Associate Specialist, Technical Operations Engineer (On-site)

Merck•Rahway, NJ

2d•$71,900 - $113,200•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Specialist, Engineering serves as a Technical Operations Engineer supporting FLEx Non-Sterile clinical manufacturing operations. The role owns manufacturing equipment or technical capability areas and supports equipment readiness, production campaigns, on-floor technical needs, troubleshooting, investigations, engineering changes, and continuous improvement. It combines hands-on manufacturing support with technical problem solving, documentation, use of operational data, and improvement of equipment and operational systems. The engineer works closely with Production, Process Engineering, Quality, Facilities, Maintenance, Automation, capital project teams, vendors, and other stakeholders. The position also contributes equipment expertise to capital projects and capability expansion, supports compliant manufacturing and audit readiness, and coaches colleagues on equipment and standard work. This is an on-site role in Rahway, New Jersey, with a 1st-shift schedule and 10% travel. The role is regular, offers no relocation, and does not provide visa sponsorship.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related discipline, with expected graduation no later than December 2026.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot technical problems, organize actions, and drive issues toward resolution.
Ability to author and review clear technical documentation and work in accordance with controlled procedures.
Strong planning, prioritization, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Ability to work effectively in an on-site manufacturing environment and support changing operational priorities.
Ability to meet applicable medical screening and physical requirements for the manufacturing area.
Required skills listed: Biomedical Engineering, Biopharmaceutical Operations, Chemical Engineering, Engineering Standards, Engineering Support, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Process Validation, Manufacturing Scale-Up, Manufacturing Systems, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Process Engineering, Production Support, Technical Calculations, and Troubleshooting.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting technical work, manufacturing operations, equipment, or process improvement in a laboratory, pilot plant, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or other regulated environment.
Experience in GMP pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing and knowledge of Good Documentation Practices.
Experience with oral solid dosage or specialty processes such as tablet compression, encapsulation, spray drying, film coating, blending, granulation, powder handling, containment, or device assembly.
Experience with equipment ownership, maintenance coordination, automation troubleshooting, investigations, CAPAs, change controls, or risk assessments.
Experience supporting capital projects, commissioning, qualification, validation, FAT/SAT, or equipment startup.
Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, structured problem solving, or continuous improvement methods.
Experience with digital manufacturing systems and tools such as PAS-X, SAP, PI/historian systems, Power BI, data analytics platforms, or maintenance/calibration systems.
Experience using data to evaluate equipment performance, downtime, capacity, or recurring operational issues.
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

Responsibilities

Own one or more manufacturing equipment trains or technical capability areas within FLEx Non-Sterile operations.
Maintain equipment readiness by tracking preventive actions, reviewing alarms and performance, updating procedures, supporting training, and coordinating maintenance or engineering work.
Serve as a technical point of contact for equipment operation, setup, changeover, cleaning, assembly, disassembly, and troubleshooting.
Coordinate with Process Engineering, Maintenance, Automation, Facilities, vendors, and subject matter experts to resolve equipment and system issues.
Support equipment changes, automation or mechanical improvements, and change control activities in accordance with applicable procedures.
Develop and maintain equipment knowledge, technical references, standard work, and lessons learned; share knowledge through coaching and training.
Coordinate equipment, room, utility, documentation, training, material, and technical support needs for campaign readiness.
Provide on-floor engineering support during manufacturing campaigns, turnovers, changeovers, and other critical operations.
Respond to escalations, clarify ownership, stabilize immediate concerns, and coordinate resolution.
Partner with Production and Process Engineering to identify schedule constraints, assess technical risks, and support recovery plans.
Support batch execution and closeout activities and participate in shift handoffs and cross-shift support.
Lead or support troubleshooting, deviation and atypical-event investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective and preventive actions for equipment, automation, and operational issues.
Use structured problem-solving methods to identify root causes, establish sustainable actions, and verify effectiveness.
Author, revise, and review GMP documentation, including SOPs, batch or equipment instructions, risk assessments, change controls, investigation records, and technical assessments.
Ensure work complies with GMP, Good Documentation Practices, safety, environmental, and company requirements.
Support audit readiness, inspections, walkthroughs, and timely closure of identified actions; promote early risk identification and collaborative problem resolution.
Lead focused improvement initiatives to improve safety, quality, reliability, capacity, turnaround time, and ease of execution.
Use operational data, batch reports, alarm history, downtime information, and action trackers to identify recurring issues and improvement opportunities.
Support digital manufacturing systems and workflows, including electronic batch records and logs, dashboards, scheduling tools, historian data, and escalation tracking.
Improve standard work, production flow, issue tracking, knowledge management, and visual management practices.
Partner with operations and technical stakeholders to test, implement, and sustain tools, equipment upgrades, and automation solutions.
Track actions to completion and communicate status, risks, decisions, and results to affected stakeholders.
Provide operations and equipment expertise for capital projects, equipment upgrades, and capability expansion initiatives.
Participate as assigned in design reviews, risk assessments, vendor engagement, FAT/SAT activities, commissioning, qualification, startup, and operational handover.
Represent operational requirements for equipment usability, cleaning, maintenance, training, documentation, digital integration, and long-term support.
Coordinate project work with the manufacturing schedule and support safe, controlled return of equipment or areas to service.
Identify opportunities to expand equipment operating ranges, change-part capability, manufacturing flexibility, and asset utilization.
Communicate technical information clearly to operators, engineers, scientists, mechanics, automation personnel, quality representatives, and leadership.
Coach and train colleagues on assigned equipment, standard work, troubleshooting approaches, and compliant execution.
Contribute to team standard work, technical reviews, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement priorities.