Senior Specialist Safety & Environment

Merck•Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

1d•$106,200 - $167,200•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Associate Director, Safety & Environment, the Senior Specialist provides technical and program leadership for High Risk Work and Machinery Safety across West Point, North Wales, and Springhouse Innovation Park. The role supports Vaccines Manufacturing, Research & Development, and site support functions, serving as a subject matter expert and partnering with operations, engineering, maintenance, and other organizations to prevent serious injuries and operational events. The position translates regulatory, consensus-standard, and company requirements into practical, risk-based solutions; strengthens critical controls in design and field execution; and uses program data, event learning, and field insights to drive sustainable improvement aligned with site priorities and business needs. The position leads site high-risk-work governance and provides technical leadership for high-risk work and machinery safety programs, including training, audits, risk assessments, incident investigations, and corrective actions. It partners with facilities, engineering, operations, and project teams on reviews, commissioning, and equipment handover, and supports regulatory inspections, internal audits, management reviews, and enterprise or divisional initiatives. The role is based primarily in West Point, Pennsylvania, with additional listed sites in North Wales and Springhouse Innovation Park. The work arrangement is hybrid, and travel is not required. The position is regular, with no relocation offered and no visa sponsorship. The listed base salary range for the primary location is $106,200 to $167,200, with eligibility for an annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 5 years of safety program or technical safety experience in a manufacturing, laboratory, engineering, or similarly complex environment.
Strong knowledge of high-risk work controls, including hazardous energy control and activities such as line breaking, confined space entry, work at height, excavation, lifting and rigging, or hot work.
Working knowledge of machinery risk assessment, safeguarding, safety-related controls, interlocks, emergency stops, and control verification.
Ability to apply OSHA, consensus, and company standards to field work, work planning, equipment design, and capital projects.
Strong investigation, risk assessment, problem-solving, project management, and corrective-action skills.
Ability to influence cross-functional teams and communicate technical requirements clearly.
Ability to use Microsoft Office and relevant digital systems.
Required skills include adaptability, biosafety, EHS auditing, EHS compliance, EHS program management, environmental regulatory compliance, health and safety legislation, incident investigations, industrial hygiene, interpersonal relationships, occupational safety and health programs, process safety management, safety programs, self motivation, and training and development.

Nice To Haves

Experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, or other highly regulated manufacturing or research environments.
Experience applying recognized machinery safety standards and methodologies, such as ANSI, NFPA, ISO, or equivalent risk-based frameworks.
Professional certification or relevant credential such as CSP, CHST, CMSE, CFSE, or an equivalent qualification.

Responsibilities

Lead the West Point HRW Steering Committee and HRW Councils, aligning site organizations around one site program and following GSE procedures and training.
Serve as the site subject matter expert and procedure owner for high-risk work, including hazardous energy control, line breaking, confined space entry, work at height, hot work, and other critical-risk activities.
Develop and deliver technical training and qualification support for employees, contractors, and program owners responsible for high-risk work and machinery safety.
Manage the HRW contractor and partner to deploy the HRW Auditing Tool and improve permit compliance in a timely and effective manner.
Partner with Facilities, Engineering, Operations, and project teams on P&ID reviews, commissioning, and equipment handover.
Provide technical leadership for machinery safety, including machine risk assessments, safeguarding controls, and verification of risk-reduction measures across the equipment lifecycle.
Conduct and facilitate field risk assessments, machinery safety reviews, pre-startup reviews, and critical-control verifications; document gaps, establish risk-based priorities, and drive actions to timely closure.
Lead or support investigations of high-potential events, near misses, and machinery-related incidents; identify systemic causes, evaluate control failures, and ensure corrective and preventive actions are effective and sustained.
Support regulatory inspections, internal audits, management reviews, and enterprise or divisional initiatives related to high-risk work and machinery safety.