Senior Specialist, Safety & Environment

Merck • Rahway, NJ

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

As a member of the Site Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) team, the Sr. Specialist Industrial Hygiene & Biosafety will provide technical leadership and project ownership to operating departments at the Rahway site with a focus on identifying and anticipating industrial hygiene hazards, supporting biosafety activities, assessing risks, and partnering with operating departments to implement compliant technical solutions. This role provides expert technical support to EHS program owners, leads assigned IH and biosafety projects and studies, and delivers general EHS and laboratory safety support across the site.
Integrate EHS programs into daily operations to assure regulatory compliance, achieve continuous performance improvement, and meet EHS performance objectives. Partners with key stakeholders in manufacturing, laboratory and facility support to develop priorities to achieve these goals in alignment with site business priorities. Performs responsibilities and addresses challenges.

Requirements

• BS with preference for Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, Environmental Science, or Science, relevant MS degree a plus.
• Minimum 8 years applied professional experience in industrial safety, environmental, industrial hygiene, biosafety, laboratory safety, and/or general EHS roles, with demonstrated experience leading technical projects.
• Proven ability to lead technical assessments and project work while collaborating with EHS program owners and operations stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills; able to prepare clear technical reports and present findings to varied audiences.
• Critical thinking, analytical, and logical problem-solving abilities.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently on projects while escalating program-level decisions to program owners.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, drive to completion, and focus on delivering business-aligned results.
• Flexibility to perform varied technical tasks to support the business and respond to operational needs.
• Service- and results-oriented mindset and ability to handle potentially stressful situations with a positive attitude.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated performance in a highly regulated industry with strict standards adherence and compliance initiatives.
• Direct experience performing exposure monitoring (airborne particulates, gases/vapors, noise, heat stress) and respiratory protection program support (fit testing, selection guidance).
• Hands-on experience with biosafety technical work in laboratory and pilot-scale settings (biosafety risk assessments, containment recommendations, biosafety cabinet oversight, biological waste handling).
• Practical experience providing general EHS support in manufacturing and laboratory environments, including safety inspections, contractor oversight, emergency response support, and corrective action tracking.
• Experience with regulatory inspections and responding to technical inquiries from regulators.
• Strong systems and IT knowledge including Microsoft applications and EHS data systems.
• Demonstrated performance in a highly regulated industry with strict standards adherence.
• Relevant professional certifications preferred: CIH, ASP/CSP, CBSP/RBP or equivalent. Note: certification requirements can be adjusted based on hiring needs.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance to EHS program owners to implement and maintain IH and biosafety programs, and create/deliver policies, procedures, and training curricula for operations and laboratory personnel.
• Lead assigned industrial hygiene and biosafety project studies, technical assessments, and risk evaluations.
• Deliver general EHS support for site operations — including safety inspections, hazard assessments, corrective-action implementation, contractor oversight, and participation in safety committees — and support implementation of EHS compliance initiatives by providing technical coaching to operations, laboratory staff, and contractors.
• Provide hands-on laboratory support: laboratory safety assessments, SOP and containment reviews, biosafety cabinet oversight, biological waste handling guidance, and lab-specific training and coaching.
• Support capital projects, R&D operations, and incident investigations with IH, biosafety, and general EHS expertise and recommended controls.
• Complete industrial hygiene monitoring (airborne agents, chemical exposures, noise, heat stress, etc.), conduct related data analysis, and prepare technical reports that prioritize IH-related risks and recommend corrective and preventive actions.
• Conduct biosafety technical assessments and contribute to development of biosafety SOPs, containment recommendations, and biological waste handling controls as assigned. Support Institutional Biosafety Committee or equivalent, as needed, under program owner direction.
• Manage EHS information and compliance activities using the site EHS management systems including data collection, modeling, trending, tracking and communication of relevant EHS metrics.
• Review processes, facilities, and procedure documents to assure conformance to recognized EHS regulations, standards and guidelines; provide technical recommendations to program owners and stakeholders.
• Support management of change (MOC) reviews, incident investigations, inspections, and audits from a technical IH/biosafety/general EHS perspective.
• Perform hazard assessments, process hazard analyses, and participate in life safety and containment reviews as assigned.

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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level