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Community Engagement Specialist (CES) (IL, IN, WI)

MSD


Job Location:

Chicago, IL - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 142400 - 224100
Posted: 3 September 2026 (7 days ago)
Application Deadline: 8 December 2026
Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Job Description

Role Summary

  • The Community Engagement Specialist (CES) is a field-based community-embedded role focused on building trusted long-term relationships with national regional and local organizations serving communities disproportionately impacted by disease. Organizations include but are not limited to patient advocacy organizations community-based organizations health departments community health centers social and civic groups and faith-based organizations to support engagement across the care continuum.

  • This field-based role is responsible for executing and advancing community engagement across priority advocacy ecosystems including patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) community-based organizations (CBOs/NGOs) and allied healthcare networks.

  • The CES serves as a trusted field partner and ecosystem connector responsible for building durable relationships enabling meaningful engagement and ensuring community perspectives are reflected in alignment with organizational priorities.

  • The role delivers non-promotional above-brand engagement and education while also supporting the structured capture synthesis and communication of insights related to access barriers to care and community needs.

  • This role serves as a key connector between field engagement and headquarters teams contributing to consistent compliant and scalable execution through established tools processes and engagement approaches.

Responsibilities and Primary Activities

  • Use data field observations and qualitative feedback to evaluate engagement effectiveness and identify opportunities for continuous improvement including standardized insight capture and reporting approaches

  • Execute community engagement and relationship-building activities aligned to organizational and ecosystem priorities

  • Partner with PI&E leadership in preparation planning and integration related to disease awareness community engagement and execution

  • Contribute to identification of training and capability needs based on field insights and engagement experience

  • Support field-based segmentation and targeting activities including execution of tactical engagement plans and tracking against defined objectives

  • Leverage community insights and engagement data to identify trends unmet needs access barriers and opportunities to enhance engagement approaches

  • Utilize established execution resources including playbooks tools and standardized operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency and quality

  • Maintain consistent bi-directional communication between field engagements and headquarters teams to ensure alignment and visibility of community perspectives

  • Participate in team engagements including meetings planning sessions and training calls

  • Ensure all engagement activities comply with legal regulatory and non-promotional requirements

  • Utilize approved reporting tools and dashboards to document engagements and support performance monitoring

  • Identify and communicate opportunities to evolve and optimize community engagement approaches and field execution models

Required Location:

  • This role covers IL IN & WI.

  • Candidates must reside within the territory.

  • Ability for travel up to 50% within the territory

Required Qualifications Skills and Experience

Minimum

  • Bachelors degree required and a minimum of 3 years pharmaceutical/biotech experience -OR- community engagement patient advocacy or public health experience

  • Strong project management and organizational skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills

  • Demonstrated ability to execute effectively in a field-based role

  • Experience engaging with community stakeholders advocacy organizations or related groups

  • Strong cross-functional collaboration skills

  • Experience contributing to health-related community-based or engagement-focused initiatives

  • Ability to work independently while contributing to a broader team environment

Preferred

  • Experience working with patient advocacy organizations community-based organizations or healthcare-related community ecosystems

  • Familiarity with health access and community engagement dynamics

  • Experience supporting or facilitating educational or community-based engagements

  • Experience contributing to training onboarding or team capability development

  • Familiarity with agile or evolving field engagement models

Required Skills:

Community Outreach Engagement Strategies Feedback Management Liaison Work Medical Affairs Project Management Relationship Building Scientific Communications Scientific Exchange Virology

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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 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 anothers thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights including under California Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is

$142400.00 - $224100.00

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 employees 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 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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

50%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Remote

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

Yes

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

09/10/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.


Required Experience:

IC


About Company

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Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA is known as “Merck” in the United States, Canada & Puerto Rico. We are known as “MSD” in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America & Asia Pacific. We are a global biopharmaceutical leader with a diverse portfolio of prescription medicine ... View more

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