Associate Director, Engineering, GES Strategic Scheduler and Planner

Merck•Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

5d•$142,400 - $224,100•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Engineering, GES Strategic Scheduler and Planner supports a portfolio of capital projects, primarily at U.S. sites, by conceptualizing and developing front-end-loaded schedules that support critical business objectives. The role calls for comprehensive experience and subject matter expertise in pharmaceutical manufacturing, equipment, and facility design, along with advanced knowledge of benchmarks and industry approaches. The Associate Director coaches engineers in developing and executing project schedules using strategic lean solutions from business cases through commercial manufacturing. The role provides expertise to business studies, project peer reviews, and improvement initiatives that advance standard work within Global Engineering Solutions (GES). It leads and collaborates with Integrated Capital Project Team members and evaluates engineering partners’ deliverables across disciplines including biological, chemical, safety, process, utilities, technical services, construction, procurement, commissioning and qualification, and validation. The position facilitates planning sessions and scheduling workshops, develops schedules through the applicable front-end loading phases, and supports production planning strategies and schedule governance throughout capital execution. It also provides global project “HyperCare” support as directed by GSEC leadership. The role has a flexible hybrid arrangement and requires 25–50% travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Eight years of comprehensive experience and subject matter expertise, including associated equipment and facility design experience, in the pharmaceutical industry or a related industry; six years with a master’s degree.
Advanced knowledge of benchmarks and industry approaches.
Strong leadership, interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills.
Strong understanding of the line of business, lean design and delivery, and standard work implementation.
Required skills listed: Automation Systems, Capital Formation, Capital Planning, Capital Project Management, Change Management, Clinical Manufacturing, Data Analysis, Decision Making, Drug Product Manufacturing, Engineering Principle, Equipment Designing, Facility Design, HP PPM, Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Scale-Up, Production Planning, Project Controls, Regulatory Compliance, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking, Teamwork, Technical Planning, and Technical Transfer.

Nice To Haves

Experience coaching a team of engineers in developing and executing project schedules using strategic lean solutions from business case through commercial manufacturing.
Experience providing expertise to business studies, project peer reviews, and periodic improvement initiatives to advance GES standard work processes.

Responsibilities

Support a portfolio of capital projects by conceptualizing and developing front-end-loaded schedules that support critical business objectives, primarily at U.S. sites.
Provide expertise to business studies, project peer reviews, and improvement initiatives that advance GES standard work processes.
Lead and collaborate with Integrated Capital Project Team members, internal capital teams, site functions, external contractors, equipment vendors, and service providers.
Evaluate and challenge engineering partners’ project deliverables across biological, chemical, safety, process, utilities, technical services, construction, procurement, commissioning and qualification, and validation disciplines.
Facilitate planning sessions and guide team members through a planning strategy.
Lead end-to-end scheduling workshops for capital projects.
Plan engineering activities by understanding scope boundaries, process and facility design, equipment design, lead times and complexity, vendor interaction, construction support, factory acceptance testing, equipment qualification, facility start-up, and technology transfer.
Provide front-end planning schedule support to GES Business Integrators, Project Design Managers, and Project Managers during Business Case and Concept Phase (FEL1 and FEL2), developing Capital Review Committee-level schedules.
Develop end-to-end schedules during Concept and Basis of Design phases (FEL2 and FEL3) with the EPCM service provider and Project Controls schedulers, applying Strategic Scheduling Group best practices.
Develop a High-Level Production Plan (or Production Planning Management) strategy document and follow up with the team to maintain PPM best practices on business-critical projects.
Conduct peer reviews and audits of in-progress project schedules to verify compliance with standard work, alignment with project scope, and schedule-based deliverability; provide feedback.
Provide global “HyperCare” support to projects as required by GSEC leadership.
Implement standard work for schedule development and governance throughout all phases of Capital Execution.
Coordinate with the GES Project Controls Group to ensure adequate progress measures are in place for all project phases.