Merck Posted November 4, 2026

Scientist, Laboratory Animal Resources (On-site)

South San Francisco, California, United States of America FULL_TIME
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About this opportunity

Job Description

Our Research Laboratories in South San Francisco is focused on driving discovery research. Our multi-disciplinary discovery research site offers state-of- the-art resources to explore the most promising science combined with our Company’s world-class Research and Discovery expertise in small molecules and biologics. Located within the heart of the Bay area’s biomedical community, research conducted in the new laboratories spans exploratory biology through early clinical development and is an integral part of our Company’s powerful world-class network of drug and vaccine discovery.

We are inspired by the belief that a research-focused enterprise dedicated to scientific excellence can create medicines and vaccines that save and improve lives. Every employee is building on our proud legacy of scientific breakthrough. Our ability to impact the lives of patients worldwide relies on the integrity, creativity, humility and scientific acumen of our team. We are creating a diverse organization that is inspired by invention and founded on a culture of respect and collaboration. At our Research Labs, you’ll have the opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills through partnership with talented and dedicated colleagues while advancing your career.

The Scientist position under the guidance of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians will provide study support and world class animal care to impact drug development and discovery and improve human health. Study support encompasses conducting all aspects of a study including meeting with investigators, ordering animals, compound formulation and administration, sampling, tissue collection, body scores or weights, coordinating the use of imaging modalities, sampling processing, shipping and receiving compounds or samples, as well as some routine veterinary and animal colony management tasks . The ideal candidate should be team oriented, value workplace partnership and can work with minimal to no supervision.

The role also requires rotation weekend/holiday work and the ability to apply sound technical skills to assigned tasks.

Key Responsibilities:

Contribute to execution of in vivo studies in rodents including animal ordering, compound administration, dosing (all routes with emphasis on intravenous), surgical procedures, clinical observations, sampling, and tissue collection.

Manage study timelines and maintain accurate, timely, and well-organized records of animal treatments, study data, procedures, inventories, research protocols, and reports.

Carry out research and medical treatment regimens for research animals under the guidance of the Veterinarian including weekends and holidays.

Work independently and be proactive in seeking opportunities, while also contributing positively to team dynamics.

Support activities and in the areas of inspection readiness, safety initiatives, cost containment, efficiency, productivity, energy conservation, waste minimization, operational excellence, and lean practices.

Learn new procedures to support other in vivo studies and vivarium operations as needed.

 

Education: 

B.S. or M.S. in Biology or related field

 

Required Experience and Skills:

A minimum of (2) years in a Research in vivo field.

Demonstrated in vivo research experience including handling, dosing, sample collection, anesthesia and surgical procedures.

Demonstrable passion for animal care and welfare.

Ability to follow procedures and thoroughly document data collection results.

Competency to independently recognize challenges (technical, scientific, or study-related) and provide relevant input for solution/problem solving.

Proactive, innovative, and solution-oriented mindset.

Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.

Ability to work independently and with a team.

Willing to work weekends and holidays on rotation.

 

Preferred Experience and Skills:

ALAT, AAALAS certification

Required Skills:

Animal Handling, Animal Science, Biology, Blood Specimen Collection, Data Recording, Drug Development, Ethical Standards, In Vivo Models, In Vivo Studies, Laboratory Animal Sciences, Laboratory Documentation, Life Science, Surgical Procedures, Tissue Collection, Veterinary Technology

Preferred Skills:

Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist (RLATG)

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The primary location for this posting is:

USA - California - South San Francisco (Grand Ave)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$108,000.00 - $170,100.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits .

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

San Francisco Residents Only:  We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only:  We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

potent compounds

Job Posting End Date:

11/18/2026 *A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE  the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R425075

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
South San Francisco, California, United States of America
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 895 comparable Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 86 biopharma companies.

895Comparable roles tracked
834Currently active
86Companies hiring similar roles
32Countries represented

Salary context

345 of 895 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 Not listed on this posting
Highest disclosed · Vice President, Therapeutics Immunology · ModernaTX, Inc. $272,200/yr – $490,100/yr
Peer group range $0 – $381,150 (median $155,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 895 comparable roles

United States610
China44
Germany36
United Kingdom31
Switzerland30
France27

+ 26 more countries

Seniority mix

642 of 895 peers have a known seniority level

Senior214
Principal146
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc69
Director61
Associate57
Associate Director31
Manager26
Senior Director23
Executive/VP15

Therapeutic area mix

120 of 895 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Immunology50
Oncology42
Neuroscience14
Cardiovascular / CVRM8
Respiratory3
Vaccines & Infectious Disease2
Rare Disease1

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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.

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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.