Director – Lead - US Quality, Analytical Technical Solutions

Job Description

Our Company's Animal Health Division offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services.

Our company's Animal Health Division is committed to operating its business in a way that is best suited to meet the unprecedented demands faced today. Its strategic goal is to achieve sustained growth through the continued provision of integrated solutions with innovative animal health products and services that meet the evolving needs of our customers.

Purpose of the role:

As Director ATS (Analytical Technical Solutions) US lead your role is integral to shape our manufacturing & testing organization in line with the company strategy. You will be key member of the global ATS leadership team and collaborate with partners across other involved organizations.

In this role, you will be responsible for managing and developing the team, strategic planning and execution of the ATS project portfolio across multiple sites and platforms. You will provide valuable guidance and leadership for your team and be part of the overall governance to assure progress and deliverables against company priorities and programs.

Your expertise and direction will be crucial in guaranteeing smooth and reliable project deliverables & team performance. To excel in this position, end to end holistic understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing involving operations, process, analytical, supply, financial, and other dependencies will be essential.

Comprehensive communication skills, ability to collaborate, big picture perspective and looking beyond own area of influence will complete the expected profile.

You will be part of an integrated team responsible for developing, planning, executing the regional company strategy. You will own, oversee and report out all related analytical activities being undertaken by your team.

Primary responsibilities will include, but are not limited to

Manage, plan, shape and develop your organization

• Plan organizational needs and capabilities to meet business requirements in alignment with partners and your lead.
• Staffing and budget planning for your team.
• Select and hire team members.
• Set reporting and team governance.
• Develop and coach where needed.

Execute the analytical project portfolio

• Coordinate project execution, cross functional alignment, metrics, and reporting.
• Set targets and deliver on milestones, report progress in tier and governance meetings.
• Monitor quality and timeliness of delivered progress.
• Identify critical gaps and needs within the portfolio to enable strategy achievement.
• Mitigate and drive issue resolution when necessary.

Strategically engage and built relationships with key partners and internal customers

• Act as a clear and visible point of contact for partners and customers in all analytical topics.
• Understand business priorities and needs of your colleagues.
• Manage expectations and provide transparency regarding work prioritization and timelines.
• Represent team and progress in senior leader meetings and recommend direction.
• Gather and drive voice of the customer into actionable insights to enhance the organization.

• Develop and report metrics for team performance for areas of responsibility as inline analytical support, method remediation, robustness & improvement, site to Site (StS) and new product commercialization (NPC) transfers.
• Ensure team priorities are aligned with local Site Management, Quality Operations and Regional Heads at regional site(s).

Qualifications, Skills & Experience required:

• Bachelor's degree in analytical, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, biological, analytical science or equivalent job experience. (Master's degree preferred)
• 10-15 years' experience in the research, manufacture, and testing of Pharmaceutical and/or biological products required including sound knowledge in key analytical technologies.
• Experience in method development & validation, method robustness and transfer.
• In depth experience and proven track record in shaping, developing and leading (multiple) teams and employees in matrix organizations.
• Strong background in project execution and demonstrated leadership skills.
• Skilled in leading and driving multifaceted projects in a complex environment.
• Communication, networking and behavioral skills in line with position requirements.
• Being able to advocate, lobby and build alliances across the organization.
• End to end understanding of pharma business processes, holistic thinking.
• Flexibility in working schedules and willingness to travel.

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when ideas come together in an

inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Interested in contributing your know-how to a dynamic and innovative environment that allows you to show initiative and that offers long-term perspectives?

Required Skills:

Analytical Method Development, Analytical Thinking, cGMP Compliance, Decision Making, Driving Continuous Improvement, Execution Excellence, People Leadership, Pharmaceutical Quality Control (QC), Stakeholder Management, Technology Transfer

Preferred Skills:

Regulatory Compliance

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:

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 primary location for this posting is:

USA - Kansas - De Soto

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

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

$156,900.00 - $247,000.00

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

Yes

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

11/14/2026

*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.