Merck Posted September 26, 2026

Assoc. Dir., Engineering

Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America FULL_TIME
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Merck is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Job Description

Our Company

Our Company is a global biopharmaceutical leader with a portfolio of prescription medicines, oncology, vaccines, and animal health products. We are driven by our purpose to develop and deliver innovative products that save and improve lives. With employees operating in more than 140 countries, we offer state-of-the-art laboratories, plants, and offices that are designed to inspire our employees as we learn, develop, and grow in our careers. We are proud of our 125 years of service to humanity and continue to be one of the world’s biggest investors in Research & Development.

Position Summary: Associate Director of Automation, GWES Rahway Operations, Utility and Energy Operations

This position will primarily be responsible for ensuring the reliability and efficiency of site Industrial Control Systems. This role will lead and manage the Building Automation team and the Utilities Control System team. A key part of the role will be to support and administer all Utility industrial control systems. Furthermore, this position is crucial for advancing the organization's digital transition, specifically by developing methods to extract wisdom and knowledge from data and information. The incumbent will collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement digital strategy for teams. This role will also develop a plan to utilize data visualization, data analysis, data monitoring, and data modeling to enable better business decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and manage the Building Automation team, overseeing the operation, maintenance, and enhancement of Building Management Systems (BMS) and Building Automation Systems (BAS).

Lead and manage the Utilities Control System team, ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of critical utility systems.

Drive the digital transition by developing and implementing strategies to extract wisdom and knowledge from data and information, fostering innovation in data analytics and utilization across GWES Rahway.

Develop tools metrics, dash boards and performance indicators to assess the performance of the controls systems.

Assess the controls system to reduce cognitive overload, eliminate alarm fatigue, and ensure operators can respond effectively to abnormal situations.

Develop a plan to utilize data visualization, data analysis, data monitoring, and data modeling to enable better business decisions.

Integrate statistical data into visual dashboards to transform information into insights and business decisions, drawing from equipment history, process data, operating procedures, and Failure Modes Effect Analysis and many other data streams.

Locate and define new process improvement opportunities.

Aid Operations in identifying and managing asset reliability risks that could impact utility and facility operations.

Apply technical skills and ingenuity to correct equipment and system problems that result in downtime or consume excessive maintenance resources or energy.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience Required

Bachelor's degree in engineering, science technology, automation, mathematics, or statistical analysis.

At least 7 years of relevant experience in automation, control systems, data analysis, or a related field.

Experience developing and maintaining Building Management Systems (BMS) and Building Automation Systems (BAS), including Historian, OPC Servers, IO devices, and Smart Devices.

Proven ability to lead projects, developing teams, and building team self-sufficiency.

Experience leading multiple large-scale automation initiatives, including data management and data governance.

Demonstrated skills in written, verbal, and interpersonal communication, technical problem-solving, and building partnerships.

Strong leadership and team-building skills, with the ability to foster a collaborative and innovative work environment.

Preferred Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Experience in using the following systems and applications: Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Building Operation (EBO), ABB DCS, Allen-Bradley PLC based systems, , Historians, OPC Servers, Aveva PI, Python, SQL, Wunderlich-Malec Engineering’s Environmental Information Systems, or Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) SCADA systems.

Required Skills:

Accountability, Accountability, Business Decisions, Business Metrics, Business Process Improvements, Change Management, Collaborative Leadership, Contractor Oversight, Data Management Platforms, Electrical Power Engineering, Engineering Design, Engineering Standards, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Management, Equipment Troubleshooting, HVAC Systems, Identifying Risks, Maintenance Processes, Management Control Systems, Market Opportunity Analysis, Metrics Development, Model Driven Design, Performance Dashboards, Process Improvements, Re Engineering, Safety Leadership {+ 8 more}

Preferred Skills:

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 salary range for this role is

$129,000.00 - $203,100.00

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

09/30/2026 *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.

Requisition ID:R418982

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 2402 comparable Manufacturing & CMC roles across 163 biopharma companies.

2402Comparable roles tracked
2290Currently active
163Companies hiring similar roles
52Countries represented

Salary context

651 of 2402 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject $129,000/yr – $203,100/yr
Highest disclosed · Executive Director, CMC Regulatory Science · ModernaTX, Inc. $224,900/yr – $404,600/yr
Peer group range $0 – $314,750 (median $123,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 2402 comparable roles

United States1162
India150
Germany117
France91
Netherlands89
Ireland85

+ 46 more countries

Seniority mix

1099 of 2402 peers have a known seniority level

Senior324
Manager248
Associate131
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc110
Principal92
Director82
Associate Director74
Senior Director31
Executive/VP7

Therapeutic area mix

12 of 2402 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease9
Rare Disease2
Oncology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

40%similar
AstraZeneca New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
Same function Same country
40%similar
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Senior Director
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Director
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Director
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Louisville, Colorado, United States of America Principal
Same function Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

40%
Development Scientist III, Analytical Development and Clinical Quality Control
AstraZeneca · New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Director, Analytical Chemistry - Peptides
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Advisor, Data Scientist - CMC Data Products
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Scientist - Molecular Biology, Cell Culture Upstream Process Development
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.