AD, Sales Operation Excellence Lead

Job Description

Position Overview - Basic Functions & Responsibility 

Essential function(s) includes, but is not limited to: 

• We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Associate Director, Sales Operation Excellence Lead to drive governance and operational excellence across key sales processes. This role will be responsible for establishing and maintaining best-in-class frameworks for territory design, target setting, and incentive governance, ensuring alignment with business strategy and operational integrity. The role will work closely with cross-functional teams, including the BEBP team, to ensure effective execution and continuous improvement. 

The Core Responsibilities are: 

Essential function(s) includes, but is not limited to: 

1. Governance & Framework Development 

• Design and maintain governance frameworks for territory design, target setting, and incentive programs. 

• Define guiding principles, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and performance metrics to ensure consistency and transparency. 

• Serve as the subject matter expert and central point of contact for policy-related inquiries and escalations. 

2. Incentive Design & Governance 

• Lead the design of sales incentive programs that align with business objectives and drive desired sales behaviors. 

• Ensure incentive plans are fair, motivating, and compliant with internal and external standards. 

• Oversee governance of incentive processes, including documentation, audit readiness, and performance evaluation. 

• Partner with Finance, HR, and Sales Leadership to ensure incentive plans are financially sound and operationally feasible. 

3. Cross-Functional Alignment 

• Collaborate with the BEBP team, Sales, Marketing, and Finance to ensure frameworks are effectively implemented and adapted to business needs, and drive alignment and decision-making with senior stakeholders 

• Facilitate alignment across stakeholders to ensure clarity of roles, responsibilities, and timelines. 

• Support change management and communication efforts related to sales operations initiatives. 

4. Continuous Improvement & Insights 

• Monitor the effectiveness of existing frameworks and recommend enhancements based on performance data and stakeholder feedback. 

• Conduct benchmarking and stay current with industry best practices to inform strategic improvements. 

• Lead or support special projects related to sales operations excellence. 

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree or above; MBA or advanced degree preferred. 

• 8+ years of experience in Sales Operations, Commercial Excellence, or related roles 

• Proven experience in SFE or incentive plan design and governance 

• Strong understanding of sales planning processes, including territory and target governance on the basis of strong capacity to understand business strategy, customer approach, and integrated execution in cross-BUs. 

• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data, generate insights, and drive data-informed decisions. 

• Outstanding collaboration and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to work effectively across functions and influence stakeholders at all levels. 

•  Proficiency in tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization platforms  

• Show integrity, tenacity, resilience and adaptability in complex situations; is able to handle pressure and commit to and respect deadlines 

• Good command of written and verbal English 

Core Competencies: 

• Analytical Excellence: Ability to design data-driven incentive programs and govern sales operations frameworks using strong quantitative and problem-solving skills. 

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven capability to work effectively across teams (e.g., BEBP, Sales, Marketing, Finance) and influence stakeholders at all levels. 

• Strategic Governance: Expertise in developing and maintaining governance models for territory design, target setting, and incentive processes to ensure alignment, transparency, and operational integrity. 

• Change Leadership: Strong drive to make things happen, lead initiatives, and implement improvements that enhance sales effectiveness and operational efficiency. 

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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. 

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