Associate Specialist Drug Safety

MSD•Rahway, NJ

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Associate Specialist Drug Safety role ensures timely and compliant handling of technical service inquiries, product complaints, and adverse events for the companion animal portfolio. The position triages incoming inquiries, manages technician-level complaint processing from start to finish, supports pharmacovigilance (PV) veterinarians, and coordinates product-quality investigations and customer follow-up. It is responsible for accurate case documentation, quality-assurance coordination, and clear communication with veterinarians, pet owners, sales representatives, and distributors. The role also supports cross-functional and commercial activities, including sharing veterinary-marketplace trends, supporting special projects and sales training, providing pharmacovigilance data and reports, and assisting the Equine PV team as needed. This is a remote, first-shift position with 10% travel. The role is eligible for an annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Requirements

Meet one of the following education and experience combinations: BA/BS and at least 1 year of veterinary-field experience; an associate degree (biological sciences preferred) and 3 years of veterinary-related experience; RVT/CVT/LVT certification and 2 years of related experience; or 5 years of pharmacovigilance, animal science, and/or companion-animal customer-care experience.
At least 1 year of pharmacovigilance experience and/or experience in animal science or companion-animal customer care.
Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook, and comfort with databases and accurate data entry.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact effectively with internal stakeholders and external customers.
Demonstrated customer focus, empathy, responsiveness, and clear communication with veterinarians, pet owners, and partners.
Accurate and timely case entry and meticulous document handling.
Ability to follow timelines and regulatory requirements for adverse events and quality complaints.
Ability to identify trends, flag issues, and initiate appropriate testing or escalations.
Ability to collaborate with PV veterinarians, Quality, Sales, and other internal teams.
Ability to manage multiple cases and follow-ups within established timelines.
Proficiency with complaint databases and accurate record uploading and management.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and demonstrate diplomacy in sensitive situations.
Adherence to ethical standards, company policies, laws, and regulations.

Nice To Haves

Experience with product knowledge management, database fundamentals, and internal and external compliance regulations.
Knowledge of parasiticide products in the animal-health industry.
Prior call-center or customer-service experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as a first point of contact for technical-service inquiries received by phone, email, fax, written correspondence, and web inquiries through the Technical Services 800-line.
Triage technical-service inquiries, escalate cases to veterinarians when needed, and handle inquiries that do not require veterinarian attention.
Respond to questions about product use and comparisons with competitor products.
Process and document product complaints, including call handling, data entry, and complaint release where applicable.
Identify complaint trends, initiate product-testing procedures, track testing through Global Quality, and follow up with customers.
Retrieve, process, and follow up on after-hours product complaints.
Support PV veterinarians with customer correspondence and follow-up, uploading correspondence and medical records, reviewing records for accuracy, and forwarding records to veterinarians.
Review compensation requests and process reimbursements.
Keep the complaint database updated in real time.
Serve as the primary contact for product-quality issues, testing procedures, and warranty questions.
Initiate product-sample returns from the field, ensure timely receipt, coordinate with Global Quality, and manage destruction when appropriate.
Upload quality-assurance testing results into the complaint database and close the loop with complainants.
Share relevant veterinary-marketplace information and trends with internal stakeholders.
Support special projects, such as diagnostic-testing programs.
Assist with sales training and provide administrative and training support at meetings or national sales meetings.
Provide pharmacovigilance data and reports upon request.
Support the Equine PV team by triaging incoming calls, addressing customer concerns and questions, handling product-quality complaints, product replacements, and reimbursement requests, and performing case entry when required.