Associate Director, Engineering

Job Description Join Us in Shaping the Future of Animal Health Our Animal Health Division is investing $895 million in expanding our manufacturing and research & development facilities in De Soto, Kansas — the state’s largest economic development project to date. As an Associate Director, Bioprocess Engineering, you will be part of a world-class team contributing directly to the production of veterinary products that improve animal health and welfare globally. As an Associate Director, Bioprocess Engineering, you will lead a team of technical professionals supporting regional vaccine technology transfer, post-transfer performance, and technical readiness across assigned processes and sites, while also providing technical support to a capital project to build a manufacturing facility. In this people manager role, you will provide both strategic direction and day-to-day leadership to ensure effective execution, sustained performance at receiving sites, and successful project outcomes. You will partner closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Network Strategy, MS&T, and site leadership to deliver compliant, robust, and efficient results while building team capability, engagement, and accountability. Knowledge management remains an important enabling component of the role, supporting standardization, consistency, and effective sharing of transfer-related learnings across the region. Key Responsibilities Lead, coach, and develop a team of bioprocess engineering professionals, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and technical excellence. Provide strategic and technical leadership for regional vaccine technology transfer activities end-to-end, ensuring successful planning, execution, and implementation at receiving sites. Provide technical leadership and support to the capital project for the design, build, and readiness of the new blend, fill, and freeze dry facility. Set priorities, allocate resources, and manage team workload to support delivery of business objectives across multiple sites and functions. Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks associated with transfer execution through structured evaluations, data-driven analysis, and cross-functional action planning. Lead cross-functional technical workstreams and programs, ensuring clear ownership, timely execution, and effective issue resolution. Partner with site leadership, Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering, Network Strategy, Regulatory Affairs and Technical functions to resolve complex technical issues and ensure robust post-transfer performance. Drive strong post-transfer support through monitoring, troubleshooting, escalation management, and continuous improvement activities. Ensure compliant technical documentation and clear stakeholder communication in accordance with quality, regulatory, and internal governance requirements. Support regional knowledge management activities by contributing to the development and sharing of transfer packages, playbooks, lessons learned, and best practices to strengthen standardization and consistency across sites. Build team capability through coaching, mentoring, development planning, feedback, and succession planning for direct reports and technical staff. Influence decision-making across functions and sites to support business priorities, operational readiness, and successful transfer outcomes. Education Minimum Requirement Bachelor’s degree with significant relevant experience in Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Pharmacy, or a related life science/engineering field. Required Experience and Skills Minimum 8 years of experience in biopharmaceutical or vaccine manufacturing, process development, technology transfer, MS&T, or a related technical discipline. Prior people management/leadership skills, including coaching, mentoring, performance development, and team building highly preferred Demonstrated success leading technology transfers, technical programs, or cross-functional projects with increasing scope and complexity. Strong understanding of vaccine/biologicals manufacturing processes. Experience in vaccine/biopharma regulated environments. Experience with process characterization, scale-up/scale-down, process robustness, and technical troubleshooting. Proven ability to lead through influence, build alignment, and drive decisions across functions and sites. Excellent problem-solving, decision-making, and analytical skills. High degree of ownership, scientific rigor, and continuous improvement mindset. Preferred Experience and Skills Experience providing technical support to capital projects, preferably involving facility design, build, commissioning, qualification, or readiness activities. Familiarity with USDA regulatory expectations. Proficiency in technical risk assessment and data analysis for process performance. Excellent technical writing and communication skills for diverse stakeholders. Strong project and program leadership skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities. Experience influencing cross-functional teams without formal line authority. Demonstrated ability to deliver business results through operational, technical, and people leadership. Experience supporting organizational capability building and standardization initiatives. Schedule Requirements Able to work first shift, Monday through Friday as base schedule. Off-shift coverage may be required based on manufacturing and transfer activities. What We’re Looking For We seek individuals who: Demonstrate execution excellence through effective problem-solving and critical thinking. Embrace an entrepreneurial mindset, taking initiative and ownership of their work. Adapt with agility and resilience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Uphold a safety-first mindset, ensuring the well-being of themselves and their colleagues. Why Join Us? Be part of a transformative investment that will shape the future of animal health. Work in a region renowned for its skilled workforce, strategic location, and robust infrastructure. Contribute to cutting-edge research and manufacturing of large-molecule vaccines and biologic products. Help us meet growing global demand for our portfolio of animal health solutions Required Skills: Bioprocess Engineering, Bioprocessing, Cell Culture Process Development, GMP Operations, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Manufacturing Processes, Manufacturing Scale-Up, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Process Scale Up, Product Formulation, Technical Leadership, Technology Transfer, Technology Transfer Management, Vaccine Manufacturing 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 The salary range for this role is $142,400.00 - $224,100.00 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 You can apply for this role through (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: Hybrid Shift: 1st - Day Valid Driving License: No Hazardous Material(s): N/A Job Posting End Date: 07/28/2026 *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. Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where we have codified our legacy for over a century. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.