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: Mechanical engineer
Own and deliver capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects from business case through commissioning while ensuring reliable mechanical performance, safety, regulatory compliance, and cost optimization of production assets.
Develop, validate, and manage business cases for CAPEX projects (costs, benefits, risks, ROI/NPV) and ensure alignment with site strategy.
Lead project initiation, scoping, detailed design, procurement strategy, governance gates, and seamless handover to operations (documentation, as-built drawings, O&M manuals, training).
Coordinate cross-functional teams (Engineering, EHS, Facilities, QA, Finance, Operations) to deliver on time, within budget, and with desired quality.
Manage external partners (vendors, EPCs, contractors) ensuring contract compliance, performance, safety, and sustainability.
Monitor and control CAPEX budgets, cash flow, and financial reporting; track deviations and implement corrective actions.
Define and manage maintenance strategies for critical mechanical equipment (pumps, compressors, turbines, rotating machinery, piping, HVAC, conveyors) including preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance plans.
Implement condition-based maintenance using vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, and other CMMS-enabled tools to maximize asset availability.
Plan and execute plant interventions, equipment upgrades, and modifications with mechanical feasibility and safety in mind; support installation and commissioning activities.
Ensure compliance with internal Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany policies, as well as safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives in asset lifecycle cost, energy efficiency, maintenance optimization, and value engineering.
Maintain rigorous CMMS data integrity, spare parts management, and service contracts; drive backlog reduction and maintenance scheduling optimization.
Participate in incident investigations, risk assessments, and safety programs; promote a culture of safe work practices.
Prepare and present status reports, dashboards, and IRR/ROI updates for leadership and stakeholders.
Who You Are:
Basic/ Minimum Qualifications:
Education: Bachelor’s (Master’s preferred) in Mechanical Engineering or a related field; MBA or PMP certification a plus.
Experience: 5–8+ years in CAPEX project management and mechanical maintenance within manufacturing, pharmaceutical, or life-science environments.
Demonstrated track record delivering multi-million-dollar CAPEX projects on time and within budget.
Strong financial acumen (ROI/NPV, cash flow, cost control) and familiarity with CAPEX governance.
Deep knowledge of mechanical systems, rotating equipment, piping, and related utilities; practical experience with maintenance strategies and reliability concepts.
Proficiency with CMMS (e.g., SAP PM, MAXIMO) and experience managing spare parts and service contracts.
Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and presentation skills.
Willingness to travel to sites/partners as required.
Preferred Qualifications:
PMP/PMI, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, or equivalent
Relevant safety certifications (LOTO, TED, risk assessment training)
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
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.