Senior Scientist, Sterile Product Development (Onsite)

MSD; Rahway (NJ); On-site; USD 117,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) and retirement plan

Paid holidays and vacation

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Merck seeks a Senior Scientist to lead hands-on formulation and process development for sterile parenteral products, including long-acting injectables and peptide drug conjugates. You will design studies, interpret data, and drive development within multidisciplinary teams in Rahway, NJ.

The role requires a Ph.D. or MS with relevant industry experience, strong regulatory and CMC acumen, and a proven track record in parenteral formulation and tech transfer to GMP manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. with 0 years industry experience or MS with 4+ years in pharmaceutics-related fields.
• Strong formulation/process development background for parenteral products.
• Experience with LAI and peptide drug conjugates is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and interpret formulation and process studies for LAI and peptide conjugates.
• Provide scientific input to cross-functional teams on product and system performance.
• Develop experimental plans, troubleshoot issues, and guide project workstreams.
• Support tech transfer to GMP manufacturing and scale-up activities.
• Collaborate across Clinical, Regulatory, Quality, and Manufacturing functions.

Skills

Chemistry

Data Analysis

Drug Delivery Technology

Drug Product Development

Experience Design

Flow Cytometry

High-Throughput Screening

Interpersonal Relationships

In Vitro Research

Molecular Biology Techniques

Multi-Color Flow Cytometry

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Preformulation

Process Development

Process Optimization

Education

Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics/related

M.S. in Pharmaceutics/related

Job description

Job Description

Role Overview: The Sterile Product Development group develops parenteral dosage forms, including long-acting injectables and peptide drug conjugates across small molecules, peptides, and biologics from preclinical development through commercialization. Our teams develop robust, scalable drug product and delivery solutions through scientific understanding of formulation, drug–excipient interactions, delivery system performance, and manufacturing processes, with a focus on product quality, safety, efficacy, and patient-centric design. The Senior Scientist is a hands‑on individual contributor supporting the scientific development of long‑acting injectables, peptide drug conjugates, and other parenteral formulations. The successful candidate will independently design and execute studies, interpret data, and provide formulation and process development recommendations within multidisciplinary teams. The role includes technical input and scientific leadership of defined experimental or development workstreams, in alignment with project objectives and guidance from project leads.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and interpret formulation and process development studies for long‑acting injectables and peptide drug conjugates, as well as conventional parenteral formulations. Evaluate approaches appropriate to each molecule and product, including polymer‑based controlled‑release systems and crystalline suspensions for long‑acting injectables.
• Provide scientific input to cross‑functional teams on formulation, drug substance properties, delivery system performance, container/closure compatibility, manufacturability, and clinical in‑use considerations. Take technical responsibility for assigned workstreams, communicate findings and risks, and recommend next steps to project leads.
• Design, conduct, and interpret studies to understand formulation stability and product performance for long‑acting injectables and peptide drug conjugates, including release kinetics where relevant:
  • Drug–excipient and drug–polymer interactions
  • In vitro and in vivo performance relationships
  • Physical stability, solubility, aggregation, and particle size control, as appropriate to the formulation
  • Syringe ability, injectability, and device compatibility
  • Chemical stability of drug substances and formulated products, including peptide and conjugate integrity and formation of free drug in peptide drug conjugates
• Support early‑ and late‑stage development programs, including:
  • Experimental evaluation and recommendation of scalable manufacturing processes for long‑acting injectables and peptide drug conjugates
  • Characterization of formulation and process variables to support definition of design space
  • Support for clinical and commercial process scale‑up and validation
  • Technology transfer to GMP manufacturing facilities
• Collaborate with Clinical, Non‑Clinical, Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing, and Engineering colleagues, contributing experimental data and scientific recommendations to:
  • Identify and characterize critical quality attribute and critical process parameters relevant to LAI and PDC quality, stability, and performance
  • Support clinical strategy through formulation design and risk mitigation
  • Contribute to CMC regulatory submissions and health authority interactions
• Provide scientific leadership within defined workstreams by developing experimental plans, troubleshooting technical challenges, interpreting results, and sharing recommendations. Offer informal technical guidance and knowledge sharing to colleagues without responsibility for people management or overall project delivery.
• Maintain awareness of emerging LAI technologies and PDC formulation and delivery approaches; contribute scientific assessments and experimental support to capability development, external collaborations, and innovation initiatives aligned with team priorities.
• Contribute to patents, external presentations, publications, and professional scientific activities related to sterile product development, long‑acting injectables, and peptide drug conjugates.

Minimum Education Requirements

• Ph.D. with 0 years industry experience, or
• M.S. with 4+ years industry experience in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related discipline

Required Experience and Skills

• Strong scientific foundation and hands‑on or academic experience in parenteral formulation or process development, with relevant experience in long‑acting injectables, sustained‑release formulations, peptides, or drug conjugates, and the ability to apply this experience across LAI and PDC development.
• Experience applying Quality by Design principles and DOE approaches to formulation and process development.
• Experience contributing experimental or technical support to process scale‑up, validation, or technology transfer for sterile injectable products.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience with LAI platforms such as polymer depots, microspheres, nanosuspensions, or in situ forming systems; experience spanning both LAI and peptide or drug‑conjugate development is particularly valuable.
• Working knowledge of CMC regulatory expectations for sterile parenteral products and the scientific documentation needed to support development‑stage and commercial submissions.
• Scientific understanding of the following principles and their application to LAI and PDC development:
  • Controlled‑release mechanisms, LAI delivery systems, and relationships between formulation attributes and product performance
  • Drug–polymer and drug–excipient interactions
  • Hands‑on experience developing peptide or peptide drug‑conjugate formulations, including characterization of stability, conjugate integrity, aggregation, free‑drug formation, and compatibility with formulation and manufacturing conditions
  • Experience with device–drug product integration, including prefilled syringes or delivery systems relevant to long‑acting injectables
  • Understanding of clinical and patient‑centric considerations influencing LAI design (e.g., dosing interval, injection volume, administration route)
  • Physical and chemical stability and characterization of parenteral formulations, including peptide/conjugate integrity, aggregation, and free‑drug formation where relevant
• Experience supporting global regulatory filings and health authority interactions.
• Track record of contributing to publications, patents, or external scientific collaborations in drug delivery or formulation science.

Required Skills

• Chemistry
• Data Analysis
• Drug Delivery Technology
• Drug Product Development
• Experience Design
• Flow Cytometry
• High‑Throughput Screening
• Interpersonal Relationships
• In Vitro Research
• Molecular Biology Techniques
• Multi‑Color Flow Cytometry
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Preformulation
• Process Development (PD)
• Process Optimization

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: https://www.eeoc.gov/rights.

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.

The primary location for this posting is: USA - New Jersey - Rahway

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

Salary range for the primary location of this role is: $117,000.00 - $184,200.00

This range reflects the Company’s reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

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/International

VISA Sponsorship: Yes

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable

Shift: Not Indicated

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): N/A

Job Posting End Date: 11/4/2026*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.