Senior Specialist, Maintenance Sch/Planner

Job Description

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity with a rapidly growing pharmaceutical manufacturer? If so, then this is the opportunity for you!

The Sr. Specialist, Maintenance Planner/Scheduler is a member of the Engineering, Maintenance and Site Services (EMSS) team providing support to the Durham sites.  This includes Energy Center, Vaccines Manufacturing and Bulk Facilities (B101, B102, B130, B150 and B160), Quality Labs, Maintenance and Material Storage Facility (MMSF) and Teknika Facilities. This support position will focus on scheduling maintenance execution, SAP Data stewardship and assisting with successful shutdown planning and implementation with associated department(s). 

General Profile:

• Individual contributor role working with maintenance departments with limited oversight to support and lead tactical (day-to-day) operations.

• Contributes, leads and drives to the performance and results of the department.

• Adapts departmental plans and priorities to address resource and operational challenges.

• Decisions are guided by policies, procedures and business plan; receives guidance from manager.

• Provides planning and scheduling guidance to mechanics and technicians for maintenance activities on production and utility equipment in manufacturing and lab buildings.

• Interprets client and/or customer needs to identify solutions and mitigates in advance.

• Works as a liaison between Engineering, Maintenance, Production and other Site Business Partners to schedule work and ensure effective communication of activities.

• Ensures daily maintenance operations and daily priorities and schedules project/work meeting the criteria established by site objectives and maintenance metrics.

• Print (when necessary), track and close work orders in CMMS system

• Support major maintenance, production, and utility equipment related projects by planning path forward for least disruption to plant operations

• Contributes to and plans master shutdown schedule for your department including all maintenance, calibration, capital project work, and GMP Cleaning

• Coordinates with IPT production planners

• Support departmental shutdown meetings. Attends site daily shutdown meetings ensuring department owned activities are tracked and completed

• Identifies revisions, deletions, or additions to the calibration and maintenance programs to ensure that calibration and maintenance activities are completed in accordance with established safety, GMP, and calibration/maintenance procedures

• Supports audits and the deviation process.

• Performs document control duties including updating SOPs, uploading/routing information and filing physical and e-documents into repositories.

• Performs engineering change management for all components inside of CMMS systems related to updating information and executing change packets.

• Communicate and drive improvements to maintenance procedures to ensure scheduling process can be easily integrated with difficult operations schedule.

• Maintain maintenance excellence through established metrics and run the business standards.

• Must be willing to learn multiple CMMS system platforms and route engineering change requests through CMMS system.

• Manage pressure relief device rotational spares for maintenance activities.

• Procure spare parts for required maintenance activities.

• Interact with MRO Spare parts customers to ensure on time delivery of parts for all work.

• Coordinate with vendors and contractors to schedule their activities with customers on site.

This position is a 1st shift position with the potential for infrequent off shift work as needed to support business results.  This position is expected to work as an independent member of an integrated team focused on achieving the team’s objectives, vision, and goals.

Education Requirement:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Engineering, Science or related field and 4 years of experience in a production and/or calibration and/or maintenance background

Required Experience and Skills**:

• Strong planning, scheduling, and time management skills

• Good oral and written communication skills

• Experience in problem solving and troubleshooting

• Ability to perform multiple tasks in parallel

• Familiarity of “World Class” maintenance practices is paramount (e.g. PMs, RCM, PdM, etc.)

• CMMS/ERP experience related to plant maintenance and spare parts procurement systems

• Familiarity of regulatory requirements in accordance with GMP manufacturing operations

• Experience with formal problem-solving techniques, such as root cause analysis (RCA), failure mode effects analysis (FMEA, and/or Lean Six Sigma tools.

• Familiar with GMP compliant calibration and maintenance databases

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• SAP experience related to plant maintenance and spare parts procurement systems

• cGMP experience in a sterile, bulk or finished pharmaceutical environment

• Experience in automation and manufacturing execution systems (MES), process modeling and process improvement.

• Familiarity with cGMPs and vaccine regulatory requirements.

• Mechanical functionality and reliability knowledge (asset management)

• Experience working in a clean room or GMP/regulated manufacturing environment

• Fluent with SAP, Maximo or another computerized maintenance management system

• Certified Maintenance Professional (CMRP, CRL, etc.)

• Technical writing and deviation investigation experience

#MSJR

VETJOBS

Required Skills:

Asset Management, Asset Management, Automated Manufacturing Systems, Capital Projects, Customer-Focused, Data Analysis Management, Decision Making, Electrical Maintenance, Field Failure Analysis, Global Manufacturing, GMP Compliance, Hands-On Training (Inactive) (Inactive), Interpret Electrical Drawings, Maintenance Scheduling, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Mechanical Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, Process Improvement Management, Production Scheduling, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), SAP Information Steward, Scheduling, Six Sigma Techniques, Team Leadership {+ 1 more}

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:

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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.

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The salary range for this role is

$106,200.00 - $167,200.00

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:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

08/13/2026

*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.