Manager, Operations

Job Description

Our Manufacturing Operations teams are the people that make our products. We work in the manufacturing plants with a “Safety First, Quality Always” mindset striving for continuous improvement. We work in the local plant connected to our global manufacturing network to ensure the highest quality of raw materials, intermediates and finished products. 

 

Position Description  

This is a night shift position, 12.5 hour 6:00PM - 6:30AM rotation (2-2-3).   

The role of Operations Manager at our Company's Durham facility is a manufacturing leadership role. The individual in this role must provide direction, coaching, and technical expertise to operations personnel responsible for the manufacturing processes. This individual must actively manage their assigned team to reliably support customer demand (including hiring as needed, employee development, routine 1:1 meetings and coaching, recognition, and performance management). Additionally, they must become proficient in the use of manufacturing systems and knowledgeable of site procedures in order to resolve process/equipment issues, minimize downtime, and ensure product quality. 

 
This role will support manufacturing activities at the Durham Site. Successful candidate(s) will be assigned to support either pre-thaw (e.g. preparation of sterile components, tanks, and stabilizer) or post-thaw (e.g. bulk thawing, pooling, filling, lyophilization, capping and inspection) activities. 

 
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

 
Employee Development / People Management 

• Develop, motivate, and manage a team to ensure reliable manufacturing process execution 

• Assign yearly performance objectives for the team in alignment with department and site goals 

• Provide regular feedback and coaching to employees on work performance 

• Provide leadership to the team as needed based on the team’s capabilities and maturity 

 
Process Execution / Continuous Improvement 

• Provide a leadership presence on the manufacturing floor 

• Champion standard work to drive consistent use of best practices across teams 

• Regularly help the team troubleshoot issues to minimize downtime and maintain product quality 

• Identify opportunities to improve the process (e.g. cycle times, ease of execution, reliability) 

• Support work as needed to implement improvements (e.g. scheduling, staffing, protocol execution) 

• Coach team members in executing smaller improvement projects in their operational area 

• Represent Operations on project teams as needed 

 
Communication 

• Lead and support daily (Tier) meetings to facilitate flow of information up/down through the organization 

• Hold regular team meetings to cascade information and collect team feedback 

• Provide clear consistent communication from shift to shift 

• Escalate issues as needed to ensure the right support/awareness is given to issues as they arise 

• Serve as an Subject Matter Expert (SME) during tours to provide area/process overview information to visitors/auditors upon request 

 
Quality & Safety Compliance 

• Foster strong safety culture on the team through actions, coaching, and prioritization 

• Coach individuals when reporting safety issues and completing corrective/preventative actions 

• Drive culture of compliance through actions, consistent quality-driven decision making, and coaching of the team (e.g. documentation, housekeeping, area 5S, etc.) 

• Participate in safety/regulatory audits (i.e. tours, topic discussion) 

 
Financial 

• Coach the team to ensure SAP transaction completion is timely and accurate 

• Manage team staffing and overtime to support customer demand while meeting budget targets 

• Recognize opportunities for cost savings and communicates them for potential project chartering 

 

Education Minimum Requirement:   

• High School Diploma/GED required 

 

Required Experience and Skills:  

• Minimum six (6) years of experience in a manufacturing, technical, support, or Military role or at least three (3) years of experience in a manufacturing, technical, support, or Military role with a Bachelor’s degree in Life Science or Engineering 

• Must be willing to work 12-hour dayshift (6:00PM to 6:30AM) on a rotating 2-2-3 schedule.  Note that this schedule does include working alternating weekends and holidays 

• Demonstrated ability to lead a team (i.e. experience leading directly as a supervisor/coach or indirectly as part of a project or through routine process execution) 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and coordinate people/resources to meet a production schedule 

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills 

• Willingness to work a 12 hour rotation (2-2-3) schedule, including some weekends (shift assignment may change based on need) 

 

Preferred Experience and Skills: 

• Previous supervisory experience 

• Experience in a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-regulated manufacturing environment 

• Experience using electronic manufacturing systems (e.g. PAS-X, SAP, Delta-V, etc.) 

• Experience interacting with regulatory auditors as part of area tours and/or topic discussion 

• Lean Six Sigma certification 

 

#MSJR

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Aseptic Manufacturing, cGMP Compliance, Coaching, Coach Team Members, Customer Management, Data Analysis, Employee Performance Standards, Interpersonal Relationships, Inventory Management, Life Science, Manufacturing Processes, Manufacturing Quality Control, Operational Excellence, Organizational Compliance, Packaging Operations, People Leadership, People Management, Process Engineering, Process Improvements, Process Manufacturing, Production Planning, Production Scheduling, Safety Culture {+ 2 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

The salary range for this role is

$96,200.00 - $151,400.00

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:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

3rd - Night

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

NA

Job Posting End Date:

05/23/2026

*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.