Manufacturing Operations Lead – Antigen Production

Job Description

Our Company:

Our Company invents for a more hopeful tomorrow. Our Company is inventing medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases through our diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. We have always been and always will be inventing, and we do it for the single greatest purpose: Life.

Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity and teamwork of our people. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork. As part of our global team, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career.

Our Company in Australia and New Zealand operates in a highly regulated and competitive environment.  Our success largely depends on our ability to build customer loyalty and optimize the return on customer segments.  Success is often dependent on getting new products to market quickly and reimbursed at a price acceptable to both the market and the organization.  Our success depends on high levels of market penetration and effective management of emerging and existing customers. This requires a high level of collaboration with stakeholders and a sense of urgency in our activities.

 

About this role:

As Manufacturing Operations Lead – Antigen you bring strategic vision and operational excellence together.

The Upper Hutt site is a key global supplier of animal health antigens and plays a critical role in supplying products to markets around the world. You have direct impact by ensuring reliable supply of products that meet quality and regulatory requirements while remaining cost competitive.

As a member of the Site Leadership Team, you help shape site strategy, operational performance and continuous improvement initiatives. You are accountable for Antigen Production operations spanning Media Production, Seeding and Fermentation, and Centrifuge and Processing.

You lead 6 direct reports and approximately 50 employees, coaching teams to achieve targets across people, safety, quality, delivery and cost performance.

Key Leadership Responsibilities include:

• Leadership and Strategy - As a member of the Site Leadership Team, contribute to the strategic direction and long-term success of the Upper Hutt site:
  • Developing / adapting site strategy to identify and prioritize key site projects and KPI’s and track strategic performance through senior leadership reviews.
  • Sponsor site strategic workstreams and own translation of workstream strategy to specific site and Antigen Production targets and projects.
  • Strengthen Site Leadership Team effectiveness through collaboration, communication and an open feedback culture.
  • Foster an inclusive culture where colleagues feel respected, valued and able to contribute at their best. (e.g. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives).
  • undefined
  • On the Job Development of your managers and teams through:
    • Lead and develop a team of 3 Antigen Production managers and 3 specialists providing guidance, training, and performance evaluations.
    • Coach and continuously improve daily and weekly cross-functional performance management forums to drive prioritization, alignment and accountability.
    • Conduct routine 1:1s and on-floor coaching to strengthen management systems, develop team capability and actively manage succession planning.
    • Embed a culture of continuous improvement by empowering teams to solve problems at the right level leveraging lean manufacturing methodologies.
    • Promote a strong safety and compliance culture through active leadership presence on the manufacturing floor.
    • Support Daily Management activities through:
      • Maintain management systems that align make-test-release schedules and rapidly identify and resolve operational issues and improvement opportunities.
      • Effective operational review meetings and shop-floor engagement processes to ensure operational performance meets budget/forecast expectations and our improving compliance culture meets all legal, safety, quality and financial compliance requirements.
      • You own relevant site wide Safety and Quality Systems and mentor the Sub System Owners to establish more efficient and effective standards.
      • Accountable for people, safety, quality, delivery and cost across Antigen Production.
      • undefined
      • Ensure all legal requirements are met, including but not limited to Environmental Health and Safety (EHS): Ensure all hazards and environmental aspects in your areas are identified, documented, assessed and controlled in accordance with EHS procedures.
    • Key competencies, skills & experience required:
      • A strong team player with excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively across multiple functions, teams and stakeholders.
      • Demonstrated Continuous Improvement, Strategic and Change Management skills to define and translate high level strategies in operational and interpersonal expectations.
      • Significant leadership experience within a GMP-regulated manufacturing environment, ideally in biologics, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, vaccine or related industries.
      • Academic working and thinking level in (Bio)Technology, Chemistry, Business Management, or equivalent.
    •  Enterprise Leadership SkillsThe selected leader persona outlines the 15 Enterprise Leadership Skills and expectations applicable to the position and how to apply the leadership skills to the role. You may click the links below to learn more details. Foundationally, all employees must exhibit the skills as described under the Individual Leader persona.
      
      Select the relevant leader persona from the list below, and delete non-relevant personas
      • Multi-Team Leader
    • Select the 4-5 Enterprise Leadership Skills most applicable to this position, noting that all ELS apply.Shape Future☐EntrepreneurshipUnlock Potential☐ Emotional IntelligenceDeliver Impact☒ Execution Excellence☐ Business Savviness☒ Networking and Partnerships☐ Change Catalyst☒ Strategic Planning☒ Coaching and Development☐ Ownership and Accountability☒ Decision Making☐ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion☐ Innovation☐ Talent Growth☐ Influence☐ Motivation and Inspiration
      Ways of Working
       

·      Win as one team

·      Focus on what matters

·      Act with urgency

·      Experiment, learn and adapt

·      Embrace diversity and inclusion

·      Speak up and be open-minded

Our Values
 

·      Patients First

·      Ethics and Integrity

·      Respect for People

·      Innovation and Scientific Excellence

 

Disclaimer

The information in this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by colleagues within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of colleagues assigned to this job.

Required Skills:

Aseptic Operations, Aseptic Operations, Biopharmaceutical Industry, Biopharmaceuticals, Biopharmaceutics, Building Customer Loyalty, Business Administration, Business Management, Decision Making, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Environmental Health And Safety, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Interpersonal Relationships, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement, Manufacturing Compliance, Manufacturing Quality Control, Market Penetration, Operational Excellence, Packaging Processes, People Leadership, Process Improvements, Production Ramp Up, Production Scheduling, Strategic Thinking {+ 2 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

08/26/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.