Director, Enterprise Architecture — Animal Health

Job Description

Our IT organization delivers efficient reusable technology solutions that accelerate business outcomes. Within Global Technology the Enterprise Architecture team serves as a critical strategic partner connecting technology investments to measurable business results.

Our Animal Health division operates as a highly dynamic company-within-a-company encompassing everything from pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing to connected devices precision livestock management and companion animal wellness products. As AI and digital technology reshape every link in this value chain we need strategic technology leadership that spans the full breadth of the business. We are seeking a director to lead Enterprise Architecture engagement for Animal Health serving as a trusted enterprise technology advisor to Animal Health leadership and a strategic partner to business-facing IT partners across the division.

This is not a traditional architecture role. It is a strategic leadership position for someone who deeply understands the science operations and commercial realities of the Animal Health business and who can connect divisional outcomes to enterprise capabilities platforms standards and technology direction. The right candidate will help Animal Health leaders understand how enterprise technology investments including AI advanced analytics and connected-product platforms can accelerate growth compress timelines optimize operations and unlock new capabilities while ensuring those investments are grounded in enterprise strategy responsible AI principles and measurable outcomes.

Organizational Context:

This role is part of the Enterprise Architecture organization within Global Technology and leads Enterprise Architecture engagement for Animal Health. It operates as a trusted enterprise technology advisor to the Architecture Leadership Team and Animal Health senior leadership and as a complementary strategic partner to business-facing IT partners. The role connects Animal Health priorities outcomes and capability needs to enterprise capabilities platforms standards investments and technology direction. It also represents Animal Health demand and strategic context within Enterprise Architecture so that enterprise decisions and capabilities better support divisional outcomes. Crucially this role serves as the bridge to the Human Health side of the enterprise ensuring that Animal Health technology decisions leverage broader enterprise scale and shared platforms were optimal while preserving the agility the animal health market demands. The role advises guides and aligns where enterprise or cross-divisional implications exist partnering with divisional architecture product domain and delivery leaders who drive realization within Animal Health.

Key Responsibilities:

Trusted Enterprise Advisor to Animal Health Leadership

• Develop trusted relationships with Animal Health senior leadership and the Architecture Leadership Team providing an enterprise technology perspective that connects divisional priorities to enterprise capabilities platforms standards investments and future technology direction.

• Advise Animal Health leaders on enterprise technology opportunities dependencies risks tradeoffs and cross-divisional implications that may influence divisional outcomes with particular attention to synergies and shared investments with Human Health.

• Help Animal Health leaders understand how enterprise capabilities shared platforms and technology investments can accelerate business objectives while reducing duplication risk and long-term complexity.

• Bring visibility to enterprise implications and cross-divisional dependencies early enough to inform planning and investment discussions before choices are locked.

• Represent Animal Health priorities demand signals and capability needs in enterprise technology and architecture discussions so they shape enterprise strategy platforms and investments.

Accelerate Business Outcomes

• Engage Animal Health leadership early to understand material outcomes future demand and enterprise implications across the full value stream R&D manufacturing supply chain and commercial/sales & marketing as well as emerging product lines such as connected devices and digital services.

• Connect divisional needs to enterprise capabilities platforms data and shared dependencies helping resolve enterprise barriers that could delay Animal Health outcomes.

• Drive AI acceleration across Animal Health: identify high-value use cases spanning drug development manufacturing optimization predictive supply chain precision livestock management and connected companion animal products prioritizing by business impact and ensuring strategic alignment over fragmentation.

• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends (AI/ML generative AI IoT connected devices Cloud SaaS advanced analytics modern data integration) and translate them into actionable enterprise strategies that serve Animal Health.

• Bring a total-cost-of-ownership and business-outcomes lens to investment decisions ensuring choices are evidence-based priority-aligned and sustainable at scale.

Make Technology Decisions Fast Transparent and Durable

• Own the quality and traceability of enterprise architecture decisions affecting Animal Health ensuring decisions rationale dependencies implications and outcomes are visible and reusable.

• Clarify which decisions require enterprise alignment and which require senior governance providing constructive guidance rooted in business context and the unique speed requirements of the Animal Health market.

• Translate recurring enterprise decisions into standards patterns reference architectures and self-service guidance including responsible AI guardrails and connected-product architecture patterns.

• Drive connected trusted enterprise architecture data that improves planning decision intelligence reuse optimization and self-service access to architecture knowledge.

Optimize Through Reuse Standardization and Simplification

• Create visibility into cross-divisional reuse platform leverage duplication lifecycle risk and technical debt opportunities actively collaborating with Enterprise Architecture peers on the Human Health side to identify shared platforms and enterprise-wide synergies.

• Quantify enterprise value and implications in partnership with portfolio finance product and architecture leaders.

• Help convert agreed opportunities into roadmaps with clear owners measuring opportunity visibility reuse complexity reduction and realized enterprise value.

• Balance enterprise standardization with the agility Animal Health requires as a company-within-a-company championing value-centric technology decisions prioritized by business outcomes.

Shape and Realize the Future of Technology

• Bring Animal Health future demand and market signals into enterprise technology foresight shaping enterprise capability and platform direction where Animal Health needs have broader relevance.

• Maintain an active network of peer organizations analysts suppliers and leading-edge sources in animal health agriculture connected devices and life sciences technology with particular attention to the evolving AI and IoT ecosystems.

• Advise Animal Health leaders on the implications and opportunities created by enterprise technology direction connecting enterprise roadmaps to practical adoption paths.

• Translate external insights into practical recommendations that keep Animal Health technology strategy ahead of the curve.

Enterprise Architecture Leadership and Capability Building

• Lead Enterprise Architecture engagement for Animal Health establishing clear priorities accountability and measurable outcomes aligned to the enterprise EA strategy.

• Develop and coach Enterprise Architecture talent supporting Animal Health strengthening business acumen strategic thinking enterprise alignment decision leadership and domain depth.

• Represent Animal Health within Enterprise Architecture leadership forums and represent Enterprise Architecture perspectives within Animal Health leadership forums.

• Act as a senior delegate for Enterprise Architecture leadership in Animal Health-related planning strategy and governance discussions when required.

• Build succession depth for enterprise architecture leadership.

Required Skills

Deep Animal Health Domain Knowledge

• Thorough understanding of the end-to-end Animal Health value stream from discovery and clinical development through manufacturing supply chain and commercial sales including both pharmaceutical and physical product/connected device portfolios.

• Working knowledge of relevant regulations (e.g. USDA FDA CVM EPA GxP) and emerging regulatory expectations around data and AI in the life sciences and agricultural space.

• Familiarity with commercial and operational systems alongside scientific computing and R&D platforms at a strategic level.

AI & Advanced Analytics Acumen

• Strong understanding of how AI/ML and generative AI are being applied across end-to-end business operations with a clear-eyed view of where they deliver real value versus where they remain aspirational.

• Ability to bridge data scientists business leaders and technology teams ensuring AI initiatives are framed around business problems and measured by business outcomes.

• Commitment to responsible AI practices: fairness transparency and regulatory compliance.

Strategic & Enterprise Thinking

• Proven ability to develop technology strategies that bridge business vision and execution with a track record of driving adoption and measurable results.

• Enterprise-level thinking: uniquely capable of balancing the specific agile needs of a company-within-a-company with the scale and synergy opportunities of the broader global enterprise.

• Experience navigating complex matrixed organizations and influencing without direct authority. Comfortable in ambiguity.

Stakeholder Leadership & Communication

• Outstanding communication skills able to distill complex technology concepts into compelling narratives for executive business and technical audiences.

• Skilled in evidence-based decision-making through structured analysis and persuasive storytelling.

• Demonstrated ability to build trusted advisory relationships with senior leaders through business acumen follow-through and sound judgment.

Modern Technology Fluency

• Strong grasp of Cloud SaaS AI/ML IoT data platforms and modern integration patterns in complex multi-domain environments.

• Ability to evaluate vendor platforms and emerging technologies with a critical business-first lens assessing fit risk scalability and TCO.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Engineering Information Security or a related field.

• 15 years in technology strategy enterprise architecture digital transformation or related leadership roles ideally with significant exposure to Animal Health Agriculture Life Sciences or end-to-end pharmaceutical operations.

• Self-directed leader who independently identifies needs fills strategic gaps and drives results with minimal direction.

• Effectively leverages of thought and perspective to strengthen strategies and outcomes.

• Bachelors or masters degree in information science Computer Science Life Sciences Business Administration or a related field.

Required Skills:

Business Acumen Business Acumen Business Alignment Business Decisions Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA) Business Informatics Business Models Business Process Modeling Data Modeling Emerging Technologies Enterprise Leadership Influencing Skills Influencing Without Authority Information Technology Architecture Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Platform Design Platform Development Platform Management Process Alignment Process Simplification Requirements Management Situational Leadership Solution Architecture Stakeholder Relationship Management Strategic Alignment 1 more

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:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement

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

$173200.00 - $272600.00

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

09/14/2026

*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.