Director - GQ-LMAS - Vaccine Methods Team Lead

Merck & Co.; West Point (PA); On-site; USD 173,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) plan with company match

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. seeks a senior leader to guide a team of subject matter experts delivering analytical support for vaccine methods across our large molecule portfolio.

You will oversee method lifecycle, technical transfer, and regulatory-facing activities to ensure compliant, high-quality releases for our vaccine franchises, including HPV and PCV. The role requires deep GMP experience, strategic leadership, and the ability to drive investigations, ensure robust method performance, and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of industry experience plus a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree.
• 10+ years of industry experience plus a PhD in analytical testing, development and/or validation.
• Strong Quality control background with GMP analytical methods experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead SME team across vaccine franchises, with emphasis on HPV and PCV.
• Provide guidance and support for analytical methods in commercial laboratories.
• Coordinate activities of direct reports with outcome-driven performance plans.

Skills

Analytical Method Development

Leadership

Quality Control

GMP

Project Management

Cross-functional Collaboration

Regulatory Submissions

Vaccine Analytics

Bioassays & Immunoassays

Communication Skills

Education

15+ years of industry experience with Master’s or Bachelor’s degree

10+ years with PhD in analytical testing/validation

Job description

Job Description

We seek a candidate to lead a team of subject matter experts (SMEs) providing in-depth technical support for vaccine analytical methods as a member of the Global Quality Large Molecule Analytical Sciences - Central Vaccine Labs Team. Analytical testing is critical to the assessment of vaccine product quality, potency, purity, identity, safety, stability, and process consistency. Methods support by this team include bioassays, immunoassays, biophysical methods, chromatography, biochemical and physicochemical methods, characterization methods, and other platform or product-specific assays used for release, stability, investigational, process development, and lifecycle management purposes. This team is highly motivated, fast paced and focused on ensuring consistent compliant supply of our vaccine franchises while advancing analytical lifecycle initiatives. This position will manage subject matter experts across our vaccine franchises, with special emphasis on HPV and PCV, and will provide technical oversight of analytical testing supporting our Company's inline vaccine products.

The candidate will be expected to provide guidance, expertise and support for analytical methods established within our commercial laboratories. This support is provided through a network of subject matter experts and partner organizations. The method lead and their team will interface with colleagues in quality laboratories, site-based technical support functions, critical reagent and reference standard hubs, project teams across the company as well as external laboratory partners. This position will require effective collaboration with colleagues in our research laboratories, statistical & modeling groups, process and product development teams, as well as CMC-Regulatory. The lead will be responsible for coordinating the activities of their direct reports using outcome-driven performance plans and ensuring SME support is aligned to franchise priorities and business needs.

Effective communication and teamwork are required with both internal and external partners. Global technical support is provided for methods at all internal and external testing sites, and the candidate is expected to foster effective external collaborations working with multiple partners including sourcing and procurement functional areas. Working with colleagues in Global Quality Large Molecule Analytical Sciences, the candidate will be a key partner in analytical lifecycle management activities, helping to identify key components that influence method performance and developing risk abatement strategies. The lead will also directly oversee and/or assist with driving strategies for reference standards, critical reagents, assay controls, method platforms, and other key materials or processes that impact analytical performance and robustness.

Key activities supporting the team mission of providing world-class technical support for vaccine testing include: method lifecycle management, reference standard and critical reagent strategy, support of analytical investigations, regulatory submission support, method optimization, assay and method performance monitoring, input on method template designs, coordination of testing strategy, working with partners to optimize workflows, troubleshooting workshops, technical risk assessments, method validation and transfer support, and method modernization activities. The candidate should be a strong technical leader and troubleshooter with broad analytical testing expertise, vaccine franchise experience, and the ability to connect method performance to product quality, regulatory expectations, and business priorities.

Education Minimum Requirement

• 15 years of industry experience plus a Master's or Bachelor's degree or
• 10 years of industry experience plus a PhD degree working directly in the field of analytical testing, development and/or validation.

Required Experience and Skills

• Must have a strong Quality control background with demonstrated experience supporting GMP analytical methods, including defending technical content during health authority inspections and writing/reviewing regulatory technical questions.
• Ability to lead teams demonstrated through 3 key levers:
• Experience as a direct manager of technical experts, including goal setting, development planning, performance management, financial budget and department resources.
• Experience as a cross-functional leader with the ability to drive right first-time execution of projects/testing, while maintaining strong relationships and collaborative mindset.
• Demonstrated examples of driving change across the global environment in a positive way.
• Demonstrated experience with Analytical Method Validation and relevant compendial guidelines, such as ICH Q2/Q14, as well as analytical tech transfer.
• 10 + years of analytical testing or development experience with assay validation and troubleshooting expertise across a broad method and portfolio set.
• Demonstrated ability leading technical teams and mentoring and developing scientific talent.
• Incumbent must have excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Strength in delivering results on firm deadlines in support of drug/vaccine development and commercialization
• Broad expertise with vaccine analytical testing, including bioassays, immunoassays, biophysical methods, chromatography, biochemical and physicochemical methods, characterization methods, and other platform or product-specific analytical methods, with preferred experience supporting recombinant and conjugate vaccines.
• Development and management of project timelines and deliverables.
• Authoring and reviewing technical documents.
• Ability to work independently and within a cross-functional team.

Required Skills

Ability to Coordinate, Ability to Coordinate, Adaptability, Analytical Method Development, Analytical Thinking, Biologics License Application (BLA), Chromatographic Techniques, Decision Making, Dosage Forms, External Manufacturing, Immunoassays, Laboratory Management, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Planning, Laboratory Research, Laboratory Techniques, Method Development, People Leadership, People Management, Pharmaceutical Industry, Process Analytical Technology (PAT), Professional Networking, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Submissions, Results-Oriented {+ 8 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. If you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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 Range

The salary range for this role is $173,200.00 - $272,600.00. 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.

Benefits

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

Not Applicable

Shift

1st - Day

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

NA

Job Posting End Date

09/19/2026

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

R414888