Associate Director, Continuous Improvement (Onsite)

Merck • Rahway, NJ

2d • $129,000 - $203,100 • Onsite

About The Position

Our Pharmaceutical Operations and Clinical Supply (POCS) team leads our drug product development for our pipeline, innovating new medicine to save and improve lives around the world. The Associate Director, Continuous Improvement Engineer, serves as the MPS Lead – FLEx Sterile and is the senior Production System (MPS) leader responsible for setting direction, governing deployment, and ensuring sustained business impact of MPS across our Clinical Pipeline FLEx Non‑Sterile, FLEx Sterile, and Sterile Liquid Processing (SLP) operations. This role operates as a strategic thought partner, accountable for embedding MPS as the standard operating model and developing durable leadership capability across the organization. At the P4 level, this role leads through others, shapes deployment strategy, prioritizes the CI portfolio, and ensures consistency and scalability of MPS while delivering measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people engagement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Operations, or related field (required).
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, operational excellence, or MPS/Lean leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise‑scale MPS or Lean deployments across multiple areas or organizations.
• Proven success influencing senior leaders and driving sustained change without direct authority.
• Deep expertise in Lean Management Systems, structured problem solving, and people development.
• Strong business acumen with demonstrated ability to translate strategy into execution.
• Advanced coaching, facilitation, and change leadership skills.
• Ability to operate effectively from the gemba to the executive level.
• Strong governance, prioritization, and decision‑making capability.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt preferred.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate development and execution of MPS deployment strategy for POCS, aligned with business priorities and operating models across FLEx and SLP.
• Establish and govern MPS standards, deployment sequencing, and sustainment expectations across FLEx Sterile.
• Ensure MPS is fully integrated into governance, operating rhythms, and leadership routines.
• Own and prioritize the continuous improvement portfolio across FLEx Sterile.
• Ensure CI efforts deliver measurable, sustained business outcomes, not just tool adoption.
• Monitor progress, escalate risks, and course‑correct as needed.
• Coach and develop senior leaders, MPS Leads, and teams to operate and sustain the management system independently.
• Build organizational capability by developing others.
• Serve as a mentor and escalation point for complex system, performance, and cultural challenges.
• Lead enterprise‑level change management for MPS adoption across diverse operating environments.
• Address systemic and behavioral barriers to execution.
• Reinforce MPS mindsets, behaviors, and accountability at all leadership levels.
• Act as the primary MPS thought leader for the department, connecting site‑level execution with enterprise MPS standards.
• Partner with functional, technical, and operational leaders to integrate MPS into strategy, capital planning, and future‑state designs.
• Represent the group in MPS forums, governance bodies, and cross‑site alignment discussions as required.

Benefits

• 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
• annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior