About Us
Founded in 1908, Merz is a successful, family-owned specialty healthcare company with a rich history. As a leading global aesthetics business, our award-winning portfolio of injectables, devices, and skincare products empowers healthcare professionals to enhance confidence through aesthetic medicine. Our purpose is to fuel confidence by helping people look better, feel better, and live better. We believe you do not have to choose between living life and making a living. Live your best life with Merz Aesthetics.
A Brief Overview
The Director of Global Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is accountable for leading and advancing the end-to-end global Integrated Business Planning process across Merz Aesthetics. This strategic leadership role is responsible for aligning commercial, operational, supply, inventory, financial, and portfolio plans into a single integrated business plan that enables executive decision-making, supports growth objectives, and ensures supply chain resilience.
The Director serves as the process owner for the global IBP framework, establishing governance, performance management systems, planning standards, and organizational capabilities that drive cross-functional alignment and operational excellence. The role partners closely with Commercial, Finance, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain leadership teams to balance customer service, growth, inventory, capacity, and financial objectives. In addition to owning the monthly IBP process, this position leads large-scale business transformation and process improvement initiatives focused on increasing planning maturity, improving operational effectiveness, standardizing business processes, and developing sustainable capabilities across the global organization.
The role requires strong strategic leadership, executive communication, business acumen, change management expertise, and demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional initiatives in a global pharmaceutical or medical device environment.
What You Will Do
Integrated Business Planning Leadership
Own and lead the global Integrated Business Planning process across all business units and regions.
Establish and maintain IBP governance, standards, policies, and operating procedures.
Facilitate monthly Executive IBP meetings and decision-making forums to guide strategic decisions.
Ensure alignment between strategic objectives, commercial plans, operational plans, and financial commitments.
Drive cross-functional consensus and accountability for business plans and performance outcomes.
Provide executive leadership with visibility to risks, opportunities, constraints, and scenario alternatives
Demand & Commercial Integration
Partner with Commercial leadership to develop demand assumptions and market scenarios.
Lead consensus forecasting and demand review processes.
Challenge assumptions and identify forecast risks and opportunities.
Incorporate market intelligence, product launches, promotional plans, and portfolio changes into business planning activities.
Drive continuous improvement in forecast quality and planning effectiveness.
Supply, Inventory & Capacity Planning
Align supply, capacity, inventory, and service strategies with business objectives.
Ensure inventory optimization balances service, financial, and operational requirements.
Lead supply-demand balancing processes and executive decision-making regarding constraints and trade-offs.
Drive proactive identification and mitigation of supply chain risks.
Support strategic decisions regarding network capacity, inventory positioning, and business continuity.
Financial & Strategic Integration
Integrate financial planning with operational planning processes.
Ensure alignment between revenue, margin, inventory, and operating plans.
Partner with Finance to reconcile operational assumptions with financial objectives.
Support Annual Operating Plan, strategic planning cycles, and long-range business planning activities.
Incorporate portfolio strategy, lifecycle management, and new product introductions into the integrated planning process.
Business Transformation & Process Excellence
Lead large-scale transformation initiatives focused on improving planning capabilities and overall supply chain performance.
Design and implement standardized planning processes, governance frameworks, and operating models across regions.
Drive planning maturity improvements through process simplification, standardization, and capability development.
Apply Lean, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, and structured problem-solving methodologies to improve business performance.
Lead root-cause analyses and implement sustainable solutions that address systemic challenges.
Develop and maintain global planning playbooks, SOPs, governance documents, and best-practice standards.
Ensure process improvement initiatives deliver measurable improvements in forecasting, inventory management, service performance, and working capital utilization.
Performance Management & Business Insights
Define and govern global planning performance measures and KPI frameworks.
Establish performance management processes for:
Forecast Accuracy, Forecast Bias, Customer Service Levels, Inventory Health. Days of Supply, Working Capital, Supply Reliability, New Product Launch Readines, IBP Process Maturity
Lead routine performance reviews and ensure accountability for corrective actions.
Identify business risks early and escalate recommendations through appropriate governance forums.
Drive data-informed decision making throughout the planning organization.
Change Leadership & Organizational Capability
Serve as the primary change agent for IBP transformation and process improvement initiatives.
Lead organizational readiness, stakeholder engagement, communication, and adoption strategies.
Influence senior leaders in complex and ambiguous business environments.
Coach teams in continuous improvement methodologies and planning best practices.
Build organizational capability by embedding sustainable processes, governance, and new ways of working.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement.
Stakeholder & Team Leadership
Lead and develop a global team of planning and process excellence professionals.
Establish clear performance expectations, career development plans, and succession strategies.
Partner closely with executive leadership teams to drive enterprise priorities.•Influence and align stakeholders across multiple functions and geographic regions.
Build strong relationships that support cross-functional collaboration and business performance.
Hold teams accountable for process compliance, milestone achievement, and business results.
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Life Sciences, or related discipline.
10+ years of:
Progressive experience in Supply Chain, Integrated Business Planning, Sales & Operations Planning, Operations, or Business Planning.
Demonstrated experience leading global planning organizations and cross-functional initiatives.
Significant experience managing complex planning and supply chain processes within highly regulated industries.
Strong understanding of forecasting, inventory management, supply planning, manufacturing, and business operations.
5+ years
Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing global teams, enterprise-wide projects, business transformation programs, cross-functional initiatives, and large-scale strategic change efforts that drive organizational performance and growth.
Experience driving organizational change management and process improvement programs.
Proven success influencing senior leaders and leading through matrix organizations.
Preferred Qualifications
Technical & Functional Skills
Benefits
Work Authorization & Visa Sponsorship
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for employment‑based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Merz will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity. No sponsorship is available for any employment‑based visas, including but not limited to H‑1B, L‑1, TN, O‑1, E‑3, H‑1B1, F‑1, J‑1, OPT, CPT, or any other employment‑based visa category.