Merck KGaA Posted September 12, 2026

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

Salary range for this position: $77,400 - $116,100 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 1008 comparable Quality roles across 131 biopharma companies.

1008Comparable roles tracked
957Currently active
131Companies hiring similar roles
48Countries represented

Salary context

192 of 1008 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 $77,400/yr – $116,100/yr
Lowest disclosed · Quality Control Stability Technician · Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) $19/hr – $30/hr (≈ $39,395–$61,610/yr)
Highest disclosed · Quality Assurance Specialist · Merck KGaA $65,100/yr – $976,000/yr
Peer group range $50,502 – $520,550 (median $138,125)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 1008 comparable roles

United States349
Germany54
Ireland53
China53
Switzerland39
France38

+ 42 more countries

Seniority mix

498 of 1008 peers have a known seniority level

Manager160
Senior116
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc60
Associate Director40
Associate39
Director32
Principal23
Senior Director20
Executive/VP8

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 1008 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Respiratory1

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 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Associate
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
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Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Director
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40%similar
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Principal
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40%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Associate Director
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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.

40%
Advisor, Physicochemical Properties and Compound Quality
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Director, Study Quality and Compliance - Nonclinical Safety/Toxicology
Novartis · Cambridge (USA), United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
QA Specialist III
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · La Verne, United States · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
QA Operations Specialist - Shift Based
Novartis · Carlsbad, United States · Seniority not listed
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.