Manufacturing Leadership Development Program - Associate Specialist, Engineering

Biopharma Careers; West Point (MS); On-site; USD 72,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Merck is launching a Manufacturing Leadership Development Program (MLDP) to identify and train future leaders. The 3-year rotations span operations, technical, and quality domains, with mentoring and real project ownership across multiple sites in the US.

Graduates will build leadership and technical competencies for senior manufacturing roles. Successful candidates will participate in a structured curriculum, including problem solving, lean manufacturing, GMP, and cross-functional

Qualifications

• Graduates must be eligible to start by Aug 2027.
• Eligible to work in the US without sponsorship.
• Willing to be assigned to multiple roles/sites across the US.

Responsibilities

• Participate in three rotations across the Manufacturing Division during the program.
• Engage in leadership and technical skills development with mentoring from senior leaders.
• Travel domestically and potentially internationally as required by business needs.

Skills

Adaptability

Biopharmaceutical Operations

Data Analysis

Engineering Principle

Experimentation

Leadership

Process Optimization

Teamwork

Technical Communication

Technical Problem-Solving

Education

Bioengineering

Biomedical Engineering

Biotechnology

Chemical Engineering

Industrial Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Biochemistry

Chemistry

Microbiology

Packaging

Job description

CALLING FUTURE MANUFACTURING LEADERS

The Manufacturing Leadership Development Program (MLDP) is our flagship global manufacturing graduate program. Our simple objective is to identify, hire, and develop our future Manufacturing Leaders.

If you are passionate about launching a career in manufacturing, then we are eager to engage with you, focus on your development, and bring greater value to our patients worldwide.

Over the 3-year rotation program, we will invest in your development, giving you exposure and experience across our business and preparing you for a role in leadership. The program will provide experiential and formal learning opportunities to build the technical foundation needed by our future leaders. You will receive coaching from senior leaders, exposure to real manufacturing challenges, and training from industry leading scientists and engineers. You will contribute to significant projects and make key decisions that directly impact how we make pharmaceuticals and deliver them to our patients globally.

We hire a small number of members each year for this program, and we work hard to ensure that we truly select candidates with the greatest potential to lead. To help assess if you fit the profile, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Are you motivated to be part of our Company’s flagship future talent program?
• Are you geographically mobile and able to complete a potential international rotation?
• Are you willing to travel to different sites over the first three years of employment?
• Are you excited by digital advancements and developing fundamental technical knowledge?

If the answer is "YES" to all these questions, we want to get to know you.

The Manufacturing Leadership Development Program has two primary goals:

• Provide candidates who have a bachelor's or master's degree level in the required fields listed below with a broad perspective of the core manufacturing functions of our company’s pharmaceutical, biological, animal health and vaccine products.
• Develop talent for future leadership positions of increasing responsibility within the Manufacturing Division through focused development in key leadership and technical skills.

The program enables successful candidates to experience three (3) rotations over a three-year period with each rotation lasting one (1) year. A minimum of two (2) rotations will feature technically focused roles within the operations, technical operations, or quality organizations. Employees are assigned to rotations based on critical business needs. In addition to their rotation assignments and competency development programming, employees receive mentoring from peers and senior leaders during their assignment. Rotation members should expect to work at 2-3 different high impact sites during their tenure in the program and should have flexibility to move where assigned.

Within the rotation, some domestic and international business travel may be available or required. An international rotation assignment is not guaranteed.

The program is designed to strengthen the candidates' skills through a targeted learning curriculum, designed to enhance a wide variety of competencies including but not limited to:

• Continuous improvement/Problem solving
• Technical support
• Lean Manufacturing
• Quality/Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
• Managing and optimizing internal and external partnerships
• Strategic Thinking
• Decision-Making
• Financial Acumen
• End-to-end supply chain

The successful candidate is:

• Interested in participating in a broad range of work experiences across the manufacturing division.
• Able to work independently, in teams, and lead teams.
• Adaptable to new roles, responsibilities, and situations.
• Motivated to cultivate their leadership skills along with their technical, business, and commercial skills by applying their knowledge within manufacturing.
• Committed to both their own career development as well as bringing their best to our company

CANDIDATES WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE A PRE-INTERVIEW ONLINE ASSESSMENT WHICH WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MINUTES TO COMPLETE. CANDIDATES WILL NEED TO COMPLETE THIS ASSESSMENT WITHIN 3 DAYS OF RECEIPT.

Education:

• BS or MS in one of the following:

• Bioengineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Chemical Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Microbiology
• Packaging

Required Experience and Skills:

• Candidate must have graduated from a college by the program start date: On or around August 1, 2027.
• Candidate must be eligible to work in the US without sponsorship.
• Candidate must be willing to be assigned to different roles and different sites over the first three years of employment.
• Ability to travel and willingness to be assigned to any company site in the US or other company sites including countries ex-US based on business needs.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Candidate has demonstrated leadership experience in field of study, extracurricular activity, previous internship or undergraduate research, military or prior work experience.
• Experience in manufacturing.
• Candidate should possess superior communication and interpersonal skills, a team-player with the ability to work independently and collaboratively within and across teams.
• Strong technical background.
• FTP2027
• ManufacturingDivision2027

Required Skills:

• Adaptability
• Biopharmaceutical Operations
• Data Analysis
• Engineering Principle
• Experimentation
• Leadership
• Process Optimization
• Teamwork
• Technical Communication
• Technical Problem-Solving

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:

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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is $71,900.00 - $113,200.00

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

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

50%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

10/3/2026 *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:R412407