Job Description

Associate Director, Accounting (US Controllers Team)

We are seeking an Associate Director, Accounting to join our US Controllers Team. This role is accountable for the end-to-end accounting and financial close for US legal entities, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness across journals, reconciliations, analytics, and controls. You will serve as a key business partner to divisional finance teams, oversee BSC/Genpact activities, and maintain the integrity of the US General Ledger in accordance with US GAAP, Sarbanes–Oxley, and company policies.

What you’ll do

Lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual close for US entities:

• Review and approve journal entries and account reconciliations

• Prepare and analyze period-end financial results, variance analyses, and flux reviews

• Ensure completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of close deliverables and reporting packages

Serve as the point of contact for divisional finance teams:

• Provide guidance on accounting impacts

• Coordinate and communicate key close milestones, dependencies, and risks

Oversee operations supported by the Business Service Center (BSC) Americas and Genpact:

• Monitor service delivery, SLAs, and controls

• Escalate issues, drive root-cause analysis, and implement process improvements

Maintain GL integrity and compliance:

• Ensure adherence to US GAAP, company finance policies, and internal control requirements

• Own and enhance SOX key controls, documentation, and testing readiness

Act as subject matter expert for complex and non-routine transactions:

• Advise on accounting for divestitures, acquisitions, restructurings, legal entity integrations, impairments, contingencies, and intercompany activity

• Draft accounting memos and partner with Accounting Standards and Consolidations

Partner across Finance:

• Collaborate with Consolidation Accounting, Accounting Standards, Treasury, Tax, Divisional Financial Services, and Global Business Services on close and reporting matters

Audit support:

• Respond to audit inquiries, and support internal/external auditors

Leadership and development:

• Provide day-to-day oversight, coaching, and professional development to staff

• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence

Drive improvement and special projects:

• Lead/participate in process optimization, system enhancements, and cross-functional initiatives

• Contribute to automation and standardization across the close and controls environment

Qualifications Minimum education and experience

• BS/BA in Accounting

• 5+ years of progressive experience in accounting or finance

• Strong knowledge of US GAAP and internal controls (SOX)

• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to finance and non-finance stakeholders

• Track record of operating independently, prioritizing effectively, and collaborating in a team environment

• Adaptable and comfortable in a dynamic, evolving environment

Preferred qualifications

• CPA or MBA

• Experience with large, multi-entity environments and shared service models

• Proficiency with Excel and exposure to enterprise finance systems (e.g., SAP), consolidation tools (e.g., FCCS/FSA), and account reconciliation tools (e.g., BlackLine)

• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and time management

• SOX experience

Key competencies

• Technical: US GAAP, close process, consolidations, intercompany, FX, equity, revenue/cost accounting, accruals, reserves, and period-end analytics

• Controls: SOX design and operating effectiveness, risk assessment, documentation, and remediation

• Business partnering: Influencing, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration

• Continuous improvement: Process mapping, KPI/metric tracking, root-cause analysis, and automation

Required Skills:

Business Management, Business Management, Canadian GAAP, Collections Management, Cost Accounting, Credit Management, Customer-Focused, Divestitures, Documentations, Field Investigations, Finance, Financial Management, Fraud Investigations, General Accounting, General Ledger Reconciliations, Interpersonal Relationships, IS Audit, Leadership, Legal Entity Management, Multilingual Communications, Negotiation, Preparation of Financial Reports, Process Mapping, Process Optimization, Professional Integrity {+ 5 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The salary range for this role is

$114,700.00 - $180,500.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

12/10/2025

*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.

Requisition ID:R375329