Scientist, Molecular Discovery

Job Description

We are on a quest for cures and are committed to be a premier, research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Our teams combine leading drug discovery capabilities and world-class R&D with the purpose of turning breakthrough science into life-changing medicines.

We are seeking a highly motivated scientist with experience in an academic or biopharmaceutical laboratory setting. The ideal candidate will have exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills along with a solid background in the life sciences. The selected individual will join the Discovery Biologics group at our company and will be responsible for the optimization of next generation sequencing of in vitro display campaigns, as well as executing display campaigns for the discovery and engineering of therapeutic candidates. The candidate will be expected to interface with other functional groups within project teams including molecular biology, protein engineering, data science, and downstream characterization groups. Good communication skills and the ability to present scientific data to multi-functional teams are critical.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and execute in vitro antibody display campaigns for hit discovery and lead optimization to support the discovery and development of therapeutic candidates

• Leverage knowledge of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to generate and evaluate data from display campaigns in support of discovery and lead optimization workflows

• Enable continuous NGS process improvements and platform development for display technologies such as library preparation, library QC, run optimization, and data analysis

• Serve as a functional area representative on program teams

• Collaborate across multiple functional areas to advance therapeutic candidates

• Effectively communicate experimental results in project and team meetings

• Serve as a functional area representative on program teams

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s (with 3+ years) or Master’s in Biology, Biochemistry or related discipline and relevant experience

Required Experience and Skills:

• Hands on experience and strong technical understanding of molecular biology techniques

• Basic understanding of next-generation sequencing (NGS)

• Proven ability to work in a multi-disciplinary collaborative team environment

• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Excellent communication and organizational skills

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Hands-on experience with NGS technology, including NGS library preparation, data generation, and analysis

• Experience with Illumina sequencing instruments, or other short- or long-read sequencing

• Experience with single cell sequencing technologies

• Experience with in-vitro display platforms (yeast, phage, mRNA)

• Utilization of laboratory automation to increase sample throughput

• Experience in antibody discovery workflows

#EligibleforERP 

Required Skills:

Antibody Discovery, Antibody Optimization, Biochemistry, Data Analysis, Data Generation, In Vitro Research, Molecular Biology Techniques, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Single Cell Analysis

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.

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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

$98,000.00 - $154,300.00

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:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/22/2026

*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.