Associate Director, Site Learning & Development

Job Description

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Site Learning & Talent Development is a strategic leader responsible for influencing and executing the learning strategy across our biopharmaceutical manufacturing and vaccine operations site. This role sits at the intersection of regulatory compliance, human performance, and technological innovation. You will drive learner-centric design principles, oversee training curricula governance, and integrate cutting-edge Digital and AI solutions to optimize capability building and execution excellence. A critical focus of this role is ensuring workforce readiness during new capital project launches, tech transfers and enterprise system implementations, ensuring right-first-time execution and sustained GxP compliance.

Leader Mindset Expectations

• Safety: Protect patients, people, plant, property, product and processes. Enable a safe, zero-injury workplace where all team members and colleagues are held accountable for returning home in as-good or better shape than when they arrived to work.

• Compliance & Quality: Ensure complete audit readiness by integrating GxP requirements into all learning solutions. Partner with Deviation Management and Quality Assurance to develop training strategies that effectively address Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs) and human performance deviations.

• Continuous Improvement: Champion a learning organization where we are better today than we were yesterday and have a plan to be better tomorrow than we are today. Fail fast, fail forward, learn quickly and adapt to ever-changing business needs.

Role Accountabilities

• Asset & System Strategy: Lead the learning strategy for new site builds, asset expansions, tech transfers and enterprise system rollouts, as well as major enhancements. Develop scalable onboarding and upskilling frameworks to ensure rapid workforce readiness prior to operational go-live.

• Learner-Centric Design: Champion human-centered design principles. Move beyond read-and-understand SOPs by designing experiential, role-based, and targeted training that respects the learner's operational workflow and cognitive load.

• Digital & AI Acumen: Pioneer the use of Digital and AI capabilities within the L&D ecosystem. Deploy adaptive learning technologies, AI-driven content curation, and immersive digital tools to accelerate time-to-proficiency.

• LMS Administration: Support site governance for the Learning Management System. Establish robust data integrity protocols, streamline curricula structures, and influence standard operating procedures for training assignments, management and reporting. Own the business process for maintaining learning plans through daily LMS management.

• People Development: Mentor and build a high-performing L&D team. Foster a culture of continuous development, upskilling team members and trainers in modern learning theories, data analytics, and performance consultation skills.

Team Stewardship

• Effectively establish, deepen and sustain key relationships with Site-level business leaders and mid-level managers to understand their business needs and related performance gaps; provide oversight and analysis when defining curricula requirements, and demonstrate an understanding of processes and methodology to provide appropriate learning solutions.

• Lead collaborative efforts with stakeholders to define desired performance outcomes; provide feedback and coaching on issues related to learning programs and policies.

• Identify performance needs and gaps and facilitate delivery of learning solutions to the business, when appropriate. May deliver training and/or support local SMEs who provide training, as needed.

• Remain current on learning and development related tools, techniques, strategies and practices to provide relevant, informed consultative advice to clients; share leading learning practices with teams and stakeholders.

• Ensure successful learning outcomes by supporting the identification and translation of the client’s learning needs into a defined learning strategy and implemented solutions. Report timely feedback on learning effectiveness to the business and communicate suggestions for improvement.

Desired Competencies

• Leadership: Demonstrated skill in applying solutions, tools, and techniques to gain the cooperation and support of others; ability to lead by example, foster collaborative relationships, and impact decisions within and outside the organization.

• Coaching: Ability to encourage, motivate and guide individuals/teams in the delivery of the full L&D value proposition.

• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Ability to use a broad range of methods, assumptions, frameworks, and perspectives when solving problems and making decisions. Ability to make problems visible, propose viable solutions, and capitalize on opportunities that occur by chance or by self-creation.

• Strategic Planning: Project planning and management experience, including the ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1–2 years), and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the business plan.

• Adult Learning Theory and Practice: Experience in applying concepts and practices of adult learning to meet the dynamic needs of the business. Ability to assess competency gaps and identify what people need to learn for successful individual and organizational performance.

• Fluency in one or more scientific method-derived continuous improvement frameworks, e.g. Six-sigma, Lean, QbD, TQM, Agile, etc.

• Expert in achieving and communicating the impact of L&D on top-line and/or bottom-line financial results for the site and company.

Required:

Education:

• High School Diploma/GED with minimum 15 years of relevant experience* - or

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Business, STEM, or a related field with 11 years of relevant experience* - or

• Master's degree in Education, Business, STEM, or a related field with 9 years of relevant experience*

*Relevant experience includes working in a highly regulated industry, GxP training and qualification, quality management system, operational excellence, human performance, post-secondary educational leadership, etc.

Preferred:

• Experience in biopharmaceuticals, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, or other regulated industries.

• Experience driving innovative learning solutions at scale.

• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing executive stakeholders.

• Demonstrated success leading teams and being accountable for employee development.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

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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

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:

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Shift:

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Job Posting End Date:

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