Senior Principal Scientist, Microbial Process Operations

Merck•Rahway, NJ

20d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Microbial Process Operations (MPO) Team is seeking a Senior Principal Scientist with expertise in microbial process development for the production of enzymes used in biocatalysis. Our team is part of Continuous & Expression Technologies (CET) within the Process Research & Development – Enabling Technologies (PR&D – ET) group, focused on advancing technologies for the manufacturing of diverse biomolecules, including novel biotherapeutics, vaccines, and engineered enzymes. As a senior scientific leader, the successful candidate will shape strategy, drive innovation, and ensure robust, scalable, and compliant microbial fermentation processes that meet or exceed performance targets. This position offers the opportunity to contribute directly to our company's mission to deliver transformative medicines and sustainable manufacturing solutions through cutting-edge microbial technologies. The ideal candidate for this position should be a recognized leader in the field, with demonstrated success in process development for the production of industrial enzymes. This role involves collaboration with cross functional teams to address challenges throughout the entire lifecycle of enzyme manufacturing from discovery to commercial supply. As a senior member of the team, the applicant will also contribute to setting and executing the scientific strategy for enzyme fermentation process development, as well as helping to recruit and develop talent within the team. The chosen candidate should possess strong interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills, and should embrace and model our core values of diversity and inclusion and foster a supportive culture where all employees can thrive.

Requirements

PhD with 15+ years of relevant industry experience,
Master’s degree with 18+ years of relevant industry experience, or
Bachelor’s degree with 20+ years of relevant industry experience in chemical engineering, bioengineering, biological sciences, or related fields.
Demonstrated success in fermentation process development and optimization, ideally in the area of industrial enzymes.
Excellent problem solving skills to overcome both technical and non-technical challenges.
Demonstrated success leading scale-down model development along with scale-up and technology transfer from R&D to pilot and commercial manufacturing scales.
Demonstrated success in leading projects or programs and being leveraged as a technical resource across multiple areas.
Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor fellow researchers.
Excellent organizational, documentation, and problem-solving skills, with a strong commitment to maintaining rigorous safety and quality standards.
Strong track record of peer-reviewed publications and research presentations.
Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge in bioreactor and process in-silico design / modeling.
Familiarity with drug development cycle, especially the CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control) aspect, with skills to help advance our digital effort in this area.
Familiarity with biocatalysis, protein engineering, biotherapeutics, and / or vaccines is advantageous.
Knowledge and experience in downstream process development, such as flocculation, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, lyophilization, and spray drying.
Understanding of microbial strain development and genetic engineering techniques to support process optimization.

Responsibilities

Partner with functional area project teams and subject matter experts to establish and implement the scientific strategy for upstream and downstream process development, optimization, and technical innovation.
Provide scientific oversight for the microbial process team, leading the planning, implementation, and documentation of experiments for the adoption and development of innovative technologies.
Lead the design and execution of bench scale process development experiments to meet various project requirements, with the ultimate aim of delivering robust processes for scale-up and manufacturing.
Work collaboratively to proactively identify risks and associated solutions to ensure on time delivery of project deliverables.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support technology transfer, scale-up activities, and process robustness.
Mentor junior scientists to become our company's next generation of scientific leaders.
Champion laboratory safety, compliance, and best practices, fostering a culture of scientific and technical excellence.
Represent our company's externally through conference presentations, publications, and other relevant venues.

Benefits

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

Stand Out From the Crowd

Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.

Upload and Match Resume