Director, Technical Operations - Global Clinical Supply (GCS)

Job Description

The Director, Technical Operations within Global Clinical Supply (GCS) is responsible for technical leadership in support of GCS global facilities and equipment in collaboration with Clinical Supply Operations (CSO), Logistics and Regions, and External Partnerships & Supply (EPS). The technical lead owns business continuity of GCS facilities and equipment as well as day-to-day support of technical equipment-based challenges when required. The technical lead may also manage global infrastructure projects to establish, upgrade, and improve the GCS packaging, labeling, warehousing, and distribution network, and act as technical SME supporting next-level operational challenges with our internal and external partner operations. This individual will also collaborate regularly with upstream operations (e.g. manufacturing, devices) as well as Quality and Safety in ensuring GCS readiness to support the future pipeline.

Specifically, this role will:

• Act as a technical lead on projects to acquire, upgrade, and modernize GCS equipment and infrastructure
• Lead all related activities to go live with new equipment and infrastructure (e.g. Quality risk assessment, safety assessment, data integrity, change management, etc.)
• Provide next-level support to CSO when recurring issues arise with active equipment and infrastructure.
• Ensure consistency in equipment and infrastructure requirements globally
• Proactively evaluate, manage, and mitigate impact of new safety & quality requirements on GCS equipment and infrastructure
• Support Permanent Inspection Readiness and Continuous Improvement expectations.
• Manage global small capital expenditures.
• Own investigations if related to active equipment and infrastructure.
• Support complex cross-functional investigations and CAPAs as a technical SME.
• Own business continuity as it relates to internal facilities and equipment for GCS.
• Partner with EPS for business continuity assessments as it relates to external packaging, labeling, and distribution.
• Provide technical support to External Partner Packaging, Labeling, Warehousing, Distribution vendors as needed
• Partner with other functions in our Company (e.g. our Company's Manufacturing Division) to build or risk-mitigate infrastructure

Position Qualifications:

• Education Minimum Requirement: Bachelor's degree in an engineering, scientific, or related field.

Required Experience and Skills:

• At least 10 years' experience in a technical operations or related role within the pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience with pharmaceutical packaging, labeling, warehousing, and distribution (primary packaging of solid dosage forms, secondary packaging of vaccines/biologics, medical devices).
• Strong compliance mindset and understanding of cGMP, including FDA and EMEA.
• Demonstrated strong project leadership of cross-functional teams through project planning, execution, monitoring and closeout phases to deliver successful completion to project target milestone dates.
• Ability to work effectively across boundaries to build strong collaborative relations with other groups.
• Demonstrated strategic ability to develop innovative solutions to undefined problems and business processes to meet the needs of key stakeholders and project sponsors.
• Willing to constructively challenge the status quo and explore continuous improvement opportunities
• Strong abilities in Stakeholder Management and building and strengthening cross-functional networks.
• Excellent communication skills.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Lean Six Sigma
• Facility and equipment design requirements (e.g. safety, cross-contamination)
• Automation / Software Development Lifecycle
• SAP

Required Skills:
Analytical Thinking, Analytical Thinking, Business Continuity, Business Performance Management, Business Processes, Business Process Management (BPM), Capital Expenditures, Change Agility, Consulting, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Engineering Principle, Engineering Standards, Establishing Contacts, Estimation and Planning, GMP Compliance, Inspection Readiness, Integrated Product Teams, Intercultural Collaboration, Leadership, Maintenance Supervision, Management Process, Manufacturing Scale-Up, Operations Management, Pharmaceutical Management, Pharmaceutical Packaging {+ 5 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:

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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
$169,700.00 - $267,200.00

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:
01/9/2026
*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.

Requisition ID:R375720