Microbiology Supervisor (QC Lab)

St. Louis, Missouri, 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 Your Magic with us!  Start your next chapter and join MilliporeSigma.

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.

This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

Your Role

The Microbiology Supervisor leads the GMP Quality Control Microbiology department, ensuring full compliance with ICH Q7 and 21 CFR regulations for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) testing. Key responsibilities include overseeing microbiological test methods, method validations, and tech transfers; managing OOS/OOT investigations, deviations, and CAPAs; and conducting routine training on aseptic techniques and testing procedures.

Supervise, manage, and develop a QC Microbiology team of 8–10 employees, holding full accountability for meeting business quality performance metrics and KPIs

Oversee the Environmental Monitoring Program and the Bioburden and Endotoxin Testing laboratories

Manage and prioritize laboratory testing schedules to ensure all products are released in a timely manner

Develop and implement programs to establish and maintain quality systems and product/service standards, while driving quality improvement initiatives and establishing policies, procedures, and methods to enhance product, material, component, process, and operational quality

Support and participate in client and regulatory audits

Interface with internal and external customers on a regular basis to communicate project status, resolve issues, and implement methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for products and processes

Perform other duties as required by management

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biology, or other Life Science discipline

3+ years of experience as a quality control manager, supervisor, or lead

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree in a Life Sciences discipline

Experience as a Quality Control Supervisor or Manager at a Life Sciences organization

In-depth knowledge of health authority (FDA, EMA) expectations for pharma/biotech bulk and finished product manufacturing, alongside microbiological testing requirements

Proficiency with analytical instrumentation and laboratory software

Comprehensive knowledge of ICH Q7, 21 CFR 210/211, USP, and EP pharmacopeia requirements

Proven experience working in a highly matrixed organization, preferably within a GMP manufacturing environment

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex issues into straightforward, succinct explanations

Advanced root cause analysis and problem-solving skills

Strong computer skills, including proficiency in word processing and Quality Systems databases

Subject matter expertise in aseptic principles and practices

Strong understanding of microbiological methodology and laboratory techniques, specifically USP , USP , and USP

RSREMD

Salary range for this position: $85,500 - $136,000 annually

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
Not listed
Function
Quality
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

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

We currently track 1075 comparable Quality roles across 129 biopharma companies.

1075Comparable roles tracked
955Currently active
129Companies hiring similar roles
54Countries represented

Salary context

196 of 1075 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 $85,500/yr – $136,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Exp Tech Quality Control · Johnson & Johnson $38,500/yr – $61,985/yr
Highest disclosed · Vice President, Quality Assurance - GMP · Exelixis Inc $315,500/yr – $366,500/yr
Peer group range $50,243 – $341,000 (median $151,400)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 1075 comparable roles

United States329
Ireland61
Germany55
China55
India51
Japan44

+ 48 more countries

Seniority mix

475 of 1075 peers have a known seniority level

Manager182
Senior130
Associate Director42
Director38
Principal24
Associate23
Senior Director20
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc12
Executive/VP4

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 1075 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Rare Disease1
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.

40%similar
Lilly Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Associate
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same country
40%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Director
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40%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Manager
Same function Same country
40%similar
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Director
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%
Principal Scientist GMP Environmental Monitoring Lilly Medicine Foundry
Lilly · Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Director, Clinical Quality Assurance
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Principal Scientist I/II, Study Quality and Compliance - Nonclinical Safety/Toxicology
Novartis · Cambridge (USA), United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Associate Director, Quality Assurance (Global Supplier Quality)
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Associate Director
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.