Merck KGaA Posted August 14, 2026

EHS Senior Manager

San Jose, California, United States 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 Location:  San Jose, California

Shift:

Department:  EL-CT-IO Operations

Recruiter:  Michele Lee Stabinsky

This information is for internals only. Please do not share outside of the organization.

Your Role

Senior EHS Manager for a cutting-edge semiconductor R&D environment undergoing infrastructure upgrades. You are the primary EHS authority, integrating EHS considerations into operations, research, and capital projects. You will ensure compliance with regulations and industry standards (OSHA, NFPA, SEMI S2/S8/S14). Drive proactive safety and risk management for high-hazard chemistries, process variability in R&D, cleanroom operations, and tool installations. Collaboration with R&D, Engineering, Facilities, and Construction teams is essential to manage capital projects, cleanroom expansions, and modified process safety systems.

Key Responsibilities

Own and drive the site-wide EHS strategy aligned with corporate standards, regulatory requirements, and semiconductor industry best practices. Cultivate a proactive safety culture that supports innovation while upholding risk controls.

Provide expert counsel to senior leadership on EHS risks associated with new technologies and chemistries.

Lead programs in hazard identification via risk assessments, inspections and JHAs; emergency response; incident investigations; hazardous material handling; specialized training emphasizing semiconductor-specific hazards and cleanroom protocols.

Lead HAZOP/What-If analyses for new equipment, process changes, and facility modifications; oversee critical process safety elements (MOC, Mechanical Integrity, Emergency Planning, Risk Management Programs).

Develop and maintain EHS policies, procedures, and compliance programs during construction, retrofit, and operational ramp-up phases. Manage contractor safety programs, onboarding, training, permitting, and daily safety performance.

Integrate safety into capital projects and cleanroom expansions with a focus on risk control.

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Environmental Health & Safety, Chemistry, Materials Science, or related technical field.

10+ years of progressive EHS experience, ideally in semiconductor R&D, chemical manufacturing, or high-hazard environments.

Demonstrated expertise in high-hazard chemical safety, process safety management, and SEMI/industry safety standards.

Strong experience with process hazard analysis methodologies and risk assessment techniques (HAZOP, FMEA, What-If, LOPA).

Preferred Qualifications

Professional certifications (CSP, CIH, CHMM, NEBOSH, OSHA 30/510).

Experience with SEMI S2/S8/S14 standards and NFPA 318.

Strong knowledge of P&IDs, SOPs, interlock logic, and safety instrumented systems.

Experience managing large capital projects and construction safety in semiconductor/high-tech facilities.

Physical Demands

Compliance with cleanroom protocols and full PPE as required, may include respirator.

Occasional work near hazardous chemicals and compressed gases.

Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.

US Pay Range for this position: $144,000 - $216,000 ​

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites. For more information click here .

The Company is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. No employee or applicant for employment will be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, marital status, or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.  This policy of Equal Employment Opportunity applies to all policies and programs relating to recruitment and hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment. Any applicant or employee who believes they have been discriminated against by the Company or anyone acting on behalf of the Company must report any concerns to their Human Resources Business Partner, Legal, or Compliance immediately. The Company will not retaliate against any individual because they made a good faith report of discrimination.

Job details

Seniority
Manager
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
San Jose, California, United States
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 452 comparable Manager Manufacturing & CMC roles across 73 biopharma companies.

452Comparable roles tracked
433Currently active
73Companies hiring similar roles
31Countries represented

Salary context

140 of 452 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 $144,000/yr – $216,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Associate Director, Digital Scientific Workflows · Merck $0/hr – $0/hr (≈ $0–$0/yr)
Highest disclosed · Regional Manager - Megasys · Merck KGaA $220,000/yr – $250,000/yr
Peer group range $0 – $235,000 (median $156,044)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 452 comparable roles

United States272
India55
Netherlands16
Ireland16
United Kingdom11
Japan10

+ 25 more countries

Seniority mix

452 of 452 peers have a known seniority level

Manager247
Associate131
Associate Director74

Therapeutic area mix

3 of 452 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Rare Disease2
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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.

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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.

60%
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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.