Associate Director, Site Learning & Development

Merck; West Point (PA); Hybrid; USD 129,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Medical benefits

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Merck is seeking an Associate Director of Site Learning & Talent Development at its West Point, PA site. The role shapes the learning strategy across biopharmaceutical manufacturing and vaccine operations, aligning regulatory compliance with human performance and digital innovation.

Responsibilities include governance of curricula, leveraging Digital and AI tools to accelerate time-to-proficiency, and ensuring readiness for capital projects, tech transfers, and system implementations with

Qualifications

• Experience in a highly regulated industry, GxP training and qualification.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management in L&D.
• Ability to translate client needs into learning strategies and solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead learning strategy for site builds, asset expansions, tech transfers and system rollouts.
• Design experiential, role-based training aligned with operational workflows.
• Pioneer digital/AI capabilities within the L&D ecosystem.
• Govern curricula structures and data integrity for LMS.
• Mentor and develop the L&D team and cross-functional trainers.

Skills

Adult Learning Principles

Blended Learning

Change Management

Communication Tools

Compliance Training

Design Thinking

Digital Learning

Instructional Design

People Leadership

Process Improvements

Strategic Planning

Talent Development

Training Evaluations

Training Needs Assessment

Training Program Management

Education

High School Diploma/GED with minimum 15 years of relevant experience

Bachelor's degree in Education, Business, STEM, or related field with 11 years of relevant experience

Master's degree in Education, Business, STEM, or related field with 9 years of relevant experience

Tools

Learning Management System (LMS)

Job description

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Site Learning & Talent Development is a strategic leader responsible for influencing and executing the learning strategy across our biopharmaceutical manufacturing and vaccine operations site. This role sits at the intersection of regulatory compliance, human performance, and technological innovation. You will drive learner-centric design principles, oversee training curricula governance, and integrate cutting-edge Digital and AI solutions to optimize capability building and execution excellence. A critical focus of this role is ensuring workforce readiness during new capital project launches, tech transfers and enterprise system implementations, ensuring right-first-time execution and sustained GxP compliance.

• Safety: Protect patients, people, plant, property, product and processes. Enable a safe, zero-injury workplace where all team members and colleagues are held accountable for returning home in as-good or better shape than when they arrived to work.
• Compliance & Quality: Ensure complete audit readiness by integrating GxP requirements into all learning solutions. Partner with Deviation Management and Quality Assurance to develop training strategies that effectively address Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs) and human performance deviations.
• Continuous Improvement: Champion a learning organization where we are better today than we were yesterday and have a plan to be better tomorrow than we are today. Fail fast, fail forward, learn quickly and adapt to ever-changing business needs.

Leader Mindset Expectations

• Safety: Protect patients, people, plant, property, product and processes. Enable a safe, zero-injury workplace where all team members and colleagues are held accountable for returning home in as-good or better shape than when they arrived to work.
• Compliance & Quality: Ensure complete audit readiness by integrating GxP requirements into all learning solutions. Partner with Deviation Management and Quality Assurance to develop training strategies that effectively address Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs) and human performance deviations.
• Continuous Improvement: Champion a learning organization where we are better today than we were yesterday and have a plan to be better tomorrow than we are today. Fail fast, fail forward, learn quickly and adapt to ever-changing business needs.

Role Accountabilities

• Asset & System Strategy: Lead the learning strategy for new site builds, asset expansions, tech transfers and enterprise system rollouts, as well as major enhancements. Develop scalable onboarding and upskilling frameworks to ensure rapid workforce readiness prior to operational go-live.
• Learner-Centric Design: Champion human-centered design principles. Move beyond read-and-understand SOPs by designing experiential, role-based, and targeted training that respects the learner's operational workflow and cognitive load.
• Digital & AI Acumen: Pioneer the use of Digital and AI capabilities within the L&D ecosystem. Deploy adaptive learning technologies, AI-driven content curation, and immersive digital tools to accelerate time-to-proficiency.
• LMS Administration: Support site governance for the Learning Management System. Establish robust data integrity protocols, streamline curricula structures, and influence standard operating procedures for training assignments, management and reporting. Own the business process for maintaining learning plans through daily LMS management.
• People Development: Mentor and build a high-performing L&D team. Foster a culture of continuous development, upskilling team members and trainers in modern learning theories, data analytics, and performance consultation skills.

Team Stewardship

• Effectively establish, deepen and sustain key relationships with Site-level business leaders and mid-level managers to understand their business needs and related performance gaps; provide oversight and analysis when defining curricula requirements, and demonstrate an understanding of processes and methodology to provide appropriate learning solutions.
• Lead collaborative efforts with stakeholders to define desired performance outcomes; provide feedback and coaching on issues related to learning programs and policies.
• Identify performance needs and gaps and facilitate delivery of learning solutions to the business, when appropriate. May deliver training and/or support local SMEs who provide training, as needed.
• Remain current on learning and development related tools, techniques, strategies and practices to provide relevant, informed consultative advice to clients; share leading learning practices with teams and stakeholders.
• Ensure successful learning outcomes by supporting the identification and translation of the client’s learning needs into a defined learning strategy and implemented solutions. Report timely feedback on learning effectiveness to the business and communicate suggestions for improvement.

Desired Competencies

• Leadership: Demonstrated skill in applying solutions, tools, and techniques to gain the cooperation and support of others; ability to lead by example, foster collaborative relationships, and impact decisions within and outside the organization.
• Coaching: Ability to encourage, motivate and guide individuals/teams in the delivery of the full L&D value proposition.
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Ability to use a broad range of methods, assumptions, frameworks, and perspectives when solving problems and making decisions. Ability to make problems visible, propose viable solutions, and capitalize on opportunities that occur by chance or by self-creation.
• Strategic Planning: Project planning and management experience, including the ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1–2 years), and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the business plan.
• Adult Learning Theory and Practice: Experience in applying concepts and practices of adult learning to meet the dynamic needs of the business. Ability to assess competency gaps and identify what people need to learn for successful individual and organizational performance.
• Fluency in one or more scientific method-derived continuous improvement frameworks, e.g. Six-sigma, Lean, QbD, TQM, Agile, etc.
• Expert in achieving and communicating the impact of L&D on top-line and/or bottom-line financial results for the site and company.

Education

• High School Diploma/GED with minimum 15 years of relevant experience* - or
• Bachelor's degree in Education, Business, STEM, or a related field with 11 years of relevant experience* - or
• Master's degree in Education, Business, STEM, or a related field with 9 years of relevant experience*
• Relevant experience includes working in a highly regulated industry, GxP training and qualification, quality management system, operational excellence, human performance, post-secondary educational leadership, etc.

Preferred

• Experience in biopharmaceuticals, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, or other regulated industries.
• Experience driving innovative learning solutions at scale.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and being accountable for employee development.

Required Skills

Adult Learning Principles, Blended Learning, Change Management, Communication Tools, Compliance Training, Design Thinking, Digital Learning, Instructional Design, People Leadership, Process Improvements, Strategic Planning, Talent Development, Training Evaluations, Training Needs Assessment, Training Program Management

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.

Requirements

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants 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

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.

Salary

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.

Employee Status

Regular

Relocation

Domestic

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

09/24/2026

• 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.