Senior Specialist, Procurement

Merck; West Point (PA); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck in Rahway, NJ seeks a strategic Sourcing professional to lead Direct Materials procurement for Small/Large Molecules. You will gather market intelligence, model costs, and manage supplier relationships to support pipeline programs and commercial products.

Required: a STEM or procurement degree with 2+ years in pharma, strong data analytics, and excellent communication. This hybrid role offers a competitive salary and benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Engineering, Science, Supply Chain or Procurement.
• Minimum 2+ years of relevant work experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Strong communication across levels of the organization.
• Ability to influence external partners to drive outcomes.
• Advanced data collection, management, analytics and reporting skills.
• Excellent project management skills.
• Ability to work independently with flexibility in dynamic situations.

Responsibilities

• Collect and present market trends, dynamics, and industry best practices to inform sourcing strategy.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution across modalities until launch and beyond.
• Support procurement objectives: risk management, supplier performance, cost reduction, early sourcing for pipeline programs.
• Work with Legal, Finance, Procure-to-Pay and suppliers.
• Conduct market analyses to provide deep, meaningful insights.
• Execute early stage sourcing strategies and implement NPI playbooks.
• Support supplier selection for pipeline programs and inline products for savings and readiness.

Skills

Adaptability

Analytical Thinking

Benchmarking

Contract Management

Data Analytics

Driving Continuous Improvement

Financial Acumen

Influencing Skills

Procurement Management

Production Planning

Regulatory Compliance

Risk Management

Supplier Selection

Supply Chain Processes

Vendor Management

MS Teams

SharePoint

PowerBI

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Engineering, Science, Supply Chain or Procurement

Tools

MS Teams

SharePoint

PowerBI

Excel

Job description

Job Description

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our company has codified its legacy for over a century. Our company’s success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill and teamwork of an individual like you. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork. As part of our global team, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career.

Direct Materials Procurement is responsible for the development and implementation of all supplier management strategies and initiatives, improving supply chain resiliency, and driving improvements in cost, supplier performance and working capital, in support of manufacturing and supply of our company products.

Strategic Supplier Management is a rigorous, data-driven methodology which relies upon high quality market intelligence for suppliers, supply markets and supply chains, as well as strategic analysis and reporting of internal business requirements, supplier performance, spend and savings data.

The successful candidate will actively engage in the interphase between our Research & Development Division and our Manufacturing Division by providing supporting strategic sourcing solutions during the development of new Pipeline Products along with support of commercial products.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the gathering, creating, delivering, tracking, analyzing, modeling, and managing data for various strategic initiatives within Small, Large Molecules area of Direct Materials Procurement. The candidate will also support bioconjugates and antibody drug conjugates. Will enable progress on projects and procurement organizational objectives and accelerate organizational performance through effective project management and communications, strategy execution, and focused team performance.

General Responsibilities

• Responsible to collect and present market trends and dynamics, competitive environment and industry best practices in order to assist in the creation of the sourcing strategy.


• Collaborate along with other key functions - the overall sourcing strategy and ensure seamless execution across all modalities until launch + 2 years.


• Support strategic and operating objectives for the procurement function including, supply risk management, supplier performance improvement, cost reduction, early sourcing execution to support pipeline programs, new material introduction, and the qualification of alternate sources to strengthen supply continuity, working capital improvement, and supplier relationship management.


• Work with cross functional teams including Legal, Finance, Procure-to-Pay, internal stakeholders, and external suppliers.


• Conduct detailed market analyses looking at facts and data with the objective of providing deep and meaningful insights


• Execute early stage sourcing/procurement strategies and implement New Product Introduction (NPI) playbook/process/tools.


• Support selection of suppliers and/or new materials/components for pipeline programs and inline products to ensure savings and supply readiness.

Additional Responsibilities Are As Follows

• Supplier and Supply Market Analysis – To conduct rigorous market intelligence and detailed supplier and supply market analyses, to provide deep and meaningful insight to sourcing teams.


• Cost Modeling / Cost reduction – To construct detailed cost models/purchase price analysis of goods and services that are supplied to our company. At times, this will require supplier visits to create a complete understanding of the cost structure of suppliers and develop cost reduction opportunities.


• Strategic Analysis – To conduct project analysis which transforms information into insightful, well-structured breakthrough options and opportunities. Examples include Portfolio Analysis, Supplier Preferencing, and Day One Sourcing.


• Negotiation Planning – To create detailed pre-negotiation plans, to support and participate in prolonged negotiation sessions with suppliers and to conduct post negotiation debriefs and follow through plans.


• Sourcing – To create and execute RFIs, RFPs, and e-Auctions, together with subsequent structured information analysis wherever possible using electronic procurement processes.


• Risk Assessment and Mitigation – To conduct effective risk assessment (including Financial Solvency Analysis, compliance with FCPA, Business Partner Code of Conduct, etc.) and establish appropriate risk mitigation plans within the supply-base pursuant to our company Manufacturing Division's risk management framework.

Education Minimum Requirement

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Engineering, Science, Supply Chain or Procurement

Required Experience And Skills

• Minimum 2+ years of relevant work experience in the pharmaceutical industry.


• Adaptability and ability to work across multiple enterprise initiatives, able to communicate effectively across different levels of organization.


• Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills including ability to make clear and concise presentations, sensitivity to cultural differences in communication.


• Ability to influence external partners to drive meaningful outcomes.


• Advanced data collection, management, analytics and reporting skills.


• Excellent project management skills


• Ability to work independently with a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to deal with ambiguous and dynamic situations.


• Quick learner and motivated to cultivate technical, business and commercial skills by applying their knowledge within company’s environment.


• Proficient in Microsoft office suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

Preferred Experience And Skills

• Prior pharmaceutical industry experience or any fortune 500 company experience.


• Cost modeling experience


• Experience with using MS Teams, SharePoint or other similar collaboration websites.


• Experience with PowerBI or other data analytic/visualization tools


• Experience with using Excel to manage large datasets.


• Experience managing external relationships.


• Experience with data collection methods.

Your role at our company is integral to helping the world meet new breakthroughs that affect generations to come, and we’re counting on your skills and inventiveness to help make meaningful contributions to global medical advancement.

SHPE2026

Required Skills

• Adaptability


• Analytical Thinking


• Benchmarking


• Contract Management


• Data Analytics


• Driving Continuous Improvement


• Financial Acumen


• Influencing Skills


• Procurement Management


• Production Planning


• Regulatory Compliance


• Risk Management


• Supplier Selection


• Supply Chain Processes


• Vendor 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 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

Primary Location

USA - New Jersey - Rahway

Salary Range

$96,200.00 - $151,400.00

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.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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

Hybrid

Shift

1st - Day

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

n/a

Job Posting End Date

• 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

R423799