Specialist, Operations Planning (Hybrid)

MSD; Luzern; Hybrid; CHF 72,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Health, dental, vision insurance

401(k) plan

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

MSD is seeking an Operations Planning Specialist to ensure reliable execution of assigned activities within clinical supply chain and broader programs. The role emphasizes independent work, escalation when needed, and clear communication of progress and risks.

We expect a bachelor’s or equivalent in a related field with 3+ years of experience in supply chain or operations planning, plus strong English skills. Hybrid work and a competitive benefits package are offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.
• Candidates with HS Diploma or Associate’s degree with direct clinical supply chain experience greater than 8 years may be considered.
• Proven English proficiency is required, with the ability to communicate clearly in written and spoken English.
• Initial relevant professional experience in supply chain, operations planning, clinical supply, manufacturing, packaging, logistics, or a related business environment.

Responsibilities

• Deliver assigned planning tasks and portions of larger programs, projects, or workstreams in line with agreed priorities, timelines, and procedures.
• Apply standard planning processes, tools, systems, and SOP/GMP expectations to complete routine to moderately complex assignments.
• Organize own activities, follow agreed priorities, and keep manager or senior colleagues informed on progress, constraints, and support needs.
• Escalate conflicts, decisions, or trade-offs early when guidance or alignment is required.
• Support planning execution for assigned portions of programs, processes, or workstreams.
• Track required inputs, dependencies, constraints, and open items related to own tasks.
• Communicate progress, missing information, workload concerns, or potential continuity risks early.
• Monitor assigned tasks for schedule, quality, compliance, capacity, or data-related issues.
• Flag conflicts, deviations from agreed plans, missing inputs, or blockers and provide relevant facts to support resolution.
• Escalate risks or decisions outside own responsibility promptly and follow guidance on next actions.
• Communicate status, open items, constraints, and support needs within assigned scope.
• Collect and clarify required inputs from business and functional partners.
• Provide accurate updates and contribute factual input to meetings or discussions when requested.
• Share practical learnings, process updates, and useful information with colleagues.
• Support documentation, knowledge transfer, or onboarding activities when requested and within own experience.
• Apply team expectations, collaborate constructively, seek feedback, and elevate questions early.
• Identify practical improvement ideas in own tasks, processes, documentation, or tools and share them with manager or senior colleagues.
• Complete assigned actions that support approved standardization, digitalization, or transformation activities.
• Apply new ways of working within own responsibilities and provide feedback on implementation challenges.

Skills

BCP

Clinical supplies management

Data analysis

Escalation management

Inventory control management

Issue management

Microsoft applications

Microsoft Office

MRP systems

Production planning

Project management

Six Sigma

Stakeholder engagement

Supply chain

Vendor selection

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field

HS Diploma or Associate’s degree with direct clinical supply chain experience >8 years

Tools

SAP

ERP systems

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Specialist, Operations Planning role is a P2 individual contributor role focused on reliable execution of assigned activities, support for larger programs or workstreams, clear communication of status and issues, and timely escalation with appropriate guidance.

The role works independently on standard assignments and seeks guidance from the manager or senior colleagues for non-routine issues, conflicting priorities, or decisions outside assigned responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

Assigned scope delivery and priority execution

• Deliver assigned planning tasks and portions of larger programs, projects, or workstreams in line with agreed priorities, timelines, and procedures.
• Apply standard planning processes, tools, systems, and SOP/GMP expectations to complete routine to moderately complex assignments.
• Organize own activities, follow agreed priorities, and keep manager or senior colleagues informed on progress, constraints, and support needs.
• Escalate conflicts, decisions, or trade-offs early when guidance or alignment is required.

Planning execution and business continuity support

• Support planning execution for assigned portions of programs, processes, or workstreams.
• Track required inputs, dependencies, constraints, and open items related to own tasks.
• Communicate progress, missing information, workload concerns, or potential continuity risks early.

Performance, risk, and escalation management

• Monitor assigned tasks for schedule, quality, compliance, capacity, or data-related issues.
• Flag conflicts, deviations from agreed plans, missing inputs, or blockers and provide relevant facts to support resolution.
• Escalate risks or decisions outside own responsibility promptly and follow guidance on next actions.

Stakeholder engagement and communication

• Communicate status, open items, constraints, and support needs within assigned scope.
• Collect and clarify required inputs from business and functional partners.
• Provide accurate updates and contribute factual input to meetings or discussions when requested.

Knowledge sharing and team contribution

• Share practical learnings, process updates, and useful information with colleagues.
• Support documentation, knowledge transfer, or onboarding activities when requested and within own experience.
• Apply team expectations, collaborate constructively, seek feedback, and elevate questions early.

Continuous improvement and transformation

• Identify practical improvement ideas in own tasks, processes, documentation, or tools and share them with manager or senior colleagues.
• Complete assigned actions that support approved standardization, digitalization, or transformation activities.
• Apply new ways of working within own responsibilities and provide feedback on implementation challenges.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.
• Candidates with HS Diploma or Associate’s degree with direct clinical supply chain experience greater than 8 years may be considered.
• Proven English proficiency is required, with the ability to communicate clearly in written and spoken English.
• Initial relevant professional experience in supply chain, operations planning, clinical supply, manufacturing, packaging, logistics, or a related business environment.
• Experience working with planning processes, business systems, data tracking, documentation, or cross-functional coordination is preferred.
• Basic understanding of GMP, SOP, quality, or regulated business requirements is an advantage.
• Experience using SAP or other ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, Outlook, and Teams.
• Ability to manage assigned deliverables, track priorities, and maintain accurate records and documentation.
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and international team environment.
• Strong attention to detail, reliability, and ability to follow defined processes and procedures.
• Interest in continuous improvement, standardization, digitalization, or process optimization activities.
• Familiarity with clinical supply chain operations, packaging activities, labeling processes, or related regulated operations is an advantage.

Required Skills

Business Continuity Planning (BCP), Clinical Supplies Management, Data Analysis, Escalation Management, Inventory Control Management, Issue Management, Microsoft Applications, Microsoft Office, MRP Systems, Production Planning, Project Management, Six Sigma, Stakeholder Engagement, Supply Chain, Vendor Selection

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

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.

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Primary location for this posting is:

USA - Pennsylvania - West Point

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$87,300.00 - $137,400.00

This range reflects the Company’s reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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

Additional location(s):

Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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

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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

No relocation

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

11/12/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.