Merck KGaA Posted August 15, 2026

Operation Technology, Digital & Data Associate Director

Modugno, Bari, Italy FULL_TIME
Manufacturing & CMC Associate Director
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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

Your Role

You will lead the Operation Technology Digital & Data team to drive the site's digital transformation and boost overall performance. You are responsible for defining the digital roadmap and leading its execution while ensuring strict alignment with local and global stakeholders. You manage the department’s Opex and Capex budgets for all OT and digital projects. You must ensure all computerized systems remain compliant with Health Authority requirements and international guidelines, including EU and FDA standards. You will support the Quality Unit during inspections, acting as the primary subject matter expert for your area. By bridging the gap between strategy and shopfloor operations, you facilitate digital adoption. You will influence future ways of working through robust change management and a focus on quality.

Who You Are

Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.

5+ years of experience in specialized Digital or OT leadership roles.

Proven ability to manage teams and thrive in multicultural environments.

Expert in Industry 4.0, connectivity solutions, and IT infrastructure.

Strong knowledge of industrial automation and project management.

Fluent in Italian and English with impactful communication skills.

Goal-oriented mindset with a focus on HA compliance and quality.

Job details

Seniority
Associate Director
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Modugno, Bari, Italy
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 676 comparable Associate Director Manufacturing & CMC roles across 88 biopharma companies.

676Comparable roles tracked
603Currently active
88Companies hiring similar roles
38Countries represented

Salary context

185 of 676 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 Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Sr Manufacturing Technician · Genz. Therap Product LP $2,400/yr – $3,200/yr
Highest disclosed · Regional Manager - Megasys · Merck KGaA $220,000/yr – $250,000/yr
Peer group range $2,800 – $235,000 (median $151,700)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 676 comparable roles

United States347
India94
Netherlands23
Ireland19
Switzerland19
China's Mainland18

+ 32 more countries

Seniority mix

676 of 676 peers have a known seniority level

Senior320
Manager267
Associate Director89

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 676 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Rare Disease2

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.

50%similar
Chiesi Farmaceutici Parma, Italy Manager
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Chiesi Farmaceutici Parma, Italy Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Chiesi Farmaceutici Parma, Italy Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Chiesi Farmaceutici Parma, Italy Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Chiesi Farmaceutici Parma, Italy Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Chiesi Farmaceutici Parma, Italy Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority 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.

50%
Senior Manager, CMC Regulatory Affairs, Global Rare Diseases (Parma, IT)
Chiesi Farmaceutici · Parma, Italy · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Senior Process Scientist - gRNA process development (Parma, IT)
Chiesi Farmaceutici · Parma, Italy · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Senior Process Scientist - LNP process development (Europe, remote, IT)
Chiesi Farmaceutici · Europe, Italy · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Associate Director, CMC Portfolio Management
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · 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.