Associate Director, Automation and Engineering

Job Description

New hires based in the US & Puerto Rico will be required to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or qualify for a medical or religious exemption or accommodation to this vaccination requirement, subject to applicable law.

The New Jersey Discovery Chemistry team is seeking a highly motivated scientist to provide strategic direction and guide innovation in automation, engineering, and systems integration solutions to enable next generation workflows for High Throughput Purification, High Throughput Experimentation, and Sample Management.

The selected individual will collaborate closely with scientists and automation experts to enable and optimize our growing investment in high throughput chemistry and sample management across our Company's network. The successful candidate will be required to integrate instrument components and expected to do unit testing and troubleshooting with attention to understanding business and user requirements and improving efficiency, throughput, and quality.

Responsibilities are as follows:

Automation Integration

• Drive strategy for design, investment, and implementation of automation and data integration capabilities to enable optimized end-to-end high throughput chemistry, purification and/or sample management workflows

• Program, integrate, and troubleshoot liquid handling, including acoustic technologies, UPLC, LC/MS, automated synthesis instrumentation such as Thermo, Tecan, Hamilton and Mosquito liquid-handling systems.

• Develop quality control procedures to ensure instrument calibratio

• Collaborate with scientists and IT professionals to integrate instrumentation with LIMS systems

Scientific Excellence

• Demonstrate working knowledge of analytical and automated synthesis methods, techniques, and instrumentation

• Apply scientific knowledge to assist with scientific decision-making and application of appropriate technologies

• Work with a cross-functional team to explore, develop, optimize, test, and implement robust, scalable, innovative synthesis/screening engineering solutions for the High-Throughput Experimentation group’s workflows

Process Optimization

• Apply lean thinking principles to continuously assess and improve current state processes to remove non-value-added work from scientists

• Create SOPs for efficient and effective operation and maintenance of automated equipment and analytical systems to satisfy department service level agreements

• Develop a strategic investment plan to enable access to cutting edge automation and informatics

Cross-functional Collaboration and Enterprise Mindset

• Interface with scientists across our Company's network to solve complex scientific workflows

• Provide guidance and insight into industry best practices for automation and integration as applied to complex scientific workflows

• Work with suppliers to ensure coordination and execution of work within the client environment with minimal disruption

• Establish connections with other automation teams across our Company's network to share and promote best practices

Project Management

• Coordinate installation and testing of equipment and systems with external providers, scientists, and our Company's teams (e.g., IT, Facilities) as required

• Provide input on capital budget forecast and future investments

Qualifications

Education:

• M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, or Chemical Biology

Required:

• Minimum of two (2) years of industry experience.

• High level of automation and engineering competency and technical expertise in the areas of integration, robotics, liquid handling, software, and LIMS systems

• Ability to think strategically and present new concepts/ideas to senior leaders and lab scientists

• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with site leaders, senior management, peers, and other stakeholders to ensure effective communication

• Must be able to prioritize resources to deliver required level of output for highest priority projects

• Self-starter with ability to work independently

Preferred:

• Experience working in pharmaceutical or biotech company

• Experience working in a synthetic and/or analytical chemistry laboratory

• Experience with liquid handling systems – (Thermo, HighResBio, Beckman,Tecan, Hamilton, Brooks)

• Experience with UPLC, LC/MS

• Experience with implementing and integrating large scale and small-scale automation with internal LIMS

• SQL/Oracle programming

• Microsoft programming languages (VB, C# or equivalent)

We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we “follow the science” that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. We believe that a research-driven enterprise dedicated to world-class science can succeed by inventing medicine and vaccine innovations that make a difference for patients across the globe.

Who we are …

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for …

In a world of rapid innovation, we seek brave Inventors who want to make an Impact in all aspects of our business, enabling breakthroughs that will affect generations to come. We encourage you to bring your disruptive thinking, collaborative spirit and diverse perspective to our organization. Together we will continue Inventing For Life, Impacting Lives while Inspiring Your Career Growth.

NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

Residents of Colorado

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US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

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Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Kenilworth, 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.

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Requisition ID:R146737