Associate Director, Safety & Environment

Merck; Elkton (VA); Hybrid; USD 129,000 - 203,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long-term incentive

Health, dental, vision benefits

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Merck seeks an EHS Associate Director to lead a team of environmental, health and safety professionals at the Elkton site, providing regulatory support and implementing measures to meet federal, state, and local requirements.

The role partners across manufacturing, labs, engineering, and facilities to embed strong EHS systems, drive improvements, and foster ownership and accountability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental sciences or related field.
• Master’s degree desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead site EHS team and audits to ensure regulatory compliance (OSHA, EPA).
• Translate standards into site procedures for compliant implementation.
• Drive continuous EHS improvement and track safety/environmental metrics.
• Coach leaders to enable safe and responsible operations.
• Mentor EHS professionals and develop talent within the team.
• Collaborate with departments to embed EHS into daily operations.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational

Regulatory knowledge

Analytical thinking

Decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Coaching

Problem solving

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree desirable

Job description

Job Description

Summary

Under the direction of EHS Director, the EHS Associate Director will be responsible for leading a team of environmental, health and safety professionals, providing technical and regulatory support and implementation of all necessary measures and initiatives required by federal, state and local regulations pertaining to environment and safety protection at the Elkton site.

The role partners with site leadership, manufacturing, laboratory, engineering, and facility support teams to embed strong safety and environmental management systems into daily operations, drive continuous improvement, and foster a culture of ownership and accountability

Core Responsibilities

• Lead site and local-area audits for compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, including OSHA, EPA, and related obligations.
• Translate corporate and divisional standards and guidance into site procedures to ensure consistent, compliant implementation.
• Drive continuous improvement and sustainable results across EHS projects, programs, assessments, and action plans.
• Track, trend, and report safety and environmental metrics, ensuring timely completion of required reports to site, divisional, corporate, and regulatory stakeholders.
• Coach operations leaders to enable them to successfully execute their safety and environmental responsibilities.
• Provide direction and leadership to direct reports; mentor EHS professionals to strengthen technical and leadership capabilities.
• Identify, attract, and develop talent to build a strong, high-performing Safety & Environment team.
• Partner with Elkton departments and contacts to integrate safety and environmental management systems into every phase of operations, using performance metrics to measure progress.
• Consult with and advise department personnel on projects, procedures, and long-range plans to ensure conformance with safety and environmental requirements.
• Develop productive working relationships with federal, state, and local authorities, technical and industrial groups, consultants, and other external stakeholders to stay current on regulatory requirements and interpretations.
• Coordinate and guide the efforts of safety and environmental professionals to ensure awareness and timely action on government relations matters related to safety and environmental protection.
• Prepare, coordinate, and present environmental, safety, industrial hygiene, process safety, emergency response, and security training as needed.
• Maintain liaison with outside organizations, peer companies, and agencies to support compliance and communication in emergency response, mutual aid, regulatory affairs, professional societies, and industrial groups.
• Partner with engineering and project teams to evaluate EHS requirements for new projects, processes, installations, and changes to existing operations.

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Physical Science, Safety, Industrial Hygiene, or a related technical discipline.
• Master’s degree is desirable.

Required Experience & Skills

• Minimum 5+ years in environmental protection and/or safety experience.
• Evidence of leadership, effective communication, and organizational skills.
• Strong technical and regulatory knowledge of environmental and safety.
• Experience managing people, projects, and/or teams.
• Demonstrated performance in a highly regulated industry with strict standards adherence and compliance initiatives.
• Ability to coach, influence, and build capability in others.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work across functions and with external stakeholders.

Preferred Experience & Skills

• Ability to attract talent and build a strong team.
• Proven experience leading a site program in Manufacturing, Research, Tech Ops, Quality, or EHS.
• Experience in the pharmaceutical or chemical industry.
• Relevant professional certification such as CSP, PE, CIH, or CHMM preferred.

Required Skills:
Budget Management, Budget Management, Change Management, Chemical Management, Decision Making, Driving Continuous Improvement, EHS Compliance, EHS Program Management, Emergency Response, Environmental Audits, Environmental Health And Safety, Environmental Protection, Environmental Regulatory Compliance, Environmental Risk Assessments, Fast-Paced Environments, Government Relations, Incident Investigations, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Safety and Health, Physical Sciences, Process Safety Management, Project Management, Regulatory Affairs Compliance, Regulatory Affairs Management, Regulatory Requirements {+ 2 more}

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
$129,000.00 – $203,100.00

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 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.

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st – Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

No

Job Posting End Date:

08/4/2026

*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: R407894