Associate Director, ESG Strategic Reporting

In April 2020, Merck announced plans to consolidate our New Jersey campuses into a single New Jersey headquarters location in Rahway, NJ by 2023. Therefore, this role will be temporarily based in a different NJ location and exact timing of the departmental move to Rahway, NJ will be communicated at a future date.

Job Description

The ESG Strategy & Engagement team is part of our company’s Social Business Innovation (SBI) department within Corporate Affairs. The ESG team works cross-functionally with senior leaders and partners in the business, including Finance, Legal, IT, Investor Relations and others on a day-to-day basis, focusing on our company’s commitment to operating responsibly to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for people and communities everywhere.

The role of Associate Director, ESG Strategic Reporting is a unique opportunity to join our company as a key contributor to the company’s sustainability reporting efforts in a fast-paced environment that is rapidly evolving from voluntary to regulation-driven disclosures.

The role will report to the Director, ESG Strategic Reporting.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage ESG reporting and disclosure processes end-to-end, orchestrating efforts across a wide variety of subject matter experts to collect and share data about the company’s ESG actions; verifying report metrics; and collecting, editing and summarizing content
• Lead workstreams related to EU regulatory requirements for ESG-related disclosures, as well as those for our voluntary reporting
• Partner with the ESG Controller, our internal audit team and other functional areas to regularly review and strengthen internal controls for ESG reporting.
• Effectively develop and work with teams of internal stakeholders, as well as outside partners and consultants, on ESG reporting requirements and projects
• Develop and maintain performance dashboards, tools, databases, and other tracking mechanisms to evaluate, track, and report progress on various workstreams
• Lead and manage responses to key ESG ratings (e.g., MSCI, Sustainalytics, ISS ESG), understand the ratings drivers, maintain industry peer comparisons, and help to identify opportunities to enhance scores by developing expertise in ratings methodologies.
• Communicate the organization’s ESG performance to internal and external stakeholders through presentations, reports, and other communication channels.

Position Qualifications:

Commute/Location:

• This role is based at our Headquarters site in Rahway, NJ (USA), with a Hybrid setup (combination of an in-office & remote).
• This position cannot be 100% remote.

Education Minimum Requirement:

• BA/BS degree

Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience in corporate ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) reporting and/or sustainability, preferably with a range of experience across different functions and/or businesses.
• Strong understanding of ESG reporting, sustainability practices, and the relevant regulations and standards.
• Proficiency with ESG reporting frameworks such as GRI, SASB, UNGC, UN SDGs. Ability to effectively manage responses to key ESG surveys (e.g., MSCI, Sustainalytics, ISS ESG), understand the ratings drivers, and maintain industry peer comparisons etc.
• Proven project management skills, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks and competing priorities while working effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent writing and verbal presentation skills, with the ability to distill and communicate complex details and data into consumable insights.
• Ability to operate in a high volume, time-pressured environment while maintaining a positive approach to the work.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• A deep knowledge and understanding of sustainability and ESG issues and related reporting trends, drivers, standards, and frameworks.
• Pharmaceutical industry or a related industry.
• Consulting experience with Fortune 100 clients on ESG reporting strategy.
• An understanding of emerging regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and others
• Financial reporting experience is a plus

To Apply

Please visit the Merck & Co., Inc. careers website.