Senior Scientist - Pharmaceutical Process Development

Job Description

Position Overview:

Senior Scientist who is an individual contributor with operational and technical responsibilities in Animal Health Pharmaceutical Sciences & Clinical Supply (R&D). This position has multiple roles including (1) leveraging experience in drug product manufacturing to perform daily manufacturing operations (development & GMP) within the Formulation, Laboratory and Experimentation (FLEx) Center , (2) supporting and/or leading pre-FLEx manufacturing activities that enable on-time program delivery and (3) leveraging scientific/technical capabilities to support R&D development program activities as needed (formulation/process).  The Senior Scientist position will flex between GMP pilot plant operations and formulation lab support roles when necessary to drive program and development needs.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support internal (FLEx Center; commercial sites) and external (CMOs) transfer of manufacturing processes.

• Support development program activities/experiments outside of FLEx to drive knowledge and enhance efficiencies. 

• Lead meetings to drive pre-FLEx manufacturing deliverables and manage output in an organized fashion.

• Lead preparation and manufacture of development and GMP drug product batches.

• Oversee forecasting, inventory management and disposition of raw materials for manufacturing activities.

• Lead data management activities related to communication through FLEx scheduling and virtual tools.

• Initiate deviation, change control, and documentation requests to comply with our company's quality Standards.

• Incorporate scientific and technical knowledge to complete assigned tasks. 

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to drive effective communication and completion of deliverables. 

• Understand priorities from manager/supervisor to ensure task completion.

• Understand/act on guidance from supervisor where decisions are guided by policies, procedures and business plans

• Identify and help to resolve standard day-to-day quality, technical, and operational problems.

• Trouble-shooting manufacturing process failures. Set priorities to meet daily deadlines.

• Work within budgetary/financial objectives.

• Make decisions guided by policies and standard operating procedures.

• Compliance: Responsible for creating and sustaining a culture of compliance (Safety, Environment, cGMP).

• Responsible for driving continuous improvement and reviewing compliance documents, as per procedures.

• Exercise judgement and decision making to ensure quality products are reliably produced.

• Continuous Improvement: Tie into overall FLEx Center metrics across modalities to drive efficiency.

• Utilization of our company's Leadership Behaviors and Ways of Working to promote daily work activities.

• Keep informed on current policies/procedures and all other FLEx Center communications. 

• Enforce all safety rules and regulations and take prompt corrective action concerning potential safety hazards.

• Identify root causes of manufacturing issues and implement corrective action.

• Enhance operational and/or technical capability through project experience or outside learning.

• Author/review documentation related to operational procedures and/or reports.

• Set priorities to meet daily deadlines and develop plans to meet objectives.

Required Experience and Skills:

Education Minimum Requirement:  Bachelor's Degree in Science, Engineering, or another technical field

Required Experience and Skills: Minimum (5) years’ experience in a functional area, such as Operations, Management, Quality, Technical Operations, Technology, Engineering

Preferred Experience and Skills: Minimum (3) years’ experience in relevant pharmaceutical manufacturing or processing (bulk, solid oral dosage, solutions/suspensions, packaging, etc.)

Required Skills:

Accountability, Chemical Engineering, Clinical Manufacturing, Communication, Innovation, Manufacturing Quality Control, Manufacturing Scale-Up, Pharmaceutical Formulations, Pharmaceutical Process Development, Process Optimization, Teamwork, 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

$106,200.00 - $167,200.00

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:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

04/15/2026

*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.