Associate Director, Engineering

Merck • Durham, NC

22h • $142,400 - $224,100 • Onsite

About The Position

The Global Engineering Solutions (GES) group is seeking an Associate Director of Engineering to manage large capital projects independently or a series of smaller projects within a portfolio in the manufacturing, laboratory, packaging, and infrastructure lines of business. The role involves supporting internal and external manufacturing operations to remain operational, continuously improve, and innovate. Engineers in this group have opportunities across diverse areas including Biological, Chemical, Automation, Capital Projects, Maintenance, Safety, Process Development, Technical Services, Utilities, and Validation. The initial assignment is located in the North Carolina Region, with future roles and responsibilities dependent upon project workload and locations. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to build strong site relationships, develop familiarity with campus operations, and contribute to a portfolio of meaningful projects that support safe, reliable, and compliant manufacturing operations.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's Degree in Engineering
• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience executing and delivering capital and/or expense projects in manufacturing, laboratory, infrastructure, or similarly complex operating environments, including demonstrated experience independently managing capital projects within a site, business, program, or comparable capital delivery environment.
• Experience leading integrated, cross-functional project teams and influencing stakeholders in support of capital project delivery.
• Experience delivering projects in an active manufacturing or operating facility where safety, quality, compliance, operational continuity, and startup readiness are critical.
• Working knowledge of project controls, including cost, schedule, forecasting, change management, risk management, and project reporting.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including experience preparing clear project updates, risk summaries, escalation materials, and decision documents for cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills, with ability to align teams, manage change, resolve issues, assess risk, and make sound recommendations in a dynamic project delivery environment.
• Adaptability
• Automation Systems
• Capital Project Management
• Change Management
• Clinical Manufacturing
• Corporate Governance
• Data Analysis
• Decision Making
• Drug Product Manufacturing
• Governance Management
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Lean Manufacturing
• Manufacturing Scale-Up
• Regulatory Compliance
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• Strategic Thinking
• Technical Transfer

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting capital projects in GMP pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccine, sterile manufacturing, packaging, or other regulated or quality-critical manufacturing environments.
• Experience with project types such as manufacturing facility upgrades, packaging systems, utilities, electrical infrastructure, fire protection, energy resilience, or site infrastructure.
• Familiarity with commissioning, qualification/validation interfaces, turnover, startup readiness, and operational handover expectations.
• Familiarity with corporate capital governance, stage-gate, funding authorization, or equivalent capital project approval processes.
• Experience working with external delivery partners such as engineering firms, construction managers, design-build/EPCM partners, trade contractors, consultants, and equipment vendors.
• Experience applying, coaching, and assessing teams’ effective use of Lean Project Delivery methods such as pull planning, constraint management, visual management, target value delivery, collaborative planning, or continuous improvement.
• Experience coaching or mentoring engineers, project managers, or cross-functional team members in capital project delivery practices.
• Experience applying structured project risk, constructability, operational readiness, or startup readiness review processes or tools.
• Current Employees apply HERE
• Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Responsibilities

• Manage large capital projects independently or manage a series of smaller capital and/or expense projects within a portfolio, delivering critical assets safely, on time, within approved scope, and within prescribed budget.
• Lead integrated project teams across GES, Site Engineering, Operations, Quality, EHS, Maintenance, Technology, Procurement, Finance, and external delivery partners, building effective working relationships to align assigned projects with site expectations, business priorities, and applicable project delivery standards.
• Lead development and execution of project execution plans for assigned projects including scope, delivery strategy, procurement, construction, commissioning/startup, risk management, communications, and closeout.
• Ensure assigned project scopes deliver effective business solutions aligned with business priorities, manufacturing needs, compliance expectations, safety requirements, applicable standards, and approved capital objectives.
• Manage project design development through scope definition, design coordination, constructability review, value management, and disciplined evaluations of project decisions and trade-offs.
• Develop/support project specific procurement and contracting strategies in partnership with Procurement, Legal, site stakeholders, and GES leadership to support schedule, risk allocation, and business requirements.
• Manage project budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, cost control, contingency, and change control processes, including appropriate evaluation, documentation, communication, and obtaining appropriate approvals for changes affecting scope, cost, schedule, quality, or approved business objectives.
• Manage project schedules, including planning, sequencing, milestone tracking, critical path management, shutdown/tie-in coordination, and recovery planning.
• Provide oversight for assigned projects, including field coordination, contractor performance, construction safety interface, execution quality, issue resolution, and alignment with site requirements.
• Prepare and coordinate project governance, funding, stage-gate, and decision materials for assigned projects for review by appropriate site, GES, and capital governance stakeholders, using applicable company processes, templates, and guidance.
• Manage project communications, reporting, and escalation of key issues to support timely decisions by project teams, site stakeholders, and senior leaders.
• Identify, manage, mitigate, and escalate project risks affecting safety, quality, compliance, cost, schedule, startup readiness, and business continuity.
• Coordinate project execution within active manufacturing environments, partnering with site teams on field verification, permitting, shutdown and tie-in planning, utility impacts, operational constraints, and business continuity.
• Manage or support commissioning, qualification, validation interface, turnover documentation, contract administration, closeout, lessons learned, and transition of completed assets to site operations.
• Provide project delivery guidance, coaching, and day-to-day project leadership to project team members and less experienced engineers or project managers, as appropriate, while respecting functional and direct-line management accountabilities.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days

What This Job Offers

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