployment.
• Serve as a connector between CDNA, divisional IT, and enterprise functions to harmonize capability strategies and eliminate fragmentation.
• Collaborate with senior architects and executives to periodically refresh and evolve strategy based on business needs, industry trends, and emerging technologies.
• Lead or contribute to strategic governance forums, including the CDNA Architecture Forum (CAF), newly established Strategy Forum, and the enterprise-wide Data & Analytics Council.
• Contribute to Company’s thought leadership by authoring strategic white papers, presenting at executive forums, and mentoring architecture leaders across the enterprise.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience Required

• 10+ years of experience in enterprise, solution, or capability architecture, preferably within data and analytics functions
• Proven ability to lead strategic initiatives that span platforms, product lines, and organizational boundaries
• Deep understanding of modern data and AI ecosystems, including cloud-native architectures, interoperability frameworks, and capability lifecycle management
• Demonstrated success engaging with diverse stakeholders—from product teams to senior executives
• Exceptional communication, storytelling, and facilitation skills
• Experience working in large, complex enterprises—ideally in regulated industries like pharmaceuticals or life sciences
• Hands-on experience with Databricks for data engineering, analytics, and platform integration
• Proficiency with Dataiku for operationalizing data science and building AI pipelines
• Experience with Matillion for cloud-native ETL and pipeline orchestration
• Proficiency with dbt for data transformation and modeling
• Working knowledge of Power BI for enterprise reporting and dashboard development
• Familiarity with ThoughtSpot for search-based and AI-driven analytics
• Experience with Immuta for data access governance and dynamic policy enforcement
• Proficiency in Collibra for data cataloging, stewardship, and metadata management
• Familiarity with AWS services including S3, Glue, Redshift, Lambda, and IAM for cloud-native data architecture

Nice to have

• Familiarity with Our CDNA product landscape (e.g., Discover, Analytics Gateway, Conversational BI, Muse, DIFW, DI gateway etc)
• Prior involvement in capability strategy development, architecture governance, or technology investment planning
• Experience with architecture forums, knowledge management, and strategic value realization frameworks
• Experience with architectural concepts like Reference architecture, design patterns, persona driven capability enablement, data mesh, decision trees and tech life cycle management
• Understanding of modern data and analytics capabilities such as model-driven analytics, recommendation-driven analytics, and decision intelligence systems

What we offer

• Exciting work in a great team, global projects, international environment
• Opportunity to learn and grow professionally within the company globally
• Hybrid working model, flexible role pattern (e.g., even 80% full-time is possible in justified cases)
• Pension and health insurance contributions
• Internal reward system plus referral programme
• 5 weeks annual leave, 5 sick days, 15 days of certified sick leave paid above statutory requirements annually, 40 paid hours annually for volunteering activities, 12 weeks of parental contribution
• Cafeteria for tax free benefits according to your choice (meal vouchers, Lítačka, sport, culture, health, travel, etc.), Multisport Card
• Vodafone, Raiffeisen Bank, Foodora, and Mall.cz discount programmes
• Up-to-date laptop and iPhone
• Parking in the garage, showers, refreshments, massage chairs, library, music corner
• Competitive salary, incentive pay, and many more

Ready to take up the challenge? Apply now!

Know anybody who might be interested? Refer this job!

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Required Skills:

Decision Trees, Design, Emerging Technologies, Knowledge Management, Management Process, Mentorship, Metadata Management, Methods and Tools, Operating Models, Product Lifecycle, Product Vision, Reference Architectures, Requirements Management, Software Development, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Solution Architecture, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Initiative, Strategic Planning, System Designs, Technical Advice, Technology Investments, Technology Trends

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

06/30/2025

• 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.