Senior Specialist, EHS Solution Architecture

Job Description

The Opportunity

·   Join a global healthcare biopharma organization and shape the architecture that connects digital capabilities across Maintenance, Engineering, Asset Reliability, Manufacturing Site Operations, and Environmental Health & Safety.

·   Lead the evolution of ME and EHS from individual product platforms toward an interoperable, governed, secure, and data-driven ecosystem integrated with critical enterprise systems.

·   Design central data hubs and reusable information services that make engineering and broader company EHS data discoverable, trusted, contextualized, and available for operational reporting, business insights, advanced analytics, and AI use cases.

·   Conceptualize digital-thread capabilities that preserve business context and data continuity across engineering, project delivery, commissioning, asset handover, operations, maintenance, reliability, and EHS processes.

·   Work across global product teams, manufacturing sites, enterprise architecture, data and analytics, cybersecurity, quality, infrastructure, integration teams, vendors, and managed service providers.

Role Overview

We are hiring a Solution Architect to define and deliver the target architecture for the company. The architect will focus on extending existing platforms so they can interoperate with critical enterprise systems, designing central data hubs for Engineering and other products, and enabling governed use of digital data for business insights and AI. The role combines strategy, hands-on architecture, feasibility assessment, solution design, technical governance, and delivery leadership.

The Solution Architect will translate business and product strategies into architecture principles, capability models, reference architectures, integration patterns, data-product designs, technology roadmaps, and executable implementation increments. The role will assess current-state constraints, identify reusable platform capabilities, evaluate build-versus-buy options, guide proof-of-concept and pilot work, and ensure solutions are secure, compliant, scalable, supportable, and aligned with enterprise standards.

What You Will Do

·   Define the MEEHS target architecture: Develop current-state, transition-state, and target-state architectures spanning applications, integrations, identity, cloud services, infrastructure, data, analytics, security, and operations.

·   Enable enterprise interoperability: Design and implement integration patterns that connect with critical enterprise systems through APIs, events, middleware, managed file exchange, master data services, and governed data-sharing mechanisms.

·   Architect central data hubs: Design central data hubs for Engineering and other EHS products, including ingestion, storage, transformation, semantic modeling, metadata, lineage, access, quality, retention, observability, and consumption layers.

·   Establish trusted information models: Define canonical data models, business vocabularies, identifiers, metadata standards, master and reference data alignment, and contextual relationships across projects, facilities, systems, equipment, documents, work processes, risks, and controls.

·   Advance digital-thread capabilities: Conceptualize and assess digital-thread use cases connecting engineering design, project controls, construction, commissioning and qualification, asset handover, site operations, maintenance, reliability, and EHS information.

·   Assess feasibility and shape investments: Evaluate business value, technical feasibility, architecture fit, data readiness, integration complexity, cybersecurity, compliance, operating impact, cost, vendor capability, dependencies, and delivery risk.

·   Enable insights and AI readiness: Create governed data foundations that support operational dashboards, KPI reporting, predictive insights, AI-assisted search, knowledge retrieval, machine-learning use cases, and future agent-enabled workflows.  Design and build visualization layer using Power BI.

·   Provide delivery leadership: Convert approved concepts into solution designs, architecture decision records, integration specifications, data contracts, implementation roadmaps, technical work packages, non-functional requirements, test strategies, deployment plans, and support models.

·   Guide platform and vendor decisions: Lead technical evaluations of COTS, SaaS, cloud, data, integration, analytics, and AI technologies; assess vendor roadmaps and architecture claims; and recommend fit-for-purpose solutions.

·   Embed security, privacy, and compliance: Incorporate secure-by-design, least-privilege access, identity federation, encryption, logging, monitoring, data classification, privacy, records management, GMP/GxP, validation, and audit-readiness requirements.

·   Partner through a product mindset: Work with Product Managers to connect user needs and business outcomes to capabilities, roadmaps, backlogs, release increments, adoption measures, product health, value realization, and total cost of ownership.

What You Should Have

Primary Skills: TOGAF

• API Architecture (REST, OData, Web Services)
• Data Architecture (Lakes, Lakehouse, Warehouse)
• Enterprise System Integration

AI/Machine Learning Architecture

 

• Secondary Skills: CAD/BIM Platforms (Autodesk, Bentley)
• CMMS / Asset Reliability Platforms
• EHS Platforms (Enablon, Sphera, Cority, Intelex)

·   Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Data Engineering, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.

·   At least 8 years of IT experience, including substantial experience in system architecture, solution architecture, enterprise integration, application modernization, and data-platform design.

·   Demonstrated experience creating solution, integration, application, data, cloud, security, and deployment architectures for complex enterprise environments.

·   Experience designing interoperability across COTS, SaaS, vendor-hosted, cloud, hybrid, and enterprise platforms using reusable integration and information patterns.

·   Experience architecting data hubs, data platforms, warehouses, lakes or lakehouses, semantic models, metadata and lineage capabilities, data quality controls, and governed analytical consumption.

·   Experience progressing concepts from discovery and feasibility assessment through proof of concept, pilot, implementation, rollout, operational transition, and lifecycle management.

·   Experience working with enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, privacy, quality, infrastructure, integration, data and analytics, procurement, service management, vendors, and managed service teams.

·   Pharmaceutical or regulated manufacturing experience is preferred. Experience in other industrial manufacturing sectors supporting engineering, maintenance, asset reliability, construction, manufacturing operations, or EHS will also be considered.

Technical Knowledge

·   Architecture methods and modeling: Capability mapping, domain architecture, reference architectures, architecture principles, transition roadmaps, architecture decision records, non-functional requirements, design reviews, and modeling approaches such as ArchiMate or UML.

·   Integration and interoperability: API-first and event-driven architecture; REST, SOAP, JSON, XML, OData, webhooks, message queues, event streaming, API gateways, iPaaS, middleware, ETL/ELT, managed file transfer, and data contracts.

·   Data architecture and governance: Relational and NoSQL models, warehouses, lakes and lakehouses, data products, semantic layers, master and reference data, metadata catalogs, lineage, quality, stewardship, retention, archival, and role-based access.

·   Cloud and platform architecture: Microsoft Azure or comparable cloud services; SaaS, PaaS, containers, serverless services, hybrid integration, network patterns, availability, resilience, backup, disaster recovery, observability, and environment strategy.

·   Digital engineering and MEEHS domains: Engineering information management, CAD/BIM, project controls, common data environments, asset information, CMMS, condition monitoring, predictive reliability, EHS systems, electronic work permits, risk assessments, project-to-operations handover, digital threads, and digital twins.

·   Analytics and AI enablement: Power BI or comparable business intelligence platforms, analytical data preparation, feature-ready datasets, vector and semantic retrieval concepts, knowledge graphs, responsible AI controls, data provenance, model monitoring, and human oversight.

·   Cybersecurity and identity: Zero Trust, secure-by-design, IAM, SSO, MFA, RBAC, PAM, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML, certificates, encryption, secrets management, vulnerability management, threat modeling, audit logging, and secure vendor connectivity.

·   Regulated delivery and operations: SDLC, Computer System Assurance, Computer System Validation, GAMP 5 principles, GMP/GxP, 21 CFR Part 11 concepts, ALCOA+ data integrity, change and release control, traceability, periodic review, incident and problem management, and audit readiness.

Non-Technical Skills and Competencies

·   Strong systems thinking with the ability to connect business capabilities, processes, applications, integrations, information, technology, controls, operating models, and measurable outcomes.

·   Product-centered mindset with a focus on user needs, business value, reusable capabilities, roadmap sequencing, adoption, product health, lifecycle sustainability, technical debt, and total cost of ownership.

·   Ability to communicate complex architecture and data concepts clearly to business stakeholders, product teams, engineers, quality and security partners, vendors, and senior leadership.

·   Ability to facilitate discovery, architecture workshops, trade-off decisions, design reviews, feasibility assessments, and cross-functional alignment using clear decision criteria.

·   Demonstrated ownership, sound judgment, curiosity, structured problem solving, and the ability to lead through ambiguity without losing delivery discipline.

·   Ability to influence without direct authority, manage conflicting priorities, constructively challenge assumptions, and build alignment within a global matrix organization.

·   Inclusive and collaborative leadership style that invites diverse perspectives, shares knowledge, develops others, and establishes trust across technical and non-technical teams.

Preferred Certifications

·   TOGAF, ArchiMate, or a comparable enterprise and solution architecture certification.

·   Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Data Engineer Associate, Azure AI Engineer Associate, or comparable cloud certification.

·   DAMA Certified Data Management Professional, Databricks Data Engineer, or comparable data architecture and governance certification.

Working Hours and Expectations

·   This is primarily an office-based position. The successful candidate is expected to work on-site a minimum of three days per week to support effective architecture collaboration, stakeholder engagement, design workshops, knowledge sharing, and team development.

·   Collaborate across global time zones and provide reasonable overlap for scheduled meetings with manufacturing sites, enterprise teams, vendors, and product stakeholders.

·   Participate in planned architecture workshops, proof-of-concept activities, releases, cutovers, disaster-recovery exercises, and occasional off-hours support for critical implementation or production events in accordance with established procedures.

·   Occasional travel may be required to support manufacturing sites, project teams, vendor engagements, architecture workshops, or implementation activities.

Performance Measures

·   Delivery of approved current-state, transition-state, and target-state architectures, reference patterns, architecture decisions, implementation roadmaps, and technical work packages aligned with agreed scope and outcomes.

·   Successful interoperability outcomes demonstrated through secure, reliable, supportable, and reusable integrations between platforms and critical enterprise systems.

·   Progress in establishing central data hubs with trusted ingestion, transformation, metadata, lineage, quality, semantic modeling, access, and consumption capabilities.

·   Business acceptance and measurable use of governed data for operational reporting, business insights, advanced analytics, and prioritized AI use cases.

·   Feasibility assessments and architecture recommendations that provide clear options, trade-offs, dependencies, cost and risk considerations, and executable next steps.

·   Compliance with architecture, cybersecurity, privacy, GMP/GxP, validation, data integrity, records, operational resilience, and audit-readiness requirements.

·   Reduction of duplicate integrations, fragmented data flows, unsupported technologies, manual reconciliation, technical debt, vendor dependency, and lifecycle risk through documented architecture actions.

·   Consistently demonstrates strong work ethic, ownership, accountability, integrity, and sound judgment while fostering inclusive, respectful, and collaborative behavior, sharing knowledge, seeking diverse perspectives, and contributing positively to cross-functional team outcomes.

Who We Are

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to advance innovative health solutions for people and animals around the world.

What We Look For

We seek a pragmatic and forward-looking architect who combines technical depth with product thinking and delivery focus. The successful candidate will be able to move between strategy and implementation, simplify complex ecosystems, establish trusted data foundations, guide cross-functional decisions, and create secure, compliant, interoperable, and sustainable digital capabilities for EHS.

Required Skills:

Architectural Design, Architectural Design, Architectural Review, Cloud Computing, Cloud Computing Services, Data Encryption, Data Modeling, Delivery Management, Deployment Strategies, Design Applications, Enterprise Systems Integration, Integration Architecture, Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), Knowledge Sharing, Microsoft Azure, NoSQL, Platform Design, Project Architecture, Proof of Concept (POC), Release Management, Requirements Management, Software Interoperability, Solution Architecture, System Designs, System Integration {+ 1 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Secondary Language(s) Job Description:

#MSDHYDIT

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

09/30/2026

*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.