Merck KGaA Posted September 13, 2026

Associate Scientist 1

Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom Full time
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Merck KGaA 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

Work Your Magic with us!

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

Your role: 

We have an exciting opportunity for an Associate Scientist 1 to join our team at our Glasgow site, which may include cover at our Stirling site when required. You will be responsible for performing routine and custom GLP/GMP studies, as well as maintaining good housekeeping, equipment maintenance, and stock control to ensure the smooth running of the laboratories.

Our team carries out a wide variety of assays to support development and manufacturing processes within the pharmaceutical industry, recording scientific observations and maintaining documentation in line with industry standards.

Responsibilities include working within the laboratory in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures and relevant compliance regulations, ensuring routine studies are completed on time and accurately recorded to meet GLP/GMP and scientific standards.

Who you are: 

You have a HND or higher qualification in a Biological Science discipline.

Previous experience working in a biological lab environment.

Aseptic technique & Cell culture experience is essential.

Due to the high volume, fast paced nature of our business, you must be experienced to a level where you can cope with volume outputs, as well as being solutions focused when faced with any problems or set-backs.

You must be highly self-motivated, with strong initiative, facing challenges with energy, drive and the need to finish.

You will have a strong focus on quality and safety.

Demonstrate strong planning and organisational skills, and the ability to prioritise effectively.

Desirable:

You will have prior knowledge and experience working to GLP and / or GMP in a similar working environment

You will have experience of microscopy.

Prior working knowledge of LIMS.

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Job details

Seniority
Associate
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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 715 comparable Associate Manufacturing & CMC roles across 100 biopharma companies.

715Comparable roles tracked
653Currently active
100Companies hiring similar roles
40Countries represented

Salary context

165 of 715 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Warehouse Associate I (M-F 11am-7:30pm) · AbbVie $16/hr – $29/hr (≈ $33,280–$60,320/yr)
Highest disclosed · Advisor, Bioanalytical Chemistry · Lilly $168,000/yr – $268,400/yr
Peer group range $46,800 – $218,200 (median $142,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 715 comparable roles

United States353
France58
India48
Germany39
Ireland25
Japan22

+ 34 more countries

Seniority mix

715 of 715 peers have a known seniority level

Manager359
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc208
Associate148

Therapeutic area mix

11 of 715 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease7
Rare Disease3
Immunology1

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.

60%similar
Moderna Biotech Manufacturing UK Ltd Oxford, United Kingdom Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Moderna Biotech Manufacturing UK Ltd Oxford, United Kingdom Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
50%similar
Ipsen Biopharm Ltd Wrexham, United Kingdom Manager
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
CSL Behring UK Ltd Maidenhead, United Kingdom Manager
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Boehringer Ingelheim Winnersh, United Kingdom Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Regeneron UK Limited Uxbridge1, United Kingdom Manager
Same function Adjacent seniority 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.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Manufacturing & CMC job in the United Kingdom, and choose locations and companies.

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.

60%
(Fixed Term) Manufacturing Associate I
Moderna Biotech Manufacturing UK Ltd · Oxford, United Kingdom · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
(Fixed-Term) Manufacturing Associate
Moderna Biotech Manufacturing UK Ltd · Oxford, United Kingdom · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
University Intern - Supply Chain (Winnersh, United Kingdom, Aberdeen City)
Boehringer Ingelheim · Winnersh, United Kingdom · Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Manager CMC IMP Handling Strategy and Excellence (Limited) (London, GB, NW1 3DX)
BioNTech · London, United Kingdom · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent 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.