Manager, Strategic Forecasting

Job Description Manager Forecasting The Opportunity • Based in Hyderabad, join a global healthcare biopharma company and be part of a 130- year legacy of success backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare. • Be part of an organization driven by digital technology and data-backed approaches that support a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. • Drive innovation and execution excellence. Be a part of a team with passion for using data, analytics, and insights to drive decision-making, and which creates custom software, allowing us to tackle some of the world's greatest health threats. Our Technology Centers focus on creating a space where teams can come together to deliver business solutions that save and improve lives. An integral part of our company’s IT operating model, Tech Centers are globally distributed locations where each IT division has employees to enable our digital transformation journey and drive business outcomes. These locations, in addition to the other sites, are essential to supporting our business and strategy. A focused group of leaders in each Tech Center helps to ensure we can manage and improve each location, from investing in growth, success, and well-being of our people, to making sure colleagues from each IT division feel a sense of belonging to managing critical emergencies. And together, we must leverage the strength of our team to collaborate globally to optimize connections and share best practices across the Tech Centers. Role Overview: As Manager – Forecasting , you will be responsible for delivering high-quality forecasting solutions, forecast analytics, scenario planning, sensitivities, and business decision support for Human Health International markets. This is an individual contributor role that requires strong forecasting expertise, analytical problem-solving, pharma data understanding, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to translate complex market dynamics into clear forecast assumptions, outputs, risks, opportunities, and recommendations. The role will support brand, launch, portfolio, market, and investment decisions by applying strategic, statistical, patient-based, and epidemiology-based forecasting techniques. The Manager – Forecasting will work closely with Strategic Forecasting leadership, Business Insights & Analytics, Marketing, Finance, Market Access, Data Science / AI, and regional / market stakeholders to collect and validate inputs, build forecast models, run scenarios, communicate outputs, and continuously improve forecasting methodologies and delivery standards. Key Responsibilities: • Deliver end-to-end forecasting support for assigned brands, therapy areas, markets, or portfolios, including project planning, data gathering, assumption validation, model development, scenario analysis, forecast review, and output communication. • Apply strategic, statistical, patient-based, and epidemiology-based forecasting techniques to develop robust, transparent, and business-relevant forecasts aligned with stakeholder decision needs. • Collaborate with country, regional, and global stakeholders across commercial, marketing, finance, analytics, market access, and other cross-functional teams to collect inputs, validate assumptions, run sensitivities, and support business decisions. • Translate business questions into structured forecasting approaches by defining forecast logic, assumptions, drivers, scenarios, outputs, and interpretation frameworks. • Identify and communicate key forecasting levers, risks, opportunities, uncertainties, patient dynamics, epidemiology assumptions, and business implications to support brand, launch, portfolio, and resource allocation decisions. • Develop, maintain, and enhance forecast models, templates, documentation, assumption trackers, scenario outputs, and supporting analytical materials to ensure consistency, quality, transparency, and reusability. • Support forecast performance tracking and continuous improvement by contributing to forecast error measurement, variance analysis, methodology refinement, quality checks, and lessons learned across forecasting cycles. • Leverage pharma commercial datasets and market inputs, including sales data, prescription / Rx data, patient-level data, claims data, market share data, epidemiology data, prevalence / incidence data, diagnosis and treatment rates, line-of-therapy assumptions, patient flow inputs, market research inputs, syndicated data, and third-party sources such as IQVIA or similar providers. • Use analytical and business communication tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, ThoughtSpot, Power BI, and relevant forecasting / analytics platforms to analyze data, develop outputs, and convert complex forecast results into clear business narratives. • Contribute to digital, automation, and GenAI-enabled improvements in forecasting workflows, including forecast documentation, scenario generation, assumption review, insight summarization, quality checks, productivity improvement, and responsible use of AI-enabled analytics tools. Required Experience, Skills and Qualifications: • 4+ years of experience in forecasting, commercial analytics, business insights, finance analytics, advanced analytics, consulting, or related analytical roles, with experience in pharma forecasting or healthcare analytics preferred. • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, statistics, mathematics, economics, management, business analytics, life sciences, data science, or a related discipline; advanced degree such as MBA, MS, MPH, or equivalent preferred. • Strong understanding of forecasting concepts, including strategic forecasting, statistical forecasting, patient-based forecasting, epidemiology-based forecasting, assumption development, sensitivity analysis, and scenario planning. • Experience developing or supporting forecast models for brands, launches, therapy areas, portfolios, markets, or business planning cycles. • Good understanding of pharma commercial data sources and datasets, including sales data, prescription / Rx data, patient-level data, claims data, market share data, epidemiology data, prevalence / incidence data, diagnosis and treatment rates, patient flow inputs, market research inputs, syndicated data, and third-party sources such as IQVIA or similar providers. • Strong commercial understanding of pharma business drivers, including market dynamics, brand performance, launch planning, patient flow, treatment pathways, access dynamics, competitive landscape, and portfolio decision-making. • Strong proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint, with working knowledge of tools such as ThoughtSpot, Power BI, and similar reporting, visualization, or analytics platforms. • Strong analytical problem-solving skills with the ability to structure ambiguous business questions, challenge assumptions, identify key drivers, and develop practical forecasting outputs. • Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to present forecast outputs, assumptions, risks, opportunities, and recommendations in a clear, concise, and business-relevant manner. • Digital and GenAI fluency preferred, including the ability to use GenAI-enabled tools responsibly for forecast documentation, scenario support, insight summarization, data storytelling, quality checks, and productivity improvement. #HYDIT2025 Required Skills: Analytical Thinking, Business Analysis, Business Decisions, Data Analysis, Data Storytelling, Digital Analytics, Finance Analytics, Life Science, Marketing, Numerical Analysis, Patient Flow, Productivity Improvements, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Forecasting, Strategic Planning, Variance Analysis, Waterfall Model Preferred Skills: Current Employees apply HERE Current Contingent Workers apply HERE 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): Job Posting End Date: 09/4/2026 *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.