Principal Scientist, Microbial Process Operations

Job Description

The Microbial Process Operations (MPO) Team is seeking a Principal Scientist with expertise in microbial process development for the production of enzymes. Our team is part of Biocatalysis within the Small Molecule Process Research & Development (SMPRD) group, focused on advancing technologies for the manufacturing of a diverse small molecule portfolio. As a scientific leader, the successful candidate will contribute to and help translate scientific and platform strategies into experimental execution, ensuring robust, scalable, and compliant microbial fermentation processes that meet or exceed performance targets.

The chosen candidate should possess strong interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills, and should embrace and model our core values of diversity and inclusion and foster a supportive culture where all employees can thrive.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Partner with functional area project teams and subject matter experts to shape and advance scientific and platform strategy for upstream and downstream process development, translating hypotheses into robust experimental execution.

• Provide scientific oversight for the microbial process development activities, serving as a scientific leader and advisor for complex experimental design, data interpretation, and technology adoption.

• Lead the design and execution of scientifically driven bench-scale process development experiments to meet various project requirements, with the ultimate aim of delivering robust processes for scale-up and manufacturing.

• Work collaboratively to proactively identify diverse scientific and technical challenges and associated solutions to ensure on time delivery of project deliverables.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support technology transfer, scale-up activities, and process robustness.

• Mentor junior scientists to become our company's next generation of scientific leaders, creating technical depth through coaching, mentoring, and scientific rigor.

• Champion laboratory safety, compliance, and best practices, leading by example and reinforcing a culture of scientific excellence.

• Represent our company externally through scientific presentations and peer-reviewed publications, contributing to our company's scientific reputation within the microbial process development and biocatalysis communities.

Education Minimum Requirement: 

• PhD in chemical engineering, bioengineering, biological sciences, or a related field with 10+ years of relevant industry experience

• Master’s degree in chemical engineering, bioengineering, biological sciences, or a related field with 13+ years of relevant industry experience
• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, bioengineering, biological sciences, or a related field with 15+ years of relevant industry experience.

Requirements: 

• Demonstrated success in fermentation process development and optimization.

• Excellent problem-solving skills to overcome both technical and non-technical challenges.

• Demonstrated success leading scale-down model development along with scale-up and technology transfer from R&D to pilot and commercial manufacturing scales.

• Demonstrated success in leading complex projects and being leveraged as a technical resource.

• Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor fellow researchers.

• Excellent organizational, documentation, and problem-solving skills, with a strong commitment to maintaining rigorous safety and quality standards.

• Track record of peer-reviewed publications and research presentations.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Knowledge in bioreactor and process in-silico design / modeling.

• Familiarity with drug development cycle, especially the CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control) aspect, with skills to help advance our digital effort in this area.

• Familiarity with biocatalysis, protein engineering, biotherapeutics, and / or vaccines is advantageous.

• Knowledge and experience in downstream process development, such as flocculation, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, lyophilization, and spray drying.

• Understanding of microbial strain development and genetic engineering techniques to support process optimization.

Required Skills:

Academic Presentations, Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Communications, Creativity, Data Analysis, Flocculation, High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE), Laboratory Safety, Professional Networking, Project Leadership, Project Management, Research Proposal Development, Scientific Leadership, Scientific Literature Search, Strategic Thinking, Technology Transfer

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

$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:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/8/2026

*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.