Associate Director, Quality Assurance

MSD; Upper Gwynedd Township (Montgomery County); Hybrid; USD 129,000 - 203,000; Full time

Job summary

MSD in the United States seeks an Associate Director, Clinical Supplies Quality to provide quality oversight, disposition support, and strategic leadership for Clinical Supply Chain activities across the portfolio.

You will collaborate across Global Development Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Device Development, External Manufacturing, and QA sites to ensure materials are fit-for-use and compliant with regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in science with 6+ years GMP/Pharma experience or advanced degree with 6+ years in GMP/Pharma.

Responsibilities

• Provide in-depth technical and quality expertise in clinical supply operations, MedDevice/Combo products, and emerging tech.
• Develop and execute quality and stakeholder engagement strategies and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Evaluate and disposition Medical Device/Combo Product materials per company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate and/or support investigations related to deviations and significant quality events.
• Identify quality trends, compliance gaps, and emerging risks; lead resolution of significant issues.

Job description

Job Description

The Associate Director, Clinical Supplies Quality, Global Development Quality provides quality oversight, disposition support, and strategic quality leadership for Clinical Supply Chain activities supporting clinical development programs across the company’s portfolio. The role is accountable for ensuring clinical supplies are available, fit for use, and compliant with applicable regulatory requirements. Key areas of responsibility include U.S. quality operations and disposition, global distribution planning and management, Medical Device/Combination Product supply activities, and acquisition integration.

Primary Activities:

This position requires close, cross-functional collaboration with key stakeholder groups, including Global Clinical Supplies, Global Development Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Device Development & Technology, External Development & Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance sites and functions across the clinical supply chain. The role also requires the ability to navigate dynamic, high-impact, and highly visible situations to help ensure continuity of the company’s clinical development portfolio and minimize disruption related to clinical supply issues.

In addition to the responsibilities outlined above, the incumbent is expected to independently lead and execute the following activities:

• Provide in-depth technical and quality expertise in clinical supply operations, integration activities, Medical Device/Combination Products, and emerging technologies.
• Develop and execute quality and stakeholder engagement strategies, as well as continuous improvement initiatives aligned with business objectives, while streamlining processes, procedures, and technology-enabled ways of working.
• Evaluate and disposition Medical Device/Combination Product materials, ensuring they are manufactured in accordance with applicable company policies, procedures, and governing regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate and/or support investigations related to deviations and significant quality events.
• Identify quality trends, potential compliance gaps, and emerging risks, and proactively lead resolution of significant issues that may impact product quality or clinical supply chain reliability.

Required Skills:

• Strong technical expertise in R&D activities related to clinical supplies, with preferred experience in Medical Device/Combination Products and emerging technologies.
• Strong compliance knowledge and understanding of regulatory agency expectations, including the ability to interpret and apply cGMP requirements within an R&D environment.
• Demonstrated experience working with external partners and cross-functional stakeholders, with the ability to engage, influence, and align subject matter experts and senior leaders.
• Demonstrated knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies, with the ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives that improve processes, systems, and ways of working.
• Demonstrated leadership capability, including strategy development and deployment, with a track record of delivering measurable business, quality, or operational benefits.

Preferred Skills:

• Preferred experience in Medical Device/Combination Products and emerging technologies.

Required Education/Experience :

• Bachelor’s Degree in Scientific Discipline with 8+ years relevant experience within the pharmaceutical industry or Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) related field (including Technical, Engineering, Quality or Operations) or advanced Degree with 6+ years relevant experience.

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 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: EEOC Know Your Rights. EEOC GINA Supplement. Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts.

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 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:

$129,000.00 - $203,100.00

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

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:

11/10/2026