Job Description

Senior Manager- Data Science
At our Company we are leveraging analytics and technology, as we invent for life on behalf of patients around the world. We are seeking those who have a passion for using data, analytics, and insights to drive decision making, that will allow us to tackle some of the world's greatest health threats. Within our commercial Insights, Analytics, and Data organization we are transforming to better power decision-making across our end-to-end commercialization process, from business development to late lifecycle management.
Integrated Research and Forecasting (IRF) is a global function encompassing long-range pharmaceutical asset forecasting across the product lifecycles of all assets within Human Health (Oncology, Vaccines, Hospital Specialty / Primary care). Assets include early and late-stage molecules in clinical development, companies under considerations by business development for partnering and/ or acquisition as well as currently launched products. Forecasting deliverables support division planning and decision making across multiple functional areas such as finance, manufacturing, product development and commercial. In addition to ensuring high-quality deliverables, our team drives synergies across divisions, fosters innovation and best practices, and creates solutions to bring speed, scale and shareability to our planning processes. As we endeavor, we are seeking a dynamic talent for the role of "Senior Specialist- Data Science"
We are looking for a lead within the Forecasting team located in Pune for forecasting tools, methodologies, and capabilities, including demand forecasting automation. You will have an entrepreneurial spirit, an understanding of healthcare & technology, and a demonstrated record of leading delivery teams building forecasting solutions for actionable insights. You are a strong leader, can work independently, and deal well with ambiguity through strong collaboration across the stakeholder community. Adept in leading strategic discussions on capability and innovation projects with diverse stakeholder groups across the organization
Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the development, implementation, and optimization of forecasting tools and processes.
• Design, develop and optimize forecasting capabilities after evaluating forecasting tools, software, and technologies to enhance forecasting accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Design and implement best-in-class forecasting methodologies and models, leveraging statistical techniques, time-series analysis, and advanced algorithms, as per evolving industry best practices and emerging trends.
• Leverage machine learning algorithms, automation, and data visualization to improve forecasting processes and outputs.
• Responsible for managing the team delivering monthly forecast at SKU level for all forecastable SKU's (~5k+ SKU's) every month for about 70+ markets.
• Collaborate across stakeholders - our company, Supply Chain, Human Health, Finance, Country Demand Planners, Regional and Global Demand planners, and senior leadership - to drive automation and centralization of forecasts, ensuring forecast accuracy improves over time.

• Leads Storyboarding and presenting analytical findings and visualizations to technical, non-technical and executive leadership audiences effectively.
• Manages delivery of forecasting capabilities and tools in a timely manner with allocated resources
• Ensures that documentation is created and maintained in line with internal standards
• Empowers a growth mindset and inspire a culture of continual learning that strives for greater quality, efficiency, and innovation, ultimately improving team productivity and work product

Qualifications and Skills

• Engineering / Management / Pharma post-graduates with 8+ years of experience in the relevant roles; with at least 4-5 years of experience in pharmaceutical strategic or demand forecasting.
• Demonstrated leadership and management in driving innovation and automation leveraging advanced statistical and analytics techniques (expertise in AI/ML will be added advantage).

• Demonstrated understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, including regulatory requirements, clinical trial data, and various data types such as patient-reported outcomes.

• Strong analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, to find and execute solutions to complex or ambiguous business problems; an aptitude for problem solving and strategic thinking.
• Strategic thinker who can be consultative, collaborative and "engage as equals."
• Excellent communication skills, capable of presenting analytical findings and using effective storytelling grounded on insights

• Proficiency in formulating business questions based on stakeholder insight requirements and experience in developing both machine learning and descriptive algorithms or modeling using such languages as Python, R, SAS, etc.
• Proven data science experience leveraging advanced statistical methods, Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing (NLP) modeling, and model evaluation is a plus.
• Experienced in working with diverse groups, in managing ambiguity.
• Excellent business acumen, with the ability to understand business processes and commercial strategies in detail at both global and region/country levels - and translate these into detailed business requirements/questions that power analytics.

?Our Human Health Division maintains a "patient first, profits later" ideology. The organization is comprised of sales, marketing, market access, digital analytics and commercial professionals who are passionate about their role in bringing our medicines to our customers worldwide.
We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.
Current Employees apply
Current Contingent Workers apply
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: Animal Vaccination, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Acumen, Business Administration, Business Intelligence (BI), Business Management, Commercial Strategies, Company Due Diligence, Computer Science, Data Analysis, Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Visualization, Demand Forecasting, Emerging Trends, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Software Development, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Statistics, Strategic Thinking, Veterinary Medicine, Waterfall Model
Preferred Skills:
Job Posting End Date: 10/19/2025
*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.

Skills Required