Senior Specialist, Manufacturing Automation

Job Description

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, consumer health products, and animal health products. Today, we are building a new kind of healthcare company – one that is ready to help create a healthier future for all of us. Join our Manufacturing facility in Elkton, Virginia, and be part of a team that values integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity, and teamwork.

As a Senior Manufacturing Automation Engineer, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to apply their enthusiasm and technical skills as a member of a multidisciplinary team supporting the operation of pharmaceutical product manufacturing facilities. 

Responsibilities

• Provide lead automation support for various manufacturing and laboratory systems such as Programmable Logic Controllers, Distributed Control Systems, analytical equipment, Manufacturing Execution systems, Data Historians, and Batch Reporting.
• Provide leadership for automation upgrade and new installation projects.
• Evaluate automation systems and develop strategies to ensure quality and stability of automation systems through future expansion, replacement, or upgrade.
• Initiate and lead collaboration within the Operations, Quality, and Technical organizations to resolve complex problems.
• Troubleshoot challenging equipment/automation issues to improve performance and reliability while maintaining compliance with current Good Manufacturing Principles (cGMPs).
• Provide automation support on various shifts and remote off-hour coverage support for trouble calls.
• Work closely with various site and central groups to ensure systems are designed, implemented, and maintained to meet manufacturing requirements.
• Provide training and serve as a mentor for junior engineers.
• Design solutions to ensure quality and stability of automation systems through future expansions, replacements, or upgrades.
• Use technical knowledge to assure the efficient operation of a variety of automated processing and information technology systems. Take a lead role in installing and placing new systems into operation.
• Develop solutions for automation problems and oversee investigations of automation anomalies to prevent recurrence.
• Understand and support all cGMPs, safety, and environmental regulations.
• Communicate daily with operation, technical, and quality representatives within the area of support through the tier process.
• Periodically review automation documents, perform preventive maintenance, and revise or develop automation Standard Operating Procedures.
• Develop and support corrective actions associated with automation-related deviations/investigations.
• Communicate periodically with immediate supervisor about the status of the area of responsibility.
• Participate in audits and training programs in the area of responsibility.
• Perform on-the-floor troubleshooting.
• Identify and implement process/system improvements.
• Maintain all system life cycle documentation.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or Information Technology.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of automation experience OR minimum of ten (10) years of experience as a process engineer supporting a highly automated process.

Preferred

• Experience with DeltaV, PLC, PI, SQL, laboratory and shopfloor analytical systems, and Infobatch.
• Experience with Batch Processing and S88 standard.
• Knowledge of GAMP standard.
• Aseptic processing/sterile manufacturing experience.

Required Skills:

Audit Management, Automation Solutions, Business Integrity, Business Process Improvements, Corrective Action Management, Data Management, Distributed Control System (DCS), Global Health, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Preventive Maintenance, Problem Management, Process Engineering, Quality Management, Real-Time Programming, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), System Maintenance, Teamwork

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is

$117,000.00 - $184,200.00

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.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

08/25/2026

*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.