Collar Tech Lead

Merck•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Our Animal Health Technology Solutions offers global animal identification and monitoring solutions for companion animals and livestock. These solutions enable pet owners to better manage the health and well-being of their pets and enable livestock producers to improve well-being and animal production. Technology Solutions include Core Technologies in Livestock Identification, Dairy, Beef and Swine monitoring, for which the product/market fit is established, as well as products in discovery. Our Technology Solutions division is evolving. We are moving to a Product Operating Model – a new way of working that empowers product teams to take full ownership and accountability for delivering customer and business value in ways our customers love and that work for the business. Our product teams are cross-functional and durable, bringing together all the skills required to deliver impactful outcomes. Each team includes a Product Manager, Technology Lead, Product Designer, Delivery Lead, engineers, and developers. We believe in customer centricity, ownership, and accountability. Solutions must be: Valuable – customers choose to buy or use them, Viable – aligned with business constraints and goals, Usable – intuitive and user-friendly, Feasible – achievable with our technical capabilities. Leadership of the team is shared between the Product Manager and the Technology Lead, ensuring balanced guidance that bridges product vision and technical execution. We’re looking for a Collar Tech Lead to provide technical leadership for an animal wearable device within our solution. You’ll lead the technical design and execution of the collar from concept through mass production, ensuring it is robust, reliable, scalable, and ready for real-world use. Working closely with the Product Manager, core product team, R&D, NPI, Operations, Customer Success, and manufacturing partners, you’ll own technical architecture, system integration, validation, risk management, and technical readiness for launch and ongoing support.

Requirements

Degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline
5+ years’ experience in technical leadership or technical project management for multidisciplinary hardware products
Experience working in cross-functional product teams
Strong knowledge of IoT architecture, embedded systems, hardware, mechanics, integration, and validation
Experience developing mass-production wireless IoT or wearable devices
Experience across the full product lifecycle, from concept to mass production
Strong communication, organisation, and stakeholder management skills
A customer-focused, accountable mindset with a drive to deliver measurable outcomes

Nice To Haves

Geofencing, animal technology, or similar field-deployed hardware solutions
Change Controls
Portfolio, Programme, and Project Support
Problem Management
Release Management
Risk Management
Strategic Planning
System Designs

Responsibilities

Lead the technical strategy, architecture, and design for the collar
Translate customer and business needs into practical technical solutions
Ensure the collar meets requirements for performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost
Work cross-functionally to support product discovery, experimentation, and field learning
Define and oversee validation, quality, and launch readiness activities
Identify and manage technical and production risks early
Support field issue investigations and drive continuous improvement
Track technical metrics and use data to guide engineering decisions