Job Description
Subject to applicable law, all prospective hires will be required to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or intend to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by November 1, 2021, or qualify for a medical or religious accommodation to this vaccination requirement. Hired candidates who are not vaccinated by November 1, 2021, and who have not been approved for a legally-required medical or religious accommodation will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment, in accordance with applicable law.
Within Discovery Operations of our Company's Research and Development (R&D) labs, this individual contributor will manage in vivo biology projects with external partners. This cross-functional position works with researchers to define project deliverables & workplans across various disciplines (including infectious disease & immunology, both large & small molecules). They develop & manage the biological partner landscape, collecting metrics on performance & improving partner services or workflows.
Technical experience:

• Extensive in vivo background related to infectious disease and/or immunology.
• Big picture working knowledge of drug discovery and development.
• Knowledge of macros and SQL queries or other tools to aid with workflows & visualization of business analytics.

Project management:

• Obtains quotes, drafts workplans, manages outsourcing with a project management & customer service mindset.
• Actively participates in Supplier Management Process teams, in partnership with researchers, Capability leads, Finance & Research Procurement to identify external partner requirements.
• Exhibits strong leadership skills to drive governance teams & align organizational needs across the functional network with partner sourcing strategies.
• Identifies challenges proactively & focuses on workflow improvements to enhance our efficiency, capabilities, or quality with external partners.
• Facilitates troubleshooting & resolution of operational & non-technical aspects of projects or defines & engages appropriate network resources to address issues with minimal supervision.

Partner relationship management:

• Responsible for understanding the scientific & technical capabilities available at our Company's partners across multiple disciplines, leveraging them to provide increased levels of service.
• Issues purchase orders for biological services with best-in-class customer service; interacts with business stakeholders at vendor & in-house finance, compliance, shipping logistics, procurement, accounts payable & business contracting to manage outsourcing activities reliably.
• Relies on a strong business acumen to serve as partner relationship manager to ensure success of multiple projects & programs running with the partner, while adapting, strengthening & broadening the collaboration when needed.
• Ensures partner understands & is prepared to meet our Company's expectations based on project workplans & master service agreements; coordinates meetings & communications externally to ensure all project requirements (timeline, budget & scientific) are met; accountable for monitoring partner performance metrics.
• Participates in external vendor audits & due diligence assessments as required.

Superior communication skills:

• Serves as primary point of contact for communications with a network of strategic & preferred CROs in addition to our Company's stakeholders.
• With Scientific Capability Leads & researchers, creates clear & concise workplans based on scientific, operational & business requirements that accurately reflect researcher needs & communicates them to vendors.
• Supports capacity & new capability planning, implementation & vendor performance coaching using recurrent meetings, email communications & metrics-driven formal reviews.
• Responsible for maintaining internal records on progress of projects & keeping internal stakeholders up to date on progress.

Ordering/budget management:

• Relies on a strong business acumen & maintains close collaboration with finance colleagues to ensure accurate budgeting/forecasting & actuals reporting while providing holistic outsourcing business analytics to stakeholders.
• Ensures good stewardship of our Company's resources confirming that payment is made only on goods & services that meet quality & turnaround time requirements.
• Ensures quotes include appropriate payment milestones & timeline specifications.
• Generates Purchase Orders to execute work & tracks invoicing to completion.

Required Experience and Skills:

• B.S. in Biology or related disciplines.
• Minimum (5) years of scientific experience in a research environment (with preference to industrial environment).
• Must possess strong communication, interpersonal and computer skills.
• Prior experience in biological/drug discovery research (large & small molecule): infectious disease or immunology.
• Prior experience with in vivo sciences (animal studies).

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Generation of purchase orders and invoicing payment management.
• Experience with macros, SQL queries, Spotfire, PowerBI, or PowerAutomate.
• Budget management/ Finance experience.
• Vendor management.
• Project Management Certification (PMP, CPM).
• Process improvement experience.

We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we "follow the science" that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. We believe that a research-driven enterprise dedicated to world-class science can succeed by inventing medicine and vaccine innovations that make a difference for patients across the globe.
Who we are ...
We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.
What we look for ...
Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us-and start making your impact today.
NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS
In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.
If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.
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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.
For more information about personal rights under Equal Employment Opportunity, visit:
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Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Kenilworth, 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:
Shift:
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
Number of Openings:
1