Principal Project Engineer

The businesses of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany•Jaffrey, NH

21d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Principal Project Engineer in the Engineering & Technology Team, you will be a critical business partner ensuring the achievement of ambitious investment objectives within the Life Science business unit. You will support the preparation and execution of large, strategic investment projects as a technical expert for process engineering. These projects are generally large (multi-million dollars) and/or complex in nature. You will assist sites and business stakeholders in developing the technical project scope and ensure seamless implementation of the most efficient, viable technical solution, aligning with internal standards and binding requirements. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to manage smaller projects from ideation to implementation. You will also contribute to the execution of the LS strategy and drive technological advancement by fulfilling internal customer requirements with state-of-the-art and sustainable solutions, leveraging the internal technology network across the organization. This role supports the North American region and is located in or near Jaffrey, NH. This position does not offer sponsorship for work authorization, and external applicants must be eligible to work in the US. Approximately 10% domestic and international travel is required.

Requirements

BS or MS in Process Engineering (considering BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering with heavy focus in process engineering)
8+ years of professional experience in pharma or life science
Must have significant skills and experience in project management
Ideally a history of successfully executed smaller technical investment projects (0.5M$-10M$) as project lead

Nice To Haves

PMP certification or ability to obtain it within 12 months
Fluent in English with excellent communication skills
Profound knowledge of quality regulations
Ability to analyze situations and systems to develop or identify optimized solutions in line with project scope, time and cost
History of successfully implemented equipment or systems along the whole value chain from design, installation to start-up
Ability to work effectively
Demonstrated documentation skills
Inclusive and can identify required resources, internal or external experts and stakeholders

Responsibilities

Manage Equipment validation and qualification
Manage change control and re-validation to maintain ongoing compliance.
Equipment build, commissioning, and start-up
Influence equipment design inputs, vendor selection, and build for manufacturability and reliability.
Lead FAT/SAT, installation/commissioning, site acceptance testing, and handover to operations.
Project governance and planning
Develop and maintain WBS, schedules, milestones, and critical-path analyses.
Establish vendor evaluation criteria, due diligence, and gating processes.
Risk, safety, and compliance
Conduct hazard analyses, FMEA; ensure alignment with internal standards and regulatory requirements.
Documentation and communication
Create standardized templates for charters, business cases and risk registers
Provide clear, factual reporting to stakeholders and governance bodies.