Director, Engineering

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled and strategic Reliability Engineering Director to lead our reliability engineering efforts within the Vaccine manufacturing environment. This role is critical to ensuring the continuous, compliant, and efficient operation of manufacturing equipment and systems that support drug production. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise in reliability engineering with strong leadership capabilities and a thorough understanding of pharmaceutical industry regulations and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop the reliability engineering team composed of engineers focused on vaccine manufacturing equipment and systems.

• Develop and implement reliability strategies to maximize equipment uptime, reduce unplanned downtime, and extend asset life while ensuring compliance with FDA, EMA, and other regulatory requirements.

• Collaborate closely with Quality Assurance, Validation, Manufacturing, Maintenance, and Engineering teams to embed reliability best practices into equipment design, maintenance, qualification, and operation.

• Facilitate RBAM (reliability based asset management) on key manufacturing assets and utilize/track key reliability metrics such as MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), MTTR (Mean Time To Repair), and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) ensuring actions are completed and driving improved performance and risk ranking of assets.

• Drive root cause analysis and failure investigations for critical equipment, ensuring corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) are implemented effectively.

• Oversee reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) programs and predictive maintenance initiatives using condition monitoring and data analytics.

• Ensure all reliability activities comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and support audit readiness.

• Lead risk assessments related to equipment reliability and support validation activities, including IQ/OQ/PQ protocols.

• Manage budgets, resources, and timelines for reliability projects and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Communicate reliability goals, progress, and outcomes to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or related technical field)

• Master’s degree preferred.

Required Experience and Skills:

• 10+ years of experience in reliability engineering or maintenance engineering within pharmaceutical manufacturing or a highly regulated industry.

• Minimum 5 years in a leadership role managing reliability or maintenance teams.

• Strong knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, equipment, and regulatory requirements (FDA, EMA, GMP).

• Expertise in reliability engineering tools and methodologies such as FMEA, RCM, Weibull analysis, fault tree analysis, and root cause analysis.

• Experience with Enterprise Asset Management systems (EAM) and reliability data analytics tools.

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence at all organizational levels.

• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and project management skills.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with pharmaceutical equipment qualification and validation processes.

• Certifications such as Certified Reliability Engineer (CMRP), Six Sigma, or Lean Manufacturing.

• Familiarity with risk management frameworks (e.g., ICH Q9).

• Knowledge of automation and control systems used in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

• Opportunity to lead reliability initiatives critical to patient safety and product quality.

• Dynamic and collaborative work environment within a leading pharmaceutical company.

• Professional development and career advancement opportunities.

VETJOBS

Required Skills:

Consulting, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Facility Management, Fault Tree Analysis, GxP Compliance, Leadership Assessments, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma Continuous Improvement, Maintenance Engineering, Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), Operations Management, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Patient Safety, People Leadership, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Portfolio Management, Program Management, Regulatory Requirements, Reliability Engineering, Reliability Management, Results-Oriented, Safety Leadership, Utilities Management

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:

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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

$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

04/29/2026

*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.