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Merck

Pharmaceutical company developing medicines and vaccines

Vaccine Manufacturing Intern - Future Talent Program

Summer 2027Updated on 10/1/2026Deadline 11/9/26
$19.19 - $53.42/hr
Internship
Bachelor's, Master's, Associate's
West Point, PA, USA
In PersonNo relocation support is provided.
No H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • Candidates must be working toward an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree in Chemical, Biochemical, Biomedical, Biological, Computer, Electrical, Packaging, or Mechanical Engineering; Chemistry, Biology, Virology, or Microbiology; or a manufacturing-related program such as Biotechnology, Biomanufacturing, Operations Research, or Industrial Engineering.
  • Candidates should have pharmaceutical or vaccine manufacturing-related experience.
  • Candidates should have knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practices.
  • Candidates should have some data analytics experience.
Responsibilities
  • Work as part of the team manufacturing vaccines.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve or optimize manufacturing processes.
  • Support or lead projects tied to improving the safety or compliance performance of manufacturing areas.
  • Work with operations and quality groups to maintain product performance and compliance through effective investigations, process improvement activities, and other key projects.
  • Transfer products within the internal manufacturing network or help start up new products or manufacturing facilities.
  • Execute strategic technical projects to decrease inventory, shorten cycle times, increase yields, and lower costs.
  • Support the design, build, or renovation of advanced manufacturing, laboratory, or office facilities.
  • Participate in phases of project management from the first engineering drawing through project startup.
  • Work with cross-functional teams to improve the reliability of equipment and facilities.
Desired Qualifications
  • Candidates should have strong collaboration skills, strong communication skills, lean six sigma experience or knowledge, and strong project management skills.
  • Candidates should have strong problem-solving skills.

About the company

Merck is a global healthcare company that develops medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. It advances long-term health by conducting research and development to create new treatments for diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, then brings these medicines to patients, healthcare professionals, and institutions worldwide. The company’s products work by undergoing scientific discovery, clinical testing, and regulatory approval before being manufactured and sold or distributed through patient assistance programs. What sets Merck apart is its large, diversified portfolio across human medicines, vaccines, and animal health, along with a strong emphasis on R&D, global reach, and support services like Merck Connect and Merck Manuals that provide professional resources. Merck’s goal is to tackle major health threats by applying science to discover and deliver therapies that improve patient outcomes and public health across the globe.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Rahway, New Jersey

Founded

1891

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • FDA approved Lipfendra in July 2026, opening a first-in-class oral PCSK9 market.
  • FDA approved Welireg plus Lenvima in June 2026, expanding Merck oncology sales.
  • Cyprumed oral peptide Phase I began in 2026, validating Merck’s delivery-platform expansion.

What critics are saying

  • Keytruda patents expire starting 2028, creating a revenue cliff before replacements scale.
  • Merck faces about 800 talc cases and ongoing Gardasil China securities litigation.
  • If pipeline launches slip past 2028, Merck loses its core profit engine.

What makes Merck unique

  • Merck’s oncology franchise spans Keytruda, Welireg, Keytruda Qlex, and combination regimens.
  • Merck completed Verona Pharma on October 7, 2025, adding Ohtuvayre COPD breadth.
  • Merck’s 2026 deals with Cidara, Terns, and Hengrui broaden its pipeline fast.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

↓ -20%

1 year growth

↓ -20%

2 year growth

↓ -20%
Yahoo Finance
Sep 29th, 2026
MSD initiates Phase I trial of oral peptide using Cyprumed's delivery technology

Austrian drug delivery company Cyprumed announced that MSD has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of a proprietary drug candidate formulated using Cyprumed's oral tablet technology. This marks the first Cyprumed technology programme to enter human clinical development and triggers a milestone payment under the companies' existing collaboration agreement. The study follows a non-exclusive licence and option agreement announced in April 2025 to develop oral formulations of MSD's peptides using Cyprumed's drug delivery technology. Under the agreement terms, Cyprumed is eligible to receive up to $493 million in upfront, development, regulatory, and net sales milestones. Cyprumed specialises in oral peptide formulations, focusing on technology platforms for oral administration of therapeutic peptides, including GLP-1 analogues, macrocycles, and mini-proteins.

Ragan Communications
Sep 25th, 2026
A short-form video strategy for earning employee attention.

A short-form video strategy for earning employee attention. Merck used humor to get buy in. Sept. 25, 2026 Before Merck's communications team released a single lesson in its new employee training series, it posted a run of TikTok-style sketches starring a senior communications leader. And the employee audience responded to them - the sketches pulled in nearly 1,000 subscribers to the series. At Ragan's Employee Experience Conference in Nashville last month, Craig Thomason, director of global employee and executive communications at Merck, said that employee-facing executive videos work best when leaders get on board at the outset. "When you arrive early to change, you have time to think," Thomason said. "You have time to prepare. You have time to experiment. You have time to adjust, and you can help people to understand what is happening before the uncertainty fills the silence." Thomason said the harder part is getting employees to spend two minutes watching. "When we begin with content, we often create messages to answer questions no one is asking," he said. "So when we begin with the audience, we can create something that they can use."

Business Wire
Sep 25th, 2026
FDA approves Welireg plus Lenvima for advanced renal cell carcinoma after PD-1/PD-L1 therapy

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the combination of WELIREG (belzutifan) and LENVIMA (lenvatinib) for treating adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma with a clear cell component following prior PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. The approval is based on the Phase 3 LITESPARK-011 trial involving 747 patients. The combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 26% compared to cabozantinib, achieving a median progression-free survival of 14.6 months versus 10.6 months. The objective response rate was 53% compared to 40% for cabozantinib. However, the trial's other primary endpoint, overall survival, did not meet statistical significance. This marks the first approved HIF-2α inhibitor plus tyrosine kinase inhibitor combination for this patient population. Merck and Eisai jointly announced the approval.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 25th, 2026
Bank of America keeps Buy rating on Merck stock ahead of crucial lung cancer data

Bank of America met with Merck's chief medical officer and maintained its Buy rating with a $166 price target, citing confidence in the drugmaker's pipeline. The meeting focused on sacituzumab tirumotecan, an antibody-drug conjugate being tested in lung cancer, with results expected 25 October at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress. Merck's Keytruda generated $31.7 billion in 2025 sales but faces US patent expiration starting in 2028. Management claims newer drugs carry over $70 billion in annual revenue potential by the mid-2030s. The chief medical officer dismissed concerns about a failed June trial with rival Gilead Sciences, noting different patient populations. BofA analysts believe pipeline data will drive the stock's next gains, though the $166 target offers modest upside from current levels.

BIONITY
Sep 24th, 2026
CDMOs are investing billions in European API capacity.

CDMOs are investing billions in European API capacity. Companies are responding to risks related to demand and supply chains. 24-Sep-2026 contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) are ramping up their active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) investments in Europe. A series of recent deals shows how companies are strengthening their infrastructure in the region, as they position themselves to develop and supply newer, more complex medicines, says GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform. GlobalData's monthly Bio/Pharmaceutical Outsourcing report reveals that the expansion of CDMO API capacity in Europe is taking place across several stages of the pharmaceutical value chain and has two main drivers: evolving demand and sensitive supply chains. Edita Hamzic, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData, says: "Demand is changing. GLP-1s, peptides, biologics and other advanced therapies require more specialized manufacturing than many traditional medicines. Supply chains have become more sensitive to disruption risks; building capacity closer to European customers can provide greater supply security." There were four API investments between July and August 2026. The largest commitment comes from Bachem, the Swiss peptide and oligonucleotide CDMO, which plans to invest more than CHF500 million (about $609 million) in a new large-scale production facility at Sisslerfeld in Eiken, Switzerland, its third Swiss site. The main driver is demand for peptide APIs, particularly the rapid growth of metabolic medicines such as GLP-1 drugs for obesity and diabetes. Cambrex is investing $30 million in a new R&D facility at its Milan site. The project will add analytical development and process R&D capabilities and upgrade existing production plants, with completion expected in H2 2027. Cambrex has also acquired adjacent land for future expansion. The investment will support the earlier stages of drug development and strengthen Cambrex's ability to develop and scale complex small-molecule APIs before they reach commercial production. Théa Group and Unither Pharmaceuticals are developing a 20,000-square-meter facility in Gannat, France, with an investment of more than EUR140 million (about $161 million). Unlike a typical CDMO facility serving multiple customers, this site will be primarily dedicated to manufacture Théa's sterile ophthalmic products for the French and wider European markets. The facility expands Théa's European manufacturing capacity and supports its long-term growth. Meanwhile, German pharma group Merck, which provides CDMO services on an 'excess capacity' basis, has opened a EUR25 million (about $29 million) BioReliance testing facility in Darmstadt, Germany. The 2,000-square-meter site provides drug-substance and drug-product release testing and GMP-compliant stability studies for monoclonal antibodies and cell therapies for the company's biopharmaceutical customers. Hamzic concludes: "In addition to their importance to the companies concerned, the investments also have a strategic dimension for Europe as a whole. They will build specialized skills and jobs, strengthen pharmaceutical networks, and reduce the region's dependence on outside manufacturing capacity."