Senior Utility Engineer

Job Description

Our Engineers support internal and external manufacturing operations remain operational, continuously improve and innovate. With our extensive range of facilities and environments, our Engineers have opportunities across many diverse areas including Biological, Chemical, Automation, Capital Projects, Maintenance, Safety, Process Development, Technical Services, Utilities and Validation.

The Utility Specialist Engineer is a member of the Plant Engineering team providing technical support to the Wilson Site. The site includes an Energy Center, Vaccine Manufacturing Facility, Quality Labs, and a Packaging facility. This support position will focus on investigation of utility/facility system excursions, system improvements and optimizations. The incumbent will also be responsible for assisting the Sr Utility Engineers with aiding in planning and implementing large scale capital projects and managing small scale plant engineering improvement projects and implementation of productivity enhancement initiatives.

Responsibilities

General

• Contributes to the performance and results of the utility department

• Decisions are guided by policies, procedures, and business plan; receive guidance from manager

• Provides technical guidance to employees, colleagues, or contractors

• Anticipates and interprets client and/or customer needs to identify solutions

• Works as a liaison between Plant Engineering and other Site Business Partner’s

• Manages small capital projects involving plant engineering equipment replacement/upgrades

Business and Functional Expertise

• Applies management skills to align work activities with department objectives

• Project management

• Experience involving utility system generation, distribution and control are preferred.

• Lead in the identification and implementation of process improvement projects, productivity initiatives and corrective actions while focusing on equipment uptime, minimizing cost, and maintaining process consistency.

• Investigate deviations, with responsibility to interface with Operations, Automation, and Quality approvers.

• Perform a thorough review of engineering records and related GMP documentation, identifying and resolving discrepancies in a timely manner, and implementing corrective actions to improve the execution/review process.

• Work alongside operations and lean six sigma team members to develop reliable utility processes that meet cGMP requirements.

Problem Solving

• Identifies and resolves technical and operational problems; collaborates with peers to resolve problems that cross into inter-related units

• Strong problem-solving skills and a direct involvement approach to problem solving

• Candidate should be able to examine an issue from diverse perspectives (safety, compliance, automation, equipment, process, and people) in order to best understand and identify root cause

• Responsible for assisting in the identification, development, and implementation of new systems which enhance the operation of Plant Engineering processes

• Assist with trouble shooting Plant Engineering utility equipment on an as needed basis which includes but not limited to chillers, boiler, AHUs, PLCs, humidifiers/dehumidifiers, water systems, Square D controllers/monitors, clean steam generators and electrical distribution systems

• Conduct engineering task as needed maintaining plant utility equipment

Impact

• Influence | Explains difficult concepts and persuades others to adopt point of view | Communicates information, asks questions and checks for understanding

• Accountability | Accountable for the performance of plant engineering systems

• Decision Making | Guided by policies, guidelines, and procedures that impact the department’s ability to meet performance objectives | Consults on an as-needed basis with next-level manager on more complex decisions and/or issues that impact other units with inter-related processes

Strategic Planning

• Adapts and implements departmental plans and priorities based on division scorecards to address local business, service and operational challenges

• Consults on an as-needed basis with next-level manager for newly identified priorities

• Forecasts resource needs; manages allocated expense budgets and allocated resources to implement projects

Education Requirements

• BS/MS in engineering or technology preferred Other fields in scientific disciplines can be considered provided the candidate has strong, relevant, and direct work experience or equivalent work experience maybe considered.

Experience and Skills

Required

• Two years of relevant work experience

• Familiarity with cGMPs and regulatory requirements

• Must be able to organize and manage multiple projects that span different timelines

• Risk-based decision-making skills without knowledge of all the inputs

• Strong Microsoft Office Knowledge – especially Outlook, Excel, and Word

• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, ability to work under pressure, and be a fast learner

• Must be able to work in a Team-environment and collaborate cross-functionally

Preferred

• cGMP in a pharmaceutical environment

• Formal problem-solving techniques, such as root cause analysis (RCA), failure mode effects analysis (FMEA), and/or Lean Six Sigma tools

  Working knowledge of utility systems (e.g. USP water, HVAC, electrical distribution, Building Automation System, etc.) regarding functionality of equipment.  

  Deviation management, troubleshooting and resolving manufacturing anomalies

  Minimum two years of project management experience with the ability to multi-task

Working Relationships

• Reports to Plant Engineering Lead

• Manages and interacts with employees within own department

• Frequent interaction with employees from other departments

• Interacts with representatives from regulatory agencies

VETJOBS

Required Skills:

Accountability, Accountability, Adaptability, Budget Management, Build Automation, Building Automation Systems, Capital Projects, Deviation Investigations, Facility Management, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis FMEA, GMP Compliance, HVAC Systems, Identifying Customer Needs, Interpersonal Relationships, Lean Six Sigma Tools, Manufacturing Quality Control, Multitasking, Process Improvement Projects, Project Management, Regulatory Compliance, Resource Forecasting, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Steam Generators, Strategic Thinking, Technical Writing {+ 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

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

$117,000.00 - $184,200.00

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):

NA

Job Posting End Date:

05/15/2026

*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.