About this opportunity
R&D Engineer
Job purpose
We are seeking an R&D Engineer to join Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s Research and Development team. In this role, you will perform routine and non-routine experiments, formulation work, and collaborative testing to address customer needs and technical challenges. You will contribute to the development of advanced chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing slurries used in the manufacturing of cutting-edge semiconductor devices.
Legal entity: Versum Materials Technology, LLC Taiwan Branch
Location: Jhudong Laboratory, Hsinchu County, Taiwan
Your role
Collaborate with R&D scientists to develop and optimize CMP slurries for semiconductor manufacturing.
Handle chemicals safely and prepare slurry formulations in accordance with laboratory procedures and safety requirements.
Operate analytical instruments to measure the physical properties of daily formulations, including pH, conductivity, and viscosity.
Conduct bench-top experiments using equipment such as mini-polishers, electrochemical measurement systems, and ellipsometers to evaluate slurry performance on wafer surfaces.
Plan and execute collaborative testing with other chemists and engineers.
Record, analyze, and communicate experimental results in a clear and timely manner.
Support the investigation and resolution of customer issues and technical challenges.
Maintain accurate laboratory records and ensure equipment and work areas are kept safe, organized, and operational.
Who you are
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline.
At least two years of experience in a chemical laboratory, analytical laboratory, or related environment is preferred.
Strong foundational and practical knowledge of chemistry.
Hands-on experience with wet chemistry and chemical formulation.
Experience operating analytical or laboratory instruments is an advantage.
Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a diverse, cross-functional, and multicultural environment.
Good verbal and written communication skills in both Chinese and English.
Demonstrated creativity, analytical thinking, and problem-solving ability.
A detail-oriented, proactive, and safety-conscious approach to laboratory work.
Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 2556 comparable Manufacturing & CMC roles across 173 biopharma companies.
Salary context
663 of 2556 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.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 2556 comparable roles
+ 50 more countries
Seniority mix
1172 of 2556 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
12 of 2556 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
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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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.
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.