Merck Posted November 12, 2026

Senior AI Data Scientist/ Statistician

Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America FULL_TIME
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Merck 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

Job Description

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly motivated quantitative scientist to work at the intersection of AI, data and pharmaceutical Research & Development. The successful candidate will combine strong data analytic and scientific reasoning with demonstrated ability to use generative AI agentic approach to solve complex scientific problems.

Key Responsibilitie s:

Deliver solutions to challenging problems across pharmaceutical Research & Development

Collaborate with scientists, clinicians and regulatory agencies to translate scientific problems into tangible solutions.

Communicate ideas and concepts clearly, technical and non-technical audiences.

Author formal data analytic protocols and reports.

 

Qualifications:

PhD or Master’s degree with relevant quantitative education.

Demonstrated hands-on expertise with agentic AI, supported by concrete examples of solutions, tools, research, or applications.

Strong foundation in statistical reasoning, data analysis, and quantitative problem solving.

Evidence of passion for rapid learning, work independently and collaboratively in a team, and excellent communication.

 

Additional Valuable Experience:

Experience in one or more of the following is desirable:

Demonstrated expertise in commonly used statistical and analytical concepts, methodologies, and models

Experience with the full analytics pipeline, including problem formulation, data collection design, data processing, modeling and analysis, and the reporting and delivery of results.

#EligibleforERP

BARDS2020

Required Skills:

Applied Statistics, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Computational Biology, Data Analysis, Data Processing, Data Science, Generative AI, Intelligent Agents, Numerical Analysis, Problem Solving, Research Designs, Statistical Analysis, Statistics, Study Design

Preferred Skills:

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 - New Jersey - Rahway

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

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

$117,000.00 - $184,200.00

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:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

11/30/2026 *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:R426163

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Biostatistics & Data Science
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Biostatistics & Data Science role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 163 comparable Senior Biostatistics & Data Science roles across 30 biopharma companies.

163Comparable roles tracked
142Currently active
30Companies hiring similar roles
19Countries represented

Salary context

68 of 163 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. Computational Statistician · Lilly $69,000/yr – $195,800/yr
Highest disclosed · Biostatistics Associate Director (HYBRID) · Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) $174,800/yr – $262,200/yr
Peer group range $132,400 – $218,500 (median $188,013)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 163 comparable roles

United States96
India13
United Kingdom11
Spain7
China5
Germany4

+ 13 more countries

Seniority mix

163 of 163 peers have a known seniority level

Senior79
Principal44
Associate Director40

Therapeutic area mix

14 of 163 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Immunology8
Oncology3
Cardiovascular / CVRM1
Ophthalmology1
Rare 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.

60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Johnson & Johnson Spring House, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck North Wales, Pennsylvania, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Servier Boston, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Boston, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
UCB Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States Senior
Same function Same 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.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Biostatistician job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

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.

60%
Senior Data Scientist, RBQM Analytics
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Scientist, Statistical Programming, Late-Stage Oncology (Hybrid)
Merck · North Wales, Pennsylvania, United States of America · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Biostatistician II
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) · Boston, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior RWE (Real World Evidence) Expert
UCB · Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States · Senior
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.