Supply Chain Senior Manager

Merck & Co.; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co. is seeking a Supplier Collaboration Specialist to enable and improve supplier collaboration across the supply chain, working with suppliers, manufacturing sites, Procurement, Logistics, IT, and 3PL providers.

You will design, test, and implement EDI, ASN, barcode labeling, and electronic invoicing, while developing training, SOPs, and performance KPIs to drive end-to-end process efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Operations Management, Information Systems, Logistics, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience in Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, Supplier Management, Manufacturing Operations, or related functions.
• Experience supporting business processes and enterprise systems in a manufacturing or supply chain environment.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot process and system issues and coordinate resolution across multiple functions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary contact for suppliers and manufacturing sites regarding supplier collaboration processes, systems, and transactions.
• Support supplier onboarding and enablement for electronic and automated collaboration capabilities, including EDI, delivery schedules, supplier commitments, pickup notifications, ASN, barcode labels, and electronic invoicing.
• Partner with suppliers to identify and resolve process, transaction, system, and data-quality issues.
• Promote supplier adoption and compliance with established collaboration standards and business requirements.
• Maintain regular communication with suppliers to address operational concerns and improve end-to-end transactional performance.
• Assist in defining and documenting business requirements for new supplier collaboration processes, system enhancements, and digital capabilities.
• Participate in requirements gathering, system testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), implementation, deployment, and post-implementation support.
• Troubleshoot reported issues involving supplier schedules, demand, commitments, shipment information, receiving, invoicing, payments, and other transactions throughout the procure-to-pay and supply chain process.
• Coordinate issue resolution across business and technical teams, identifying root causes and supporting sustainable corrective actions.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual activities and improve the reliability and efficiency of supplier collaboration processes.
• Partner with manufacturing sites, suppliers, Logistics, and 3PL warehouse providers to implement and maintain automated ASN receiving capabilities.
• Support integration between supplier shipping information, barcode labeling, warehouse receiving processes, and enterprise systems.
• Troubleshoot ASN and receiving discrepancies to minimize manual intervention and prevent disruptions to material flow.
• Drive supplier compliance with ASN, labeling, and shipment-data requirements to improve receiving accuracy and efficiency.
• Develop and deliver training for suppliers, manufacturing sites, Service Parts, Procurement, Logistics, and other internal users on supplier collaboration processes and systems.
• Provide training and guidance related to: Delivery schedules and ordering processes, Supplier commitments/promises, Pickup and transportation notifications, ASN, Barcode labeling requirements, Electronic invoicing and payment-related transactions.
• Create, maintain, and annually review SOPs, work instructions, training materials, and process documentation.
• Ensure documentation remains aligned with current business processes, system functionality, and compliance requirements.
• Coordinate and facilitate collaboration among Manufacturing, Service Parts, Purchasing/Procurement, Finance, Logistics, Supply Chain, IT, suppliers, carriers, and 3PL providers.
• Serve as a bridge between business users and technical teams when defining requirements, investigating issues, and implementing solutions.
• Facilitate meetings and working sessions to resolve supplier collaboration issues and drive process improvements.
• Communicate changes in processes, systems, standards, and requirements to impacted stakeholders.
• Lead small to medium-sized projects related to supplier collaboration, supply chain systems, digital enablement, and process improvement.
• Develop project plans, coordinate stakeholders, track deliverables, identify risks, and communicate project status.
• Evaluate existing processes and identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and improve supplier interactions.
• Support implementation and expansion of new supplier collaboration technologies and capabilities.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing manual transactions, improving data quality, and increasing supply chain visibility.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

SAP

EDI platforms

ERP systems

Job description

Supplier Collaboration Specialist

Position Summary

The Supplier Collaboration Specialist is responsible for enabling and continuously improving supplier collaboration processes, systems, and capabilities across the supply chain. This role serves as a key liaison between suppliers, manufacturing sites, Procurement, Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance, Information Technology (IT), and third-party logistics (3PL) providers to ensure efficient, accurate, and reliable exchange of supply and transactional information. The Specialist supports the design, testing, implementation, and expansion of supplier collaboration capabilities, including Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), delivery schedules, supplier commitments, Advanced Ship Notices (ASN), barcode labeling, transportation notifications, invoicing, and automated receiving processes. The role also provides supplier and internal-user support, drives issue resolution, develops training and standard operating procedures, monitors process performance through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and leads small to medium-sized improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Collaboration & Enablement

• Serve as a primary point of contact for suppliers and manufacturing sites regarding supplier collaboration processes, systems, and transactions.
• Support supplier onboarding and enablement for electronic and automated collaboration capabilities, including EDI, delivery schedules, supplier commitments, pickup notifications, Advanced Ship Notices (ASN), barcode labels, and electronic invoicing.
• Partner with suppliers to identify and resolve process, transaction, system, and data-quality issues.
• Promote supplier adoption and compliance with established collaboration standards and business requirements.
• Maintain regular communication with suppliers to address operational concerns and improve end-to-end transactional performance.

Systems & Process Support

• Assist in defining and documenting business requirements for new supplier collaboration processes, system enhancements, and digital capabilities.
• Participate in requirements gathering, system testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), implementation, deployment, and post-implementation support.
• Troubleshoot reported issues involving supplier schedules, demand, commitments, shipment information, receiving, invoicing, payments, and other transactions throughout the procure-to-pay and supply chain process.
• Coordinate issue resolution across business and technical teams, identifying root causes and supporting sustainable corrective actions.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual activities and improve the reliability and efficiency of supplier collaboration processes.

Advanced Ship Notice & Automated Receiving

• Partner with manufacturing sites, suppliers, Logistics, and 3PL warehouse providers to implement and maintain automated ASN receiving capabilities.
• Support integration between supplier shipping information, barcode labeling, warehouse receiving processes, and enterprise systems.
• Troubleshoot ASN and receiving discrepancies to minimize manual intervention and prevent disruptions to material flow.
• Drive supplier compliance with ASN, labeling, and shipment-data requirements to improve receiving accuracy and efficiency.

Training & Documentation

• Develop and deliver training for suppliers, manufacturing sites, Service Parts, Procurement, Logistics, and other internal users on supplier collaboration processes and systems.
• Provide training and guidance related to:
  • Delivery schedules and ordering processes
  • Supplier commitments/promises
  • Pickup and transportation notifications
  • Advanced Ship Notices (ASN)
  • Barcode labeling requirements
  • Electronic invoicing and payment-related transactions
• Create, maintain, and annually review applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions, training materials, and process documentation.
• Ensure documentation remains aligned with current business processes, system functionality, and compliance requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate and facilitate collaboration among Manufacturing, Service Parts, Purchasing/Procurement, Finance, Logistics, Supply Chain, IT, suppliers, carriers, and 3PL providers.
• Serve as a bridge between business users and technical teams when defining requirements, investigating issues, and implementing solutions.
• Facilitate meetings and working sessions to resolve supplier collaboration issues and drive process improvements.
• Communicate changes in processes, systems, standards, and requirements to impacted stakeholders.

Project & Continuous Improvement Leadership

• Lead small to medium-sized projects related to supplier collaboration, supply chain systems, digital enablement, and process improvement.
• Develop project plans, coordinate stakeholders, track deliverables, identify risks, and communicate project status.
• Evaluate existing processes and identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and improve supplier interactions.
• Support implementation and expansion of new supplier collaboration technologies and capabilities.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing manual transactions, improving data quality, and increasing supply chain visibility.

Performance Management & KPIs

• Develop, monitor, analyze, and communicate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to supplier collaboration performance.
• Partner with manufacturing sites and suppliers to improve compliance and data quality across supplier collaboration processes.
• Identify recurring performance gaps and coordinate corrective actions with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Use performance data to identify improvement opportunities and support supplier performance discussions.
• Track metrics such as ASN compliance, transaction accuracy, EDI success rates, supplier commitment performance, labeling compliance, invoice accuracy, and automated receiving performance.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Operations Management, Information Systems, Logistics, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience in Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, Supplier Management, Manufacturing Operations, or related functions.
• Experience supporting business processes and enterprise systems in a manufacturing or supply chain environment.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot process and system issues and coordinate resolution across multiple functions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SAP or other ERP platforms.
• Knowledge of EDI and B2B supplier integration concepts and transactions.
• Experience with Advanced Ship Notices (ASN), barcode labeling, automated receiving, electronic invoicing, and procure-to-pay processes.
• Experience working with suppliers, transportation carriers, and 3PL providers.
• Experience participating in system implementations, enhancements, testing, or UAT.
• Experience developing SOPs, work instructions, and training materials.
• Experience leading cross-functional process improvement or technology projects.
• Familiarity with supply chain performance metrics, dashboards, and data analysis tools.
• Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies is beneficial.
• * Fully remote position

Core Competencies

• Supplier Collaboration - Builds effective relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders to improve performance and resolve issues.
• Digital & Systems Acumen - Understands how enterprise systems, EDI, supplier platforms, and automated transactions support end-to-end supply chain processes.
• Problem Solving - Investigates complex process and system issues, identifies root causes, and coordinates sustainable solutions.
• Cross-Functional Leadership - Effectively connects Procurement, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Logistics, Finance, IT, suppliers, and service providers.
• Continuous Improvement - Identifies opportunities to simplify processes, improve data quality, increase automation, and reduce manual intervention.
• Project Management - Organizes and leads initiatives from requirements definition through testing, implementation, stabilization, and continuous improvement.
• Communication & Training - Translates technical and process requirements into clear guidance for suppliers and business users.

Measures of Success

• Increased supplier adoption of EDI and automated collaboration capabilities
• Improved ASN and barcode-label compliance
• Increased automated receiving rates
• Improved supplier transaction and master-data quality
• Reduction in failed or manually corrected transactions
• Faster resolution of supplier collaboration issues
• Improved invoice and payment transaction accuracy
• Successful implementation of supplier collaboration enhancements
• Timely completion and maintenance of SOPs and training
• Improved supplier and site KPI performance
• Reduction in manual processes through automation and standardization

Role Impact

The Supplier Collaboration Specialist helps create a more connected, automated, and reliable supplier network by improving the flow of information between suppliers and internal supply chain operations. Through supplier enablement, systems expertise, process standardization, performance management, and cross-functional collaboration, the role improves supply visibility, transaction accuracy, operational efficiency, and overall supplier performance.