Assoc. Dir, FDO Portfolio Management

1000 Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Washington, US
Remote

Job Description

Job Description ROLE OVERVIEW The Associate Director, Portfolio Management is a key leadership role within our company's Finance Digital Office, responsible for governing and advancing the FDO's portfolio of digital transformation initiatives across a global finance organization of over 1,000 employees. This individual will serve as the connective tissue between strategic intent and execution; ensuring that projects are prioritized, resourced, tracked, and communicated with rigor and transparency. This role requires a rare combination of financial acumen, project management discipline, and digital fluency. The successful candidate will build and maintain the frameworks, tools, and governance processes that enable the FDO to deliver value at scale. PORTFOLIO GOVERNANCE & OVERSIGHT • Own and continuously evolve the FDO project portfolio, including the end-to-end intake, prioritization, and approval process • Maintain and enhance the value/effort scoring framework used to prioritize digital investments across the finance organization • Develop and manage a portfolio-level Gantt-based roadmap, ensuring visibility into milestones, dependencies, and sequencing • Establish and enforce portfolio governance standards, including project charter requirements, stage-gate reviews, and post-implementation assessments • Proactively identify capacity constraints, cross-project dependencies, and delivery risks; escalate and resolve issues as appropriate • Partner with FDO leadership to conduct regular portfolio reviews and ensure alignment with enterprise finance and technology strategy EXECUTIVE REPORTING & COMMUNICATIONS • Develop and deliver high-quality portfolio dashboards, status updates, and executive briefing materials for senior finance leadership • Create compelling data visualizations and narrative summaries that translate portfolio complexity into clear, actionable insights • Maintain portfolio reporting cadence and ensure stakeholders receive timely, accurate updates on project health and strategic progress • Serve as a primary point of contact for finance leaders seeking visibility into FDO project status and timelines PROCESS DESIGN & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT • Design and implement scalable PMO processes, templates, and tools that improve portfolio visibility and execution discipline • Lead efforts to standardize project intake and classification processes, including governance guardrails to prevent shadow projects from bypassing review • Leverage Power BI and other analytics platforms to build self-service reporting capabilities for FDO stakeholders • Identify and close gaps in current portfolio management practices; benchmark against industry standards and propose improvements STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT & CHANGE MANAGEMENT • Build strong working relationships with finance business partners, IT, and shared services teams to ensure project alignment and adoption • Facilitate cross-functional planning sessions, dependency mapping workshops, and portfolio prioritization discussions • Support change management activities associated with digital initiative rollouts, including communication planning and readiness tracking QUALIFICATIONS Required • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field; MBA preferred • 7+ years of progressive experience in project/portfolio management, finance transformation, or a related discipline • Demonstrated experience managing a portfolio of concurrent technology or transformation initiatives • Strong proficiency in project management tools and methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, hybrid); PMP or equivalent certification preferred • Excellent communication and presentation skills; comfort engaging with VP and above-level stakeholders • Proficiency in Power BI, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with portfolio management platforms a plus Preferred • Experience in a pharmaceutical, biotech, or Fortune 500 finance environment • Familiarity with ERP systems (SAP), financial planning tools (BPC, SAC-P, Lumel), or data platforms (Databricks, Redshift, FSA) • Six Sigma, Lean, or other process improvement certification • Demonstrated ability to drive governance and accountability in a matrixed global organization WHAT YOU'LL GAIN • A high-visibility leadership role at the center of our company's Finance's digital transformation agenda • Opportunity to shape and mature portfolio management practices across a global finance function • Exposure to cutting-edge financial technology platforms and enterprise AI/analytics initiatives • A collaborative, intellectually curious team committed to delivering meaningful impact Required Skills: Business Intelligence Development, Business Intelligence Development, Business Support, CAPA Management, Clinical Supply Chain Management, Communications Support, Customer Experience Optimization, Customer-Focused, Driving Continuous Improvement, Executive Level Reporting, Finance Transformation, Financial Accounting Controls, Finan

Skills & Requirements

Technical Skills

Project managementFinance transformationDigital fluencyPower biSelf-service reportingChange managementCommunications supportCustomer experience optimizationCustomer-focusedDriving continuous improvementExecutive level reportingFinance transformationFinancial accountingBusiness administrationBusiness intelligence developmentCollaborationIntellectual curiosityTeam commitmentMulti-taskingFast-paced environmentCommunicationDocumentationProject alignmentAdoptionCross-functional planningDependency mappingPortfolio prioritizationCommunication planningReadiness trackingFinanceDigital transformationPortfolio managementFinance organizationGlobal finance

Employment Type

FULL TIME

Level

Mid-Level

Posted

5/4/2026

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