Associate Director, Technology Transfer Task Force - Animal Health Vaccines

Associate Director, Global Science & Technology Network

Join our Global Science & Technology Network leadership team to lead complex, site-to-site technology transfers for Animal Health vaccines across our US manufacturing network. As Associate Director, you will own end-to-end execution for Large Molecule / Biologics transfers, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery and compliant, unconstrained supply that supports business growth. You will provide strategic oversight, standardized methodology, and hands-on leadership to transfer teams and site sponsors, while driving portfolio governance and alignment with our Network & Strategy Development Office. This role is based at a US manufacturing site and focuses on transfers within the US region. This is an opportunity to set standards, build capability, and grow our teams while delivering complex, strategic initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and support end-to-end site-to-site technology transfers for Animal Health vaccines (drug substance and drug product), from scoping / siting through PPQ and commercial readiness.

Establish and deploy standardized transfer methodology, tools, training, and governance; ensure clear visualization of status through reporting and tiered escalation.

Drive Block 1 scoping and siting assessments and in collaboration with transfer lead own timely execution of transfer strategies across Blocks 26, balancing speed, risk, and compliance.

Serve as the single point of contact across donor and receiving sites and global functions; maintain tight stakeholder alignment and issue / risk management.

Supports engineering runs and PPQ; ensure strong process performance monitoring, deviation triage, CAPA effectiveness, and readiness for regulatory inspections.

Build and develop high-performing teams; coach transfer leads, allocate resources, and cultivate talent across a matrixed network.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology, Chemical / Biochemical Engineering, or relevant science / business field.

5+ years of experience in vaccine or biologics manufacturing with a proven track record leading site-to-site technology transfers in Large Molecule operations.

Demonstrated project management leadership delivering complex, multi-site programs on time and within budget; PMP or equivalent experience preferred.

Hands-on expertise with pharmaceutical / biological processes (drug substance, drug product, formulation, fill-finish, lyophilization; knowledge of single-use systems, chromatography, filtration).

People leadership experience : managing teams and influencing across matrixed organizations; coaching and developing transfer leads.

Strong understanding of cGMP, PPQ, validation (process / cleaning / CSV), and global regulatory frameworks (USDA).

Excellent verbal and written communication; effective negotiation and stakeholder management across sites and functions.

Preferred Skills and Attributes

Ability to manage multiple complex transfers simultaneously, maintain portfolio-level visibility, and focus teams on critical path activities.

Strong analytical judgment and risk-based decision making; adept at fit-to-plant strategies, gap assessments, and mitigation planning.

Proven capability working across cultures and time zones; strong networking skills within complex global organizations.

Resilient, flexible, and calm under pressure; comfortable with aggressive timelines and changing priorities.

Experience with digital tools supporting tech transfer and manufacturing (e.g., eQMS, MES, data historians, knowledge management).

Willingness to travel as needed to donor / receiving sites within the US.

Required Skills

Analytical Thinking, Biologics, Communication, Drug Product Manufacturing, Leadership, Manufacturing, Project Management, Scoping, Technology Transfer, Vaccine Manufacturing, Work Collaboratively

Preferred Skills

The salary range for this role is $126,500.00 - $199,100.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. 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 . You can apply for this role through https : / / jobs.merck.com / us / en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.