Specialist, Automation Engineering - 2nd Shift (Onsite)

MSD Malaysia; Rahway (NJ); On-site; USD 87,000 - 137,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ, seeks a Specialist in Automation Engineering to support the FLEx Center's sterile clinical manufacturing operations. You will manage automation lifecycle, perform on-floor troubleshooting, and drive continuous improvement across OT/IT systems.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field and 2+ years in process automation, with strong project management and communication skills. Onsite, second shift/weekend support may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, IT; strong performance track record and excellent project management skills.
• 2+ years of experience in process automation; demonstrated ability to work in a regulated environment.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills; ability to lead without formal authority.

Responsibilities

• Maintain automation systems in a validated, compliant state per cGMP and lifecycle practices.
• Provide end‑to‑end automation support for sterile clinical manufacturing and related activities.
• Lead automation changes, investigations, CAPAs, and support regulatory filings.

Skills

Automation engineering

cGMP

PLC/SCADA

Cybersecurity

Root cause analysis

Project management

Cross-functional teamwork

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, IT

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLCs

Siemens PLCs

SCADA (iFix/WinCC OA/Ignition)

OPC

Job description

Job Description

The Formulation, Laboratory, and Experimentation (FLEx) Center in Rahway, New Jersey, includes a cutting‑edge sterile drug product cGMP clinical supply manufacturing facility, known as FLEx Sterile, which is currently in the operational start‑up phase. FLEx Sterile is positioned to play a pivotal role in delivering our clinical pipeline to patients worldwide, supporting a diverse range of product modalities including sterile small molecules, biologics, vaccines, and antibody‑drug conjugates (ADCs). The facility supports the formulation and filling of clinical and developmental sterile products for critical program needs, such as new products in process development, products undergoing scale‑up, launch and transfer to the supply network, and existing commercial products undergoing process optimization. Support encompasses both start‑up operations (FLEx Sterile1) and a new capital expansion (FLEx Sterile2). The Specialist, Automation Engineering – role will provide end‑to‑end automation engineering support for the Rahway, NJ FLEx Center, with a primary focus on sterile clinical manufacturing within Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply (PSCS), Pharmaceutical Operations Engineering (Pharm Ops Engineering). The role ensures the reliable and compliant operation of process automation and OT/IT systems that enable formulation, filling, lyophilization, and associated support activities for clinical and development sterile products. This position supports start‑up operations and new capital investments in the clinical supply area, including automation lifecycle management, data and analytics, and site representation on capital projects. Off‑shift (second shift and weekend) or extended shift work will be required on an intermittent basis to support manufacturing operations. This role will be an onsite automation support role and directly reports to the Rahway FLEx Sterile Pharmaceutical Operations Engineering automation lead.

Primary Responsibilities

• Maintain automation systems in a validated, compliant state per cGMP, Safety, data integrity, cybersecurity, and lifecycle best practices (commissioning, qualification, change control, obsolescence, periodic reviews)
• Provide end‑to‑end operations support for sterile clinical manufacturing (formulation and filling/lyophilization), including on‑floor troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and performance/batch reliability improvements
• Implement and sustain platform automation solutions, reporting, and visualization to meet operational and compliance needs; keep documentation, SOPs, drawings, configurations, PMs, and inventories inspection ready
• Lead and participate in automation system changes, investigations, CAPAs; represent automation and data integrity during internal/external audits and inspections
• Develop and execute automation change control inclusive of change definition, risk assessments, impact assessments, task execution, implementation, and support of associated regulatory filings
• Serve as site automation representative for new products, process changes, and operational improvements; lead cross‑functional teams and participate in tier meetings to drive continuous improvement
• Represent automation in capital projects, embedding OT/IT architecture, cybersecurity, data integrity, and validation requirements in project scope and deliverables
• Lead and coordinate installation, integration, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and qualification (AIOQ) of new automated equipment and systems; author/execute URS/RS/CS/DS/AIQ/AOQ/AIOQ/UAT
• Evaluate and plan automation/IT expansions, replacements, upgrades, and obsolescence remediation to ensure quality, stability, scalability, and supportability
• Partner with enterprise/divisional IT, global infrastructure, and risk/security to align standards and manage user/role administration, patching, backups, disaster recovery, and virtualization in GMP operations
• Collaborate with GES, FM/GWES, Quality (product/equipment QA and digital data quality –DDQ), Manufacturing Operations, OEM vendors/system integrators to deliver reliable, compliant automation operations
• Supervise and coordinate contract engineers/vendors and manage workload and deliverables
• Develop and support data, reporting, analytics, and visualization solutions using historian/SCADA sources to monitor asset health and drive reliability improvements
• Troubleshoot across controls, instrumentation, electrical, software, and industrial networking layers; apply lean and continuous improvement principles to stabilize and optimize automation system performance
• Off‑shifts (second shift/weekend) or extended shift work may be required to provide automation support for manufacturing operations

Education Minimum Requirement

Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering, Science, Information Technology, or related field. Minimum 2 years of experience in process automation or equivalent. Demonstrated a strong performance record and have excellent project management skills. Highly developed communication, teamwork skills.

Required Experience and Skills

• Strong knowledge of cGMP, Quality Systems, Safety, Environmental, data integrity, and validation principles for automation and computer systems
• Hands‑on experience maintaining validated automation systems, executing change control, investigations/CAPA, periodic reviews, system administration (e.g., user/role management, patching, backups, virtualization), and cybersecurity within GMP operations
• Proficiency with PLC/SCADA and industrial networking fundamentals; ability to troubleshoot across controls, instrumentation, electrical, and software layers
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and technical writing skills; ability to lead without authority and influence cross‑functional teams
• Proven root cause analysis and problem‑solving skills; continuous improvement mindset

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Platforms/technologies: Allen‑Bradley and/or Siemens PLCs; SCADA (iFix, WinCC OA, Ignition); OPC; fieldbuses (ASI/Profibus/Profinet/DeviceNet); instrumentation and panel design
• Programming: Ladder Logic, Sequential Function Charts, Python and/or other scripting for automation, testing, and reporting
• Knowledgeable of S88 batch standards
• Experience in biologics, vaccine or bulk sterile manufacturing facilities is strongly preferred
• OT/IT: Industrial networking, virtualization (e.g., VMs), databases/historians, and basic system administration
• Experience with electronic validation and quality systems (e.g., Kneat/eVal, Veeva)
• Prior leadership of installation/integration/qualification of automated equipment; experience on capital projects in GMP environments
• Familiarity with planning/scheduling practices, vendor management, and business/financial acumen for project delivery
• Track record of independent ownership, prioritization, and delivery in a fast‑paced clinical manufacturing setting
• Demonstrated experience supporting audits/inspections and authoring/reviewing SOPs, validation protocols/reports

What we can expect

Direct impact enabling sterile product development from lab to clinic through robust, compliant automation. Ownership across automation lifecycle, troubleshooting, and capital initiatives. Collaboration with world‑class operations, quality, engineering, IT, and security teams.

Who we are

For more than a century, we have been bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

Required Skills

• Automation
• Automation Solutions
• Change Management
• Electronic Batch Records
• Manufacturing Automation
• Operations Engineering
• Process Engineering
• Process Optimization
• Sterile Manufacturing
• Troubleshooting

Preferred Skills

• Continuous Improvement
• Cross‑Functional Teamwork
• PLC Automation

Eligibility and Inclusion

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.

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.

Residents of Colorado.

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.

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this role is $87,300.00 - $137,400.00. 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. 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.

Employment Terms

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation: Domestic

VISA Sponsorship: No

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable

Shift: 2nd - Evening

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): n/a

Merck Search Firm Disclaimer

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.