Engineering Delivery Director, Global Capital Projects

Merck & Co.; Wilson (NC); On-site; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Job summary

Merck & Co. seeks an Associate Director of Global Engineering Solutions to lead large capital projects and portfolios within manufacturing, laboratory, packaging, and infrastructure. Initial assignment is in Wilson, NC, with potential future roles in Durham and other sites.

You will drive safety, quality, and startup readiness across complex environments. This role requires a minimum of ten years delivering capital projects, leading cross-functional teams, and strong project controls.

Qualifications

• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience executing and delivering capital and/or expense projects in manufacturing, laboratory, infrastructure, or similarly complex operating environments.
• Experience leading integrated, cross-functional project teams and influencing stakeholders in support of capital project delivery.
• Experience delivering projects in an active manufacturing or operating facility where safety, quality, compliance, operational continuity, and startup readiness are critical.
• Working knowledge of project controls, including cost, schedule, forecasting, change management, risk management, and project reporting.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including experience preparing clear project updates, risk summaries, escalation materials, and decision documents for cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills, with ability to align teams, manage change, resolve issues, assess risk, and make sound recommendations in a dynamic project delivery environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage large capital projects independently or manage a series of smaller capital and/or expense projects within a portfolio, delivering critical assets safely, on time, within approved scope, and within prescribed budget.
• Lead integrated project teams across GES, Site Engineering, Operations, Quality, EHS, Maintenance, Technology, Procurement, Finance, and external delivery partners, building effective working relationships to align assigned projects with site expectations, business priorities, and applicable project delivery standards.
• Lead development and execution of project execution plans for assigned projects including scope, delivery strategy, procurement, construction, commissioning/startup, risk management, communications, and closeout.
• Ensure assigned project scopes deliver effective business solutions aligned with business priorities, manufacturing needs, compliance expectations, safety requirements, applicable standards, and approved capital objectives.
• Manage project design development through scope definition, design coordination, constructability review, value management, and disciplined evaluations of project decisions and trade-offs.
• Develop/support project specific procurement and contracting strategies in partnership with Procurement, Legal, site stakeholders, and GES leadership to support schedule, risk allocation, and business requirements.
• Manage project budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, cost control, contingency, and change control processes, including appropriate evaluation, documentation, communication, and obtaining appropriate approvals for changes affecting scope, cost, schedule, quality, or approved business objectives.
• Manage project schedules, including planning, sequencing, milestone tracking, critical path management, shutdown/tie-in coordination, and recovery planning.
• Provide oversight for assigned projects, including field coordination, contractor performance, construction safety interface, execution quality, issue resolution, and alignment with site requirements.
• Prepare and coordinate project governance, funding, stage-gate, and decision materials for assigned projects for review by appropriate site, GES, and capital governance stakeholders, using applicable company processes, templates, and guidance.
• Manage project communications, reporting, and escalation of key issues to support timely decisions by project teams, site stakeholders, and senior leaders.
• Identify, manage, mitigate, and escalate project risks affecting safety, quality, compliance, cost, schedule, startup readiness, and business continuity.
• Coordinate project execution within active manufacturing environments, partnering with site teams on field verification, permitting, shutdown and tie-in planning, utility impacts, operational constraints, and business continuity.
• Manage or support commissioning, qualification, validation interface, turnover documentation, contract administration, closeout, lessons learned, and transition of completed assets to site operations.
• Provide project delivery guidance, coaching, and day-to-day project leadership to project team members and less experienced engineers or project managers, as appropriate, while respecting functional and direct-line management accountabilities.

Skills

Adaptability

Automation Systems

Capital Project Management

Change Management

Clinical Manufacturing

Corporate Governance

Data Analysis

Decision Making

Drug Product Manufacturing

Governance Management

Interpersonal Relationships

Lean Manufacturing

Manufacturing Scale-Up

Regulatory Compliance

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Strategic Thinking

Technical Transfer

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Tools

Job description

Merck & Co. seeks an Associate Director of Global Engineering Solutions to lead large capital projects and portfolios within manufacturing, laboratory, packaging, and infrastructure. Initial assignment is in Wilson, NC, with potential future roles in Durham and other sites.

You will drive safety, quality, and startup readiness across complex environments. This role requires a minimum of ten years delivering capital projects, leading cross-functional teams, and strong project controls.