AI Activation Leader — GenAI & Data Science

Merck; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 157,000 - 247,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement benefits

Paid holidays

Hybrid work

Job summary

Merck's Digital Human Health unit seeks an Associate Director for AI Activation & Data Science in Rahway, NJ. You will architect and deliver strategic AI programs, deploy LLM-based solutions, and enforce responsible AI standards in collaboration with brand, ME, and analytics teams.

You will lead cross-functional teams, define scalable architectures, and drive AI value from prototype to production while guiding vendors and internal partners. Hybrid work model available.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in AI/ML engineering or applied data science.
• Hands-on with generative AI or LLM-based solutions.
• Pharma or healthcare industry experience required.
• Deep expertise in LLMs, RAG, embeddings, and agent frameworks.
• Strong Python and SQL, Databricks or similar platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end AI initiatives from ideation to deployment.
• Design generative AI solutions and agentic workflows.
• Establish scalable architectures, guardrails, and evaluation.
• Mentor teams and ensure governance and responsible AI.

Skills

AI/ML engineering

Gen AI & LLMs

MLOps/LLMOps

Python & SQL

Cloud services

Stakeholder communication

Leadership

Data governance

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/DS/Engineering

Tools

LangChain

LangGraph

Semantic Kernel

Vertex AI

Bedrock

Databricks

Git

Job description

Merck's Digital Human Health unit seeks an Associate Director for AI Activation & Data Science in Rahway, NJ. You will architect and deliver strategic AI programs, deploy LLM-based solutions, and enforce responsible AI standards in collaboration with brand, ME, and analytics teams.

You will lead cross-functional teams, define scalable architectures, and drive AI value from prototype to production while guiding vendors and internal partners. Hybrid work model available.