Associate Director - Project Management, Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls

Job Description

Global Project and Alliance Management (GPAM) sits in the Research & Development Division at our company (known as our company's Research Laboratories). The Project Managers in GPAM are core members of development teams at our company, driving these cross-functional teams to deliver projects and products that improve human health and business.

Under GPAM, the CMC Integrated Project Management (CIPM) organization was formed to enhance our Project & Portfolio management functions which support Development and Commercialization Teams (DCTs) responsible for building and executing CMC development plans.

Under the guidance of the CIPM Director & Portfolio Lead, the core responsibility of this individual will be to lead project management efforts to support Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls (CMC) product development from First in Human to Transfer to Supply, driving line of sight across the development lifecycle and maintaining programs in harmony with the portfolio. In addition, the Associate Director will be expected to participate in development of tools and processes to support holistic portfolio management and increased integration of CMC and Clinical strategies.

 Position Description/Summary:

The CIPM Associate Director, Project Manager, is a core member of DCTs, partnering with team leads to develop strategies and execute our Company's drug and vaccine development efforts to progress the R&D pipeline. The Associate Director is expected to provide project management leadership and drive cross-functional teams with sufficient influence and proficiency in project management to take on challenging assignments with minimal guidance. Projects could span the full CMC development continuum from Line of Sight to First in Human to Transfer to Supply stage-gates.

This position may be based in either Rahway, NJ or Upper Gwynedd, PA.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage the end-to-end CMC development process, including projects of significant complexity; drive cross-functional teams and lead by influence to develop comprehensive strategies and ensure successful execution.

• Act as an enterprise leader by guiding teams through the creation, approval, and execution of integrated project plans appropriate to the project's phase of development and complexity. Drive development of a CMC strategy that is optimized for the portfolio.

• Build and maintain project schedules and critical project information, using these tools to integrate activities across key functional areas, proactively identify risks, and ensure clear and effective communication with key team, management, and cross-departmental stakeholders.

• Leverage relationships and networks to improve and enhance team dynamics, proactively identifying and removing obstacles to drive business results.

• Navigate our company process and organizational norms to enable teams to understand corporate governance and business requirements, thereby enabling informed decision-making.

• Lead key team meetings including creating thoughtful agendas, ensuring appropriate participation, contributing project management insights, and following up to ensure the team continues to make progress while holding others accountable.

• Participate in CIPM and GPAM departmental initiatives and workstreams aimed at improving the way that we work and the way that we interact with one another as well as other departments.

• Provide mentoring, coaching, and oversight to Specialist and Senior Specialist project managers working on common projects, sharing lessons learned and best practices to positively impact the community. 

• Support multiple projects providing team management, stakeholder management, and governance preparation support to DCT teams. 

Required Education, Experience, and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in a scientific or applied discipline preferred

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in project management or a related role required

• Experience with the planning and execution of strategies for drug / vaccine product registration and commercialization / life-cycle management (can be R&D, manufacturing, or commercial perspective), with demonstrated ability to translate knowledge and expertise to other development teams and areas.

• Strong communication skills, both oral and written. Knows when and how to speak up and appropriately raise issues to team and to management. Keeps both team members, departmental colleagues (as appropriate), and management fully apprised of project initiative status and issues at the right level of detail

• Demonstrated ability to serve as a resource for colleagues and program teams.

• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively across different teams and networks; able to foster cooperation in others, using the different perspectives of others to generate ideas.

• Ability to succeed in a dynamic environment with flexibility to respond to changing priorities

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Advanced scientific degree (e.g., MS, MBA, Ph.D., PharmD) preferred

• Experience and knowledge of clinical drug development strongly preferred; including the different phases of development and how the various functional areas contribute to a comprehensive strategy

• Project management certification (PMP) and/or formal coursework/training in project management strongly preferred

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Required Skills:

Clinical Research, Cross-Functional Leadership, Cross-Functional Project Management, Overcome Obstacles, Project Facilitation, Project Leadership, Project Management, Project Management Leadership, Project Planning, Project Tracking, Risk Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking

Preferred Skills:

CMC Development, CMC Strategy, Drug Development

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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:

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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 primary location for this posting is:

USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

11/28/2026

*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.