Specialist, Emerging Talent Program Management and Operations

Job Description

Specialist, Emerging Talent Program Management and Operations

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 organisation 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 the company 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:

The Specialist for emerging talent programs will play a critical role in executing, and scaling hiring and engagement initiatives, including internships and Emerging Talent Rotation (ETR) Program. This role requires strong program management capabilities, deep understanding of university ecosystems the ability to implement the latest hiring strategies, and a proven ability to drive high-impact execution across multiple stakeholders, institutions, and talent cohorts.

These programs cultivate the technical, business, and professional experience of student and entry-level technologists.

The ideal candidate is highly energetic, execution-focused, has attention to details, is comfortable in a fast-paced environment, is relationship-driven, and comfortable navigating complex university and Emerging career landscapes.

What will you do in this role:

Program Operations Management, and reporting:

• Own program management for multiple and overlapping batches of Emerging talent intakes, including planning, timelines, tracking milestones, and execution while ensuring consistency, quality, and a strong candidate experience.
• Support the lead to execute multi-day virtual and in-person program meetings that advance program members’ learning and development such as staff meetings/ townhalls, and training opportunities for both Emerging talent and supervisors.
• Work with Local program lead to establish and track program metrics, benchmark against programs across our company and other industries.
• Continuously improve program processes to be more efficient and sustainable as the program expands

Hiring, Onboarding, Engagement and performance management:

• End-to-end Emerging talent hiring for our internship programs and emerging talent rotation program, from workforce planning through onboarding.
• Partner with the Global Talent Acquisition team for the execution of recruiting plans for emerging talent programs and/or participate in interview days and job fairs as needed
• Collaborate with internal Global Talent Acquisition, talent, business leaders, educational institutions and external stakeholders
• Stay connected with university calendars, academic cycles, and student ecosystems to ensure timely and effective engagement.
• Partner with the comms team to enable our social media and digital engagement campaigns focused on Emerging talent hiring and programs.

What Should you have:

Qualification:

• Education Minimum Requirement: A degree in business, management, information technology, HR or project management preferred.

Required Experience and Skills:

• A minimum 3 years of professional experience in HR and/or IT development programs, preferably in talent program/project management and leadership.
• Must possess excellent interpersonal, deliberate communication, collaboration, negotiation, influencing and project management skills.
• Has demonstrated complex problem-solving skills, and team building abilities along with a sensitivity to diverse cultures / backgrounds.
• Ability to independently execute innovative ideas within the legal/compliance environment at our Company.
• Ability to execute and improve processes and to drive lasting change.
• Demonstrates flexibility and is ready to contribute to assigned and evolving project need

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Working knowledge of development of new hires at the university level and experience with Next Generation talent
• Experience in multiple areas across the pharmaceutical business or IT or Leadership experience with the digital transformation strategy across the enterprise preferred.
• Ability to motivate others towards continuous improvement.

Our technology teams operate as business partners, proposing ideas and innovative solutions that enable new organizational capabilities. We collaborate internationally to deliver services and solutions that help everyone be more productive and enable innovation. 

Who we are:

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for lives, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for:

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

#HYDIT2026

Required Skills:

Benefits Management, Business Analysis, Business Process Improvements, Governance Management, Program Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, Workforce Planning

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:

03/13/2026

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