Associate Specialist, Engineering

Job Description

Associate Specialist, Engineering –Platform Assembly and Packaging Technical Leadership

Join our Packaging and Assembly Technical Leadership team and help bring new medicines to patients. In this early-career engineering role, you will work with experienced technical leaders and cross-functional teams to solve real manufacturing challenges, support new product introductions, and improve packaging and device assembly processes across a global network. You will gain hands-on experience in technical problem-solving, risk management, technology transfer, and lifecycle improvement while building a strong foundation for a career in pharmaceutical assembly and packaging engineering.

The Packaging Technical Operations organization aims to be an industry leader in delivering robust and pragmatic technical solutions to accelerate the commercialization of new products, and ensuring an uninterrupted, compliant supply of commercialized products for the benefit of patients. The Associate Specialist for Platform Packaging and Assembly Technical Leadership is integral to this mission.

Essential Responsibilities:

- Provide packaging and assembly knowledge to ensure scientific rigor, technical problem solving and execution excellence across the packaging and combination product assembly platform portfolio, including:
- Support the development and execution of robust technical plans across device assembly, packaging, and/or distribution and logistics of packaged product
- Analyze data, participate in technical reviews and explore alternative approaches to solve problems.
- Contribute to proactive risk management activities, including risk assessment, risk mitigation, and risk communication strategies.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure that all packaging and assembly platforms meet safety, efficacy, quality, and robust supply standards.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders to facilitate effective technical support.
- Support lifecycle management changes and tech transfers for the platform components, equipment, and processes.

Minimum Education Requirements and Experience:

- Bachelor’s degree in packaging, mechanical, chemical, or biochemical engineering; pharmaceutical science; chemistry; or a related discipline.
- Advanced degrees are welcome but not required.

Required Skills and Experience:

- Exposure to assembly, packaging, manufacturing processes, components, or equipment through coursework, internships, co-ops, research, or work experience.
- Curiosity and enthusiasm for learning packaging, device assembly, or manufacturing technologies.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills with an ability to interrogate the science and detect critical flaws including the ability to determine areas of potential risk
- Interest in working across technical disciplines and contributing to products that benefit patients.
- Good technical writing, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage with internal and external stakeholders.
- Able to contribute effectively across multiple teams, organize priorities, and follow through on commitments.
- Demonstrates accountability for assignments and outcomes.

Required Skills:
Ability to Coordinate, Ability to Coordinate, Accountability, Cold Chain Management, Commercialization, Competency Management, Critical Thinking, Engineering Design, Engineering Standards, Life Cycle Planning, Manufacturing Scale-Up, Materials Science, Packaging Engineering, Packaging Equipment, Packaging Innovation, Packaging Processes, Packaging Science, Packaging Technologies, Packaging Testing, Product Innovations, Product Launch Planning, Product Rollouts, Risk Mitigation, Risk Mitigation Strategies, Schedule Adherence {+ 4 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

The salary range for this role is
$71,900.00 - $113,200.00

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:
Hybrid

Shift:
1st - Day

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
NA

Job Posting End Date:
10/23/2026
*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.