Associate Principal Scientist, Engineering Full-time

Associate Principal Scientist, Engineering

The Chemical Commercialization Technology (CCT) department, which is part of our company Manufacturing Division is seeking a self-motivated individual who is looking for an opportunity to work in a highly collaborative environment that provides substantial technical responsibility and leadership of internal and external work.

The Associate Principal Scientist, Engineering position leverages scientific/technical experience to develop safe and robust manufacturing processes through process characterization, technology transfer, validation, filing and supply support of late-stage projects in the small molecule pipeline.

The candidate will provide scientific expertise by learning and utilizing Quality Risk Management methodologies and tools for statistical design of experiments. This role involves hands-on experimentation at the laboratory bench and kilo lab scales in addition to technology transfer to commercial manufacturing facilities. Mentoring is required to develop junior staff to initiate, plan and execute characterization and complete technical support objectives. The scientist will be expected to exhibit a mindset of safety and quality compliance, which will include following current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), and participating in risk assessments, deviation investigations, and Good Documentation Practices (GDPs).

Position Qualifications

Education Minimum Requirement:

• The position requires a BS and/or MS in Chemical Engineering or a related field from an accredited college/university plus at least 8 years of relevant work experience in process development or PhD with at least 4 years of relevant work experience post PhD defense.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Relevant work experience in chemical process development, including the following:
• Demonstrated capability to develop and execute an experimental program to address issues of process design, robustness and productivity
• Experience with process scale-up and technology transfer, moving from laboratory to pilot plant or factory
• Ability to mentor technical staff in the laboratory and through data analysis
• Highly effective communication and collaboration skills
• Good organizational, interpersonal, writing, and time management skills
• Ability to operate within a cross-functional process development team

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience performing lab-based research/process development including performing unit operations common in small molecule drug substance process development such as chemical reactions, work-up, and crystallization
• Experience leading regulatory file authoring, validation planning and execution
• Experience guiding internal/external technical discussions
• Familiarity with statistical design and analysis tools
• Familiarity with concepts and application of current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) ideally during pharmaceutical drug substance / drug product development and production, e.g. in a pilot and/or factory setting
• Experience with mathematical modeling, theoretical scaling calculations, and Quality by Design principles.

Required Skills: Bioprocessing, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Technology, Data Analysis, Detail-Oriented, Maintenance Supervision, Manufacturing Process Validation, Manufacturing Quality Control, Manufacturing Scale-Up, Protein Purifications, Regulatory Submissions, Technical Writing

Preferred Skills:

Salary range for this role is $142,400.00 – $224,100.00. 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.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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: Yes

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable

Shift: 1st – Day

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): n/a

Job Posting End Date: 01/20/2026

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