Manufacturing Data & Analytics Strategy Senior Specialist

Job Description

The Manufacturing Data & Analytics Strategy Senior Specialist supports the realization of business value across European Animal Health Manufacturing sites by translating Manufacturing business needs into structured analytics opportunities, data requirements, and insight-driven initiatives. The role partners with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Digital Technology, Data Science, site leadership, and global product teams to shape, prioritize, and enable analytics solutions that improve operational performance, quality, compliance, efficiency, reliability, and continuous improvement.

This role enables the effective use of manufacturing, shopfloor, and operational data by developing a strong understanding of business processes, operational workflows, lean principles, and manufacturing data flows. The role identifies and shapes high-value analytics opportunities, supports demand and portfolio visibility, and contributes to project execution across the EU regional site network.

Working with a degree of independence, the role investigates Manufacturing business situations involving some complexity and ambiguity, applies structured business analysis and requirements management practices, and provides constructive challenge to stakeholders where appropriate. The role also supports modernization and capital initiatives by helping define the data required to enable future operations, monitoring, optimization, and decision-making.

The role contributes to the responsible exploration and application of advanced analytics and AI-enabled capabilities to enhance insight generation from Manufacturing data, while ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, data governance, compliance requirements, and responsible AI principles.

You will be a member of our Global Animal Health Manufacturing IT team based at our Tech Center in Prague and will work closely with EU Animal Health Manufacturing sites, global product teams, local Digital Manufacturing Operations teams, platform groups, IT hubs, business partners, and vendors.

The key responsibilities of the role will include the following:

Manufacturing Business Engagement & Strategy Support

• Translate Manufacturing business questions across EU AH sites into structured analytical problem statements, with focus areas including performance, quality, throughput, cost, compliance, reliability, and operational efficiency

• Build understanding of Manufacturing business processes, shopfloor operations, data flows, and lean principles to identify high-value analytics opportunities that support continuous improvement and operational excellence

• Contribute to Manufacturing analytics strategy and planning by developing insights, recommendations, and supporting materials for regional and site stakeholders

• Support Manufacturing capital and modernization initiatives by helping define data requirements needed to enable future operations, monitoring, optimization, performance management, and decision-making

Stakeholder Relationships & Regional Collaboration

• Develop and enhance relationships with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Digital Technology, Data Science, site leadership, vendors, and global product teams

• Implement stakeholder engagement and communication plans, ensuring stakeholders understand analytics priorities, timelines, dependencies, risks, and decision points

• Manage stakeholder issues, corrective actions, lessons learned, and feedback to improve engagement effectiveness and ways of working

• Promote cross-site collaboration, reusable analytics assets, best practices, and alignment with regional, global, and One-IT objectives

Demand, Project & Portfolio Management

• Implement demand management analysis and planning for Manufacturing analytics opportunities across EU AH sites

• Maintain visibility of business requests, initiative status, priorities, dependencies, risks, issues, and expected business outcomes

• Work with business and technical partners to clarify demand, assess value, route requests appropriately, and support short- and medium-term prioritization decisions

• Support project and portfolio management activities by tracking scope, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risks, issues, and value realization

• Contribute data-driven inputs to backlog discussions, prioritization forums, and portfolio reviews for Manufacturing analytics initiatives

Business Analysis & Requirements Management

• Investigate Manufacturing business situations involving some complexity and ambiguity, applying a holistic view to identify problems, root causes, opportunities, and improvement areas

• Define and manage scoping, requirements definition, and prioritization activities for small-scale changes, while assisting with more complex change initiatives

• Elicit, document, review, prioritize, and trace requirements using agreed standards and appropriate techniques

• Provide constructive challenge to stakeholders to clarify needs, address gaps, and ensure requirements are complete, accurate, feasible, and aligned to business objectives

• Manage authorized changes to baselined requirements in line with change management policies and processes

Manufacturing Data, Analytics & AI-Enabled Insight Generation

• Assess Manufacturing business problems and available datasets to determine the usefulness of analytics, data science, and AI-enabled approaches

• Select, integrate, and analyze relevant Manufacturing data to support insight generation and decision-making

• Apply appropriate analytics and data science techniques, tools, and specialized programming languages where relevant

• Develop data hypotheses, evaluate analytical methods or models, and advise on the effectiveness of specific techniques based on findings

• Contribute to the development, evaluation, monitoring, and deployment of analytics and data science solutions

• Support the responsible exploration and application of AI-enabled analytics tools, including automated insights, advanced analytics, and natural language interfaces

• Ensure responsible, ethical, compliant, and governed use of Manufacturing data and AI in line with enterprise standards, policies, and governance requirements

Innovation, Continuous Improvement & Solution Evaluation

• Manage and support the Manufacturing analytics innovation pipeline by identifying, shaping, and progressing opportunities from idea through evaluation and execution

• Develop and adapt tools, processes, and ways of working that improve the flow of analytics ideas and support innovation across Manufacturing sites

• Encourage Manufacturing, analytics, and technology communities to share ideas, lessons learned, and improvement opportunities

• Support evaluation of analytics tools, platforms, vendors, and third-party solutions where required

• Contribute to business cases, solution assessments, expected benefits, evaluation criteria, and sourcing/procurement inputs in collaboration with business, technology, and procurement stakeholders

 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, analytics, information systems, engineering, data science, manufacturing, or related discipline, or equivalent experience

• 3–5 years of experience in analytics, business analysis, manufacturing operations, digital manufacturing, consulting, project management, or data-driven roles

• Experience working with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related operational business domains

• Strong understanding of business analysis, requirements management, stakeholder engagement, demand management, project/portfolio management, and structured problem-solving techniques

• Ability to investigate business situations with some complexity and ambiguity, conduct root cause analysis, and recommend improvements

• Experience supporting prioritization, demand planning, portfolio reviews, and decision-making across business and technical teams

• Exposure to manufacturing data, shopfloor systems, operational metrics, lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or production performance management

• Working knowledge of analytics, business intelligence, data science, AI-enabled tools, and responsible data use practices

• Ability to assess data and analytics opportunities, evaluate fit-for-purpose analytical approaches, and communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Strong communication, collaboration, and influencing skills across functions, sites, geographies, and cultures

• Ability to provide constructive challenge to stakeholders while maintaining effective relationships

• Understanding of data governance, quality, compliance, privacy, security, and risk considerations

 

Nice to Haves

• Experience supporting analytics initiatives across multiple manufacturing sites or regional/global manufacturing networks

• Exposure to Animal Health, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical device, or regulated manufacturing environments

• Familiarity with manufacturing systems and data sources such as MES, ERP, LIMS, automation systems, historians, quality systems, maintenance systems, or operational reporting platforms

• Experience with visualization, reporting, analytics, or project/portfolio management tools

• Exposure to data science techniques, machine learning, AI-assisted analytics, or advanced analytics in Manufacturing contexts

• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, operational excellence, or production system methodologies

• Experience contributing to business cases, vendor evaluations, solution assessments, sourcing/procurement activities, capital projects, digital manufacturing, modernization, or Industry 4.0 initiatives

What We Offer

• Exciting work in a great team, global projects, international environment

• Opportunity to learn and grow professionally within the company globally

• Hybrid working model, flexible role pattern

• Pension and health (Canadian Medical) contributions

• Internal reward system plus referral program

• 5 weeks annual leave, 5 sick days, 15 days of certified sick leave paid above statutory requirements annually, 40 paid hours annually for volunteering activities, 12 weeks of parental contribution

• Cafeteria for tax free benefits according to your choice (meal vouchers, sport, culture, health, travel, etc.), Multisport card, Vodafone, Raiffeisen Bank and Foodora discount programs

• Up-to-date laptop and iPhone, parking in the garage, showers, refreshments

• Competitive salary, incentive pay, and many more

Ready to take up the challenge? Apply now!
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The date shown below is the earliest possible closing date for this posting. However, we sometimes extend the job posting period as needed, so please feel free to apply anytime you see the "Apply" button available. You may also reach out to the recruiter directly via https://www.linkedin.com/in/badumtss/

Required Skills:

Animal Health Care, Animal Health Care, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Biopharmaceutical Industry, Business Intelligence (BI), Capital Projects, Collaboration, Communication, Continuous Improvement, Data Analysis, Data Compliance, Data Governance, Data Privacy, Data Reporting, Data Science, Data Visualization, Demand Planning, Digital Manufacturing, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), IT Business Analysis, IT Modernization, IT Sourcing, Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) {+ 13 more}

Preferred Skills:

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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:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/26/2026

*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.