Sr. Specialist, Operational Readiness Lead

Merck & Co.; Elkton (VA); On-site; USD 117,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement benefits

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. seeks an Operational Readiness Lead to boost workforce readiness, environmental compliance, and rapid contingency recovery across site facilities. The role partners with operations to build technical competency and standardize knowledge transfer through formal curricula and SOP alignment.

The candidate will design operator curricula, coordinate SOP updates, and mentor both salaried and union staff to strengthen performance and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Education and hands-on experience in industrial utilities/infrastructure operations per the listed options.
• Experience designing, writing, and executing formal technical curricula for operators.
• Experience planning contingency drills and business continuity preparations.
• Proven ability to collaborate with both salaried and union staff and manage labor relations.
• Technical knowledge of boiler operations, chillers, cooling towers, HVAC, wastewater treatment, and digital control systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop a formal curriculum for operators and first-line managers.
• Review and update SOPs; align mandatory curricula for rapid updates.
• Establish competency matrices and coaching programs to stabilize operations.
• Develop contingency procedures and conduct regular drills for rapid recovery.
• Assist RCA investigations and drive continuous improvement across teams.

Skills

Adaptability

Analytical thinking

Competency management

Contingency planning

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Regulatory compliance

Facility management

HVAC systems

Maintenance scheduling

Operations management

Process improvement

Team leadership

Education

High School Diploma/GED + 8 years' direct experience in industrial utilities/infrastructure operations

Associate degree in engineering or related field + 6 years' direct experience

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field + 4 years' direct experience

Job description

Job Description

The-Operational Readiness Lead-is a critical technical support and enablement role dedicated to ensuring workforce readiness, operational reliability, environmental compliance, and rapid-contingency-recovery across all site facilities operations. Serving a high-capacity pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, this position does not have direct day-to-day operational or compliance ownership. Instead, it serves as a vital support partner to the operations team, focusing on building technical competency, standardizing knowledge transfer, and fortifying-operational readiness and response capability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Stability & Knowledge Management

• Formalize Technical Curriculum:-Design, build, and implement a structured, formal-curriculum-for operators and first-line managers, replacing legacy "person-to-person" informal onboarding.
• SOP & Skills-Refresh Administration:-Partner with operations to systematically review and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Coordinate and deliver the mandatory-SOP curriculum alignment-to ensure all operational staff are rapidly updated on revised or newly issued SOPs.
• Workforce & Process Stabilization:-Safeguard operational stability and mitigate process variability by establishing clear technical competency matrices, standardizing shift-to-shift execution, and implementing structured coaching initiatives to secure critical institutional knowledge.

2. Contingency Preparedness & Operational Readiness

• Fortify Operational Readiness:-Develop, update, and maintain comprehensive-contingency planning-procedures that operations teams can execute to minimize utility downtime and prevent environmental compliance excursions.
• Facilitate Simulation Drills:-Design, schedule, and execute regular-contingency response-and disaster recovery drills.-Coach-both salaried and union personnel on swift and safe responses to critical utility system failures.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Support:-Assist operations and compliance teams in investigating utility interruptions or compliance near-misses including After Action Review (AAR) to evaluate response effectiveness, identify lessons learned, assign corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement.

3. Utility Systems & Asset Lifecycle Support

• Onboarding New Equipment:-Support the operational integration of incoming new equipment by developing technical-curriculum-materials, running-instructional-sessions, and drafting initial standard procedures for the operations team.
• End-of-Life Asset Reliability Support:-Collaboratively develop operator troubleshooting guides and reliability-coaching-to help the team safely and effectively manage aging, end-of-life (EOL) facilities operations assets.

4. Compliance Enablement

• Compliance Integration:-Align all technical-curricula-with current state and federal air, wastewater, and water permit requirements to ensure operator behavior naturally supports regulatory compliance.
• Audit Readiness:-Drive a clear understanding of compliance requirements by ensuring continuous expectation alignment across the operations team. Coach team to fully understand how their daily actions, routine housekeeping, and operational decisions directly contribute to the facility's overall regulatory compliance and audit readiness.

5. Team Mentorship & Labor Relations

• Collaborative Support:-Work effectively across a diverse department consisting of salaried professionals and unionized operations personnel, serving as a trusted technical advisor, coach, and support partner.
• Talent Development:-Act as a high-performing mentor with a strong desire to coach, grow, and elevate the technical capabilities of first-line managers and operators.

Position Requirements

#MSJR

Minimum Qualifications

• Education:
  • High School Diploma/GED and 8 years of direct, hands-on experience in industrial utilities/infrastructure operations.
  • OR -Associate degree in engineering or related scientific field and 6 years of direct, hands-on experience in industrial utilities/infrastructure operations.
  • OR -Bachelor degree in engineering or related scientific field and 4 years of direct, hands-on experience in industrial utilities/infrastructure operations.
• Labor Relations:-Demonstrated, successful track record of working collaboratively with both salaried employees and unionized operating staff and contract execution.
• Curriculum Development:-Proven experience designing, writing, and executing formal technical-curriculums-or operator qualification programs.
• Contingency Management:-Experience designing, planning, and coordinating operational-readiness-drills and business continuity-preparation.
• Leadership Profile:-High-performing individual with a visible track record of developing others, fostering teamwork, and supporting culture change.
• Certifications:-Current state-issued licenses and certifications (wastewater, potable water, and ASOPE) compensatory to the facility classification or demonstrated progression with ability to achieve facility classification level within 1 year of hire.
• Equipment Familiarity:-Deep technical understanding of boiler operations, chillers, cooling towers, HVAC, compressed air, wastewater treatment unit operations, and use of digital control systems to facilitate high-quality technical-instruction.

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Analytical Analysis, Competency Management, Contingency Plan, Corrective Action Management, Deviation Investigations, Facility Engineering, Facility Management, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis FMEA, Government Regulation, HVAC Systems, Identifying Customer Needs, Interpersonal Relationships, Lean Six Sigma Tools, Maintenance Scheduling, Manufacturing Quality Control, Operational Compliance, Operations Management, Plant Operations, Procedure Reviews, Regulations, Regulatory Compliance, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Root Cause Identification {+ 6 more}

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.

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 $117,000.00 - $184,200.00

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 .

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

NA

Job Posting End Date:

09/24/2026

*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:

R416350