Merck KGaA Posted October 28, 2026

Senior Associate Quality Scientist - Weekend Shift

St. Louis, Missouri, United States FULL_TIME
Quality Senior
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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 Quality Control Microbiology Department supports quality functions for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) under Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines, including ICH Q7. The QC Sr. Associate Scientist performs a broad range of microbiological analyses with increasing independence and provides reliable laboratory support to internal customers. This role applies sound technical judgment to routine testing, assists with investigations and documentation, and serves as a dependable resource for less experienced team members. This position is located at the 3300 South Second Street facility in St. Louis.

Shift: Friday-Monday 12:00pm - 10:30pm.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Independently perform qualified routine microbiological testing of in-process, drug substance, raw material, and water samples in accordance with approved procedures.

Execute and document testing such as bioburden, endotoxin, microbial limits, growth promotion, microbial identification, biological indicator, and verification testing, as qualified.

Prepare samples, media, reagents, and materials; perform calculations, dilutions, pipetting, and data review with a high degree of accuracy.

Recognize atypical results and laboratory events, initiate appropriate notifications, and support timely triage and documentation.

Assist with OOS, OOT, deviation, and root cause investigations by gathering data, evaluating laboratory factors, and completing assigned actions.

Draft or revise operating procedures, reports, protocols, forms, and other controlled documents with appropriate review.

Perform minor troubleshooting of methods, equipment, reagents, and test materials within established procedures and escalate when needed.

Support training and qualification of Associate Scientists and other laboratory personnel on routine methods and good documentation practices.

Interact regularly with QC, production, quality assurance, and other internal departments to communicate testing status and quality-related information.

Contribute to continuous improvement, laboratory readiness, and effective execution of work in an ICH Q7 environment.

 

Who You Are:

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, Microbiology, or other Life Science discipline.

1+ years of Quality Control experience.

2+ years of hands-on laboratory experience, including aseptic technique, pipetting, dilutions, calculations, and controlled documentation.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

Current API, pharmaceutical, or microbiology Quality Control experience.

Working knowledge of cGMP, GDP, GLP, ICH Q7, and applicable laboratory procedures.

Working knowledge of relevant pharmacopeial requirements, including USP , USP , USP , and applicable EP requirements.

Ability to independently manage routine assignments and communicate issues clearly and promptly.

Experience with bioburden, endotoxin, microbial limits, growth promotion, microbial identification, biological indicators, or verification studies.

Experience supporting OOS/OOT, deviation, or root cause investigations.

Experience writing technical documentation, laboratory reports, protocols, or procedure revisions.

Good computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and laboratory or quality systems.

Strong attention to detail, organization, time management, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.

Pay Range for this position: $23 - $44 / hour ​

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 prerequisites. For more information click  here .

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Job details

Seniority
Senior
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 266 comparable Senior Quality roles across 63 biopharma companies.

266Comparable roles tracked
242Currently active
63Companies hiring similar roles
34Countries represented

Salary context

65 of 266 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 $23/hr – $44/hr (≈ $47,840–$91,520/yr)
Lowest disclosed · Associate Quality Control Chemist, Senior (Data Review) · Merck KGaA $25/hr – $39/hr (≈ $52,000–$81,120/yr)
Highest disclosed · Assoc Director, Quality Assurance · Gilead Sciences, Inc. $182,070/yr – $235,620/yr
Peer group range $66,560 – $208,845 (median $123,250)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 266 comparable roles

United States132
Ireland20
United Kingdom12
China11
Switzerland9
Spain9

+ 28 more countries

Seniority mix

266 of 266 peers have a known seniority level

Senior188
Associate Director45
Principal33

Therapeutic area mix

0 of 266 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.

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
Gilead Sciences, Inc. La Verne, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) Renss, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Novo Nordisk West Lebanon, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Biogen Research Triangle Park, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Biogen Research Triangle Park, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Roche Tucson, Arizona, United States of America 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 Quality 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%
Sr. Quality Assurance Specialist
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · La Verne, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr Associate I, Quality Control Microbiology
Biogen · Research Triangle Park, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Quality Engineer. QMS
Johnson & Johnson · Athens, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior GxP Engineer, Endpoint Engineer
ModernaTX, Inc. · Cambridge, 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.