Watch Officer (Day Shift)

MSD UK; Rahway (NJ); On-site; USD 96,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

MSD UK in Rahway, NJ is seeking a Day Shift Watch Officer to monitor global events in real time, triage incidents, and issue timely guidance to leadership and business units.

You will draft clear intelligence summaries and travel advisories, serve as the frontline contact for employee assistance during daytime operations, and coordinate with the Night Shift to ensure seamless continuity of operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 3 years of experience in a GSOC, intelligence watch floor, emergency dispatch, or similar fast-paced monitoring environment.
• Experience using situational awareness and threat intelligence platforms.

Responsibilities

• Conduct real-time monitoring of global events to identify potential risks.
• Perform initial triage, impact assessment, and rapid escalation of incidents.
• Draft and disseminate incident reports, travel security advisories, and intelligence summaries.
• Act as primary contact for employee assistance and travel risk inquiries during daytime operations.
• Coordinate with Night Shift during handovers to ensure continuity.
• Assist in improving watch desk workflows and test new platforms and AI tools.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Decision making

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Threat intelligence platforms

Situational awareness platforms

Job description

Job Description Summary

The Day Shift Watch Officer is a critical frontline role within our Company’s Resiliency Center, responsible for maintaining real-time situational awareness and threat monitoring during peak global business hours. Reporting to the Director of Watch Desk Operations, this role serves as the lead tactical interface for incident triage, information coordination, and crisis escalation. The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic, high-visibility environment, utilizing advanced technology platforms and AI-driven tools to protect our Company’s people, operations, and assets while collaborating actively with cross-functional business partners.

Job Description and Responsibilities

• Conduct continuous real-time monitoring of global events, utilizing integrated threat intelligence and situational awareness platforms to identify potential risks to our Company.
• Perform initial triage, impact assessment, and rapid escalation of emerging incidents, ensuring timely and accurate information flow to leadership and relevant business units.
• Draft and disseminate clear, concise incident reports, travel security advisories, and daily intelligence summaries for enterprise stakeholders.
• Act as the primary point of contact for employee assistance and travel risk inquiries during daytime operations, providing immediate guidance and support.
• Coordinate seamlessly with the Night Shift team during shift handovers to ensure total continuity of operations and situational awareness.
• Assist in the continuous improvement of watch desk workflows, including the testing and adoption of new technological platforms and AI-assisted operational procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned or as required based on the evolving needs of our Company.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 3 years of experience in a Global Security Operations Center (GSOC), intelligence watch floor, emergency dispatch, or similar fast-paced monitoring environment.
• Experience using situational awareness and threat intelligence platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a corporate security environment.
• Familiarity with mass notification and crisis management systems.
• Prior military or law enforcement experience in an operational role.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to rapidly synthesize multiple streams of information into clear, actionable assessments.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to remain composed and make sound, rapid decisions under pressure.
• Collaborative team player with a strong focus on customer service.

Physical & Operational Requirements

• Must be able to work a fixed day shift schedule, potentially including weekends and holidays.
• Must be flexible and able to work a 12-hour rotating day shift schedule; specific shift hours, durations, and rotations are subject to change based on company operational tempo and business needs.
• Able to travel locally or regionally as required.

Required Skills

• Alarm Management
• Alarm Monitoring
• Asset Protection
• Business Continuity Management (BCM)
• Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
• Contingency Planning
• Contractor Management
• Crisis Management
• Decision Making
• Detail-Oriented
• Emergency Notification Systems
• Event Monitoring
• Incident Analysis
• Incident Management
• Incident Reporting
• Incident Response
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Investigation Techniques
• IT Security Auditing
• Lease Administration
• Project Risk Assessments
• Real Estate Management
• Real Time Monitoring
• Right-Of-Way (ROW) Acquisitions

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:

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 salary range for this role is $96,200.00 - $151,400.00

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.

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

Job Posting End Date: 09/8/2026*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.