Assoc. Dir , Information Architecture

Merck; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA is seeking a Senior Information Architect to lead the design and standardisation of scientific data across pre-clinical discovery and manufacturing processes.

You will partner with R&D scientists, process engineers, and IT teams to harmonise biological, chemical, and operational data—from raw outputs to GxP-compliant data lakes, enabling data-driven decisions.

Qualifications

• Education in Life Sciences, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Information Science, or related field.
• 5+ years as an Information Architect or similar in Biopharma or Life Sciences.

Responsibilities

• Understand stakeholder data needs to derive insights and data outcomes.
• Define ontologies and data models to support research goals.
• Lead standards and controls for data and metadata at capture.
• Adopt industry ontologies (e.g., BAO) to contextualise datasets and parameters.
• Develop best practices for capturing and contextualising information.

Skills

Ontology management

Data modelling

Stakeholder engagement

Data governance

Semantic web

Knowledge graphs

RDF/OWL/SPARQL

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree

Tools

CENTree

LIMS

ELN

OSIsoft PI

Job description

Job Description: Senior Information Architect

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Information Architect to lead the design, organization, and standardisation of scientific data spanning across pre-clinical discovery and manufacturing process and method development. In this critical role, you will be responsible for working with scientists and scientific leaders to understand information needs of biopharma innovation and help define information architectural constructs (Ontologies and data models), controls and processes to improve quality and context of data in support of innovation. You will partner closely with R&D scientists, process engineers, and IT teams to harmonise complex biological, chemical, and operational data—from raw scientific outputs to GxP-compliant manufacturing data lakes.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with stakeholders to understand their key outcome needs and insights from data that can support these outcomes
• Embed in product teams enabling capture and consumption of scientific data, to help define/adopt ontologies and data models that support capture and consumption of data in service of these research outcomes
• Working as a part of data capture product team, be a voice of activation for, and help define standards and controls for data and metadata to improve quality and context of data at capture
• Lead the adoption and integration of industry-standard ontologies (such as BioAssay Ontology (BAO) and others) to contextualise scientific datasets (e.g., Raman spectra raw data, assay results) and manufacturing process parameters.
• Develop and maintain best practices for capturing current state of information capture and consumption for entities relevant to research processes to help improve investment in data

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Information Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience as an Information Architect or similar role within the Biopharmaceutical or Life Sciences industry.
• Proven, hands‑on experience working with industry-standard scientific ontologies, semantic web technologies (RDF, OWL, SPARQL), and knowledge graphs.
• Hands on experience working with stakeholders to understand data needs in support of insights and defining data models to deliver reusable data products for a spectrum of needs
• Domain Knowledge: Deep understanding of pre-clinical discovery workflows and manufacturing process/method development.
• Strong familiarity with dominant lab data capture solutions (LIMS, ELN, CDS, and lab endpoint software).
• Experience with industrial time-series data and contextualisation tools (e.g., OSIsoft PI).
• Technical Skills: Hands on experience with data modelling tools
• Hands on experience with ontology management tools such as CENTree
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to bridge the gap between scientific stakeholders and technical engineering teams.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package (including top-tier savings and pension plans).
• Opportunities to work on cutting-edge data architecture and AI-driven initiatives in biopharma.
• A collaborative environment dedicated to accelerating life-saving therapies.

Required Skills

Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA), Business Process Modeling, Data Management, Data Modelling, Data Science, Requirements Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, System Designs, Technical Advice

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.

Requirements

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, colour, 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: EEOC Know Your Rights EEOC GINA Supplement 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.

The salary range for this role is $142,400.00 - $224,100.00. 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 organisational 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.

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

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

n/a

Job Posting End Date

09/11/2026

• 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: R414097