Associate Director, Pharmaceutical Data Engineer

MSD • Rahway, PA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Digital Operations, is a highly technical role within the Development Sciences and Clinical Supply Digital Technologies organization. The organization drives digital transformation, data architecture, and technology solutions that enable Development Sciences and Clinical Supply operations. This role will help move the organization from traditional BI reporting to a modern data foundation, applying data engineering, custom web applications, automation, machine learning, and agentic AI to complex business problems.

The role's data spans the end-to-end clinical and commercial supply chain, from drug substance manufacturing and process orders through drug product packaging, quality notifications, and global distribution. The Associate Director designs and implements modern data foundations and pipelines, creates proof-of-concept web applications, and contributes to the data strategy and roadmap. The position also translates stakeholder needs into technical requirements, supports scalable and secure data architecture, and documents and enables adoption of new technologies.

Requirements

• Strong expertise in Python and advanced SQL.
• Hands-on experience with Databricks Lakehouse architecture, Delta Lake, and Unity Catalog.
• Experience building custom data products and rapid-prototype front ends such as Streamlit or React.
• Strong familiarity with SAP or similar ERP/manufacturing systems as sources of complex supply chain and manufacturing data.
• Experience gathering complex requirements from non-technical stakeholders and translating them into actionable technical roadmaps.
• Familiarity with, or strong interest in, agentic modeling, large language models, and integrating AI agents into workflows.
• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum environment with Jira Cloud for sprint planning, story estimation, and tracking, and Confluence for technical documentation.
• Comfort working in VS Code and actively using AI-assisted coding tools.
• Strong experience with GitHub for version control, collaborative code reviews, and automated CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to build trust-based relationships and drive change with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to global audiences at different professional levels.
• Independent decision-making ability and a proactive approach to leading projects and delivering results.
• With an M.S. in a closely related quantitative field, at least 5 years of industrial, pharmaceutical, or relevant data engineering experience; alternatively, with a B.S. in a closely related quantitative field, at least 7 years of such experience.
• Relevant fields of study include Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Research, and, for the B.S. qualification, Management Information Systems.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with pharmaceutical drug substance or drug product supply chain operations, including process orders, batch genealogy, MRP/MPS planning, tech transfer, quality management, or global distribution.
• Experience with SAP MM/PP/QM/SD modules or related manufacturing execution systems such as MES or LIMS.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines and architectures using Databricks, Python, Dataverse, and advanced SQL, transforming raw SAP, MES, LIMS, and other operational data into analytics-ready foundations.
• Gather needs from supply chain planners, quality teams, and manufacturing stakeholders, translating them into business requirements and technical specifications.
• Design, test, and implement agentic AI workflows and machine learning models to automate decision-making and generate proactive business insights.
• Develop and deploy user-friendly custom web applications to support business operations, data entry, and interaction with data models.
• Use modern development environments and AI coding assistants alongside GitHub for version control and code quality.
• Work with data architects on scalable, secure, and efficient data models supporting analytical and transactional workloads.
• Document processes, code, data models, and system architectures; provide training and technical support to end users as technologies are rolled out.
• Contribute to the data strategy and strategic roadmap, streamlining processes and eliminating manual work through automation and machine learning.

Benefits

• Annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.
• Medical, dental, vision healthcare, and other insurance benefits for employees and family.
• Retirement benefits, including 401(k).
• Paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days.

What This Job Offers

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