Associate Director, Environmental, Social and Governance

Our Policy & Communications team collaborate with governments and policy organizations at local and national levels. We address legislative and regulatory issues that promote and protect the discovery of innovative medicine, vaccines and animal health products while improving and protecting patient access to care. We take great care to monitor and manage the reputation of our company communicating the work we do to improve lives.

Position Description:

The Associate Director, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Communications, is responsible for supporting the development and execution of internal and external awareness and engagement plans that showcase our Company's ESG priorities and efforts.

The selected candidate will be responsible for coordinating across business functions to understand and accurately reflect how our Company is acting on its ESG priorities and goals across its four pillars: Access to Health, Employees, Environmental Sustainability and Ethics and Values.

Reporting to the Director, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Communications, this individual will support the development and execution of our ESG communications strategy. This includes drafting strategic communications plans, preparing spokespeople, drafting briefing materials and supporting coaching sessions for spokespeople.

The selected candidate will be highly collaborative and work closely with the broader communications team to ensure alignment and consistent communications messaging and materials across all business sectors. The individual should possess strong storytelling capabilities and be comfortable operating in a highly regulated environment.

Location: This role is based in Rahway, New Jersey.

Scope of work and core responsibilities includes: 

• Draft communications materials including the annual ESG report, website content, briefings, emails and posts.
• Coordinate with the broader communications team to ensure ESG messaging alignment and usage.
• Coordinate with other functions and internal stakeholders, including the ESG team and IR, among others, on ESG communications to drive internal alignment
• Develop ESG briefing materials for spokespeople, including senior leaders.
• Provide strategic and tactical support to the corporate communications and reputation team.

Position Qualifications:

Education Minimum Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree with 5+ or more years of communications or ESG/sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility experience OR a minimum of a high school diploma with at least 10 years of equivalent experience which could include: communications, media, and/or military.  

Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 5+ years of corporate ESG or sustainability-focused experience, with preferred experience in broader public relations, executive communications, and corporate communications,
• Demonstrated success building and implementing cross-functional enterprise-wide corporate ESG strategies and campaigns
• Strong writing, editing and communications skills.
• Strong business acumen
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and relevant ESG-related software.
• Positive attitude and excellent interpersonal skills and the proven ability to network and maintain collaborative relationships.
• Experience working with senior executives.
• Established network in the ESG/sustainability community
• Established network with ESG-focused journalists, thought leaders, and ratings agencies

Who we are …

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for …

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.