Collar Tech Lead

Job Description

Our Animal Health Technology Solutions offers global animal identification and monitoring solutions for companion animals and livestock. These solutions enable pet owners to better manage the health and well-being of their pets and enable livestock producers to improve well-being and animal production. Technology Solutions include Core Technologies in Livestock Identification, Dairy, Beef and Swine monitoring, for which the product/market fit is established, as well as products in discovery.


Our Technology Solutions division is evolving. We are moving to a Product Operating Model - a new way of working that empowers product teams to take full ownership and accountability for delivering customer and business value in ways our customers love and that work for the business.


Our product teams are cross-functional and durable, bringing together all the skills required to deliver impactful outcomes. Each team includes a Product Manager, Technology Lead, Product Designer, Delivery Lead, engineers, and developers.


We believe in customer centricity, ownership, and accountability. Solutions must be:

• Valuable - customers choose to buy or use them
• Viable - aligned with business constraints and goals
• Usable - intuitive and user-friendly
• Feasible - achievable with our technical capabilities

Leadership of the team is shared between the Product Manager and the Technology Lead, ensuring balanced guidance that bridges product vision and technical execution.

We're looking for a Collar Tech Lead to provide technical leadership for an animal wearable device within our solution. You'll lead the technical design and execution of the collar from concept through mass production, ensuring it is robust, reliable, scalable, and ready for real-world use.

Working closely with the Product Manager, core product team, R&D, NPI, Operations, Customer Success, and manufacturing partners, you'll own technical architecture, system integration, validation, risk management, and technical readiness for launch and ongoing support.

What you'll do

• Lead the technical strategy, architecture, and design for the collar
• Translate customer and business needs into practical technical solutions
• Ensure the collar meets requirements for performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost
• Work cross-functionally to support product discovery, experimentation, and field learning
• Define and oversee validation, quality, and launch readiness activities
• Identify and manage technical and production risks early
• Support field issue investigations and drive continuous improvement
• Track technical metrics and use data to guide engineering decisions

What we're looking for

• Degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline
• 5+ years' experience in technical leadership or technical project management for multidisciplinary hardware products
• Experience working in cross-functional product teams
• Strong knowledge of IoT architecture, embedded systems, hardware, mechanics, integration, and validation
• Experience developing mass-production wireless IoT or wearable devices
• Experience across the full product lifecycle, from concept to mass production
• Strong communication, organisation, and stakeholder management skills
• A customer-focused, accountable mindset with a drive to deliver measurable outcomes

Preferred experience

• Geofencing, animal technology, or similar field-deployed hardware solutions

About you

You are a collaborative technical leader who can influence without direct authority, thrive in a matrix environment, and balance customer needs, business priorities, and technical trade-offs. You enjoy solving complex problems, learning quickly, and working with multidisciplinary teams to deliver products that make a real difference.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:
Change Controls, Portfolio, Programme, and Project Support, Problem Management, Release Management, Risk Management, Strategic Planning, System Designs

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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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/International

VISA Sponsorship:
Yes

Travel Requirements:
No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Not Applicable

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
N/A

Job Posting End Date:
06/16/2026
*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.