Sr. Specialist, Discovery Sourcing Operations - In Vitro Screening Partner Management
Job Description
New hires based in the US & Puerto Rico will be required to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or qualify for a medical or religious exemption or accommodation to this vaccination requirement, subject to applicable law.
Within Discovery Operations of our Research Labs, this individual contributor will manage in vitro biology projects with external partners with focus on in vitro screening and project management. This cross-functional position works with scientists to enable external research & ensure project deliverables across various Therapeutic areas (including oncology, cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases, diabetes, infectious disease, immunology, and/or neuroscience), Finance and Procurement. They develop & manage the in vitro partner portfolio, monitoring performance & improving partner services or workflows while ensuring financial stewardship of our's resources. The successful candidate is an experienced drug discovery Project Manager with business acumen and strong IT skills.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Project management
- Manages the end-to-end process of in vitro externalizing research for multiple Discovery projects with global contract research organizations (CROs)
- Enables the execution of external studies in collaboration with researchers, Scientific Capability Leads, Shipping logistics, Finance, and R & D Procurement
- Exhibits strong leadership skills to manage cross-functional teams & align/prioritize organizational needs with partner sourcing strategies
- Identifies and addresses challenges proactively with minimal supervision
- Focuses on workflow improvements to enhance our efficiency, capabilities, or quality with external partners
- Facilitates troubleshooting & resolution of operational aspects of projects; defines & engages appropriate network resources to address issues & business needs to ensure secure data transfer with CROs and documentation compliance of externalized work and project archives (e.g. Electronic Notebooks)
- Business & financial acumen
- Maintains close collaboration with Finance colleagues to ensure accurate budgeting/forecasting & spend reporting of external projects
- Relies on a strong business acumen to advise stakeholders on appropriate partners & processes that align with sourcing strategies
- Prioritizes requests from researchers, confirms appropriate partner service agreements with Procurement, and ensures alignment with budget
- Requires knowledge of SAP and/or Ariba to generate Purchase Orders and track invoices & accruals
- Confirms quotes include appropriate payment milestones and timeline specifications & align with contracted pricing
- Ensures good stewardship of our Company resources, confirming payments are made only on goods & services that meet quality & turnaround time requirements
- Maintains accurate records of sourcing projects and performs analytics of sourcing & financial data; partners with Finance for discussions with stakeholders on business analytics
- Partner relationship management
- Ensures partner understands and 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 & communicating partner performance metrics. Leverages in vitro scientific knowledge to understand the scientific & technical capabilities available at our company's global external partners across multiple disciplines to provide increased levels of service
- Serves as partner relationship manager to ensure success of multiple projects executed at various external partners while adapting, strengthening & broadening the collaboration when needed
- Interacts with external business stakeholders in addition to internal finance, compliance, shipping logistics, procurement, & accounts payable teams to manage outsourcing activities reliably
- Participates in external vendor compliance audits & in vitro due diligence assessments as required
- Superior communication skills:
- Serves as primary point of contact for communications with a network of strategic & preferred in vitro CROs in addition to our Company's stakeholders
- Excellent written & oral communication skills to facilitate interactions with various stakeholders from different disciplines, relaying scientific, operational, & financial information to varying audiences
- Provides outreach to scientific stakeholders and presents sourcing data to cross-functional teams
- In partnership with Scientific Capability Leads, gathers needs from researchers to create clear & concise workplans based on scientific, operational & business requirements & communicates them to vendors
- Leads partner performance reviews using recurrent meetings& metrics-driven presentations
- Responsible for tracking progress of all projects & keeping both internal & external stakeholders up to date on progress
Education Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree
Required Experience and Skills:
- Minimum (5) years in drug discovery environment (with preference to pharmaceutical industry)
- Must possess strong computer skills, communication, and interpersonal
- Minimum (3) years project management experience
- Experience with Sharepoint management, pipeline pilot, macros, SQL queries, Spotfire, PowerBI, or Power Automate
Preferred Experience and Skills:
- Prior in vitro laboratory experience
- Generation of purchase orders and invoicing payment management (SAP/Ariba)
- Budget management/finance experience
- CRO management and KPI tracking
- Project Management Certification (CPM)
- Process improvement experience
Technical Experience and skills:
- Scientific in vitro background related to screening assays for any Therapeutic area.
- Big picture working knowledge of drug discovery research and development
- Knowledge of SAP/Ariba, Sharepoint, pipeline pilot, macros, SQL queries, Power BI, Spotfire, and/or other data analytic tools to aid with workflows & visualization of business analytics
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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Employee Status:
Regular
Relocation:
No relocation
VISA Sponsorship:
No
Travel Requirements:
10%
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Not Specified
Shift:
1st - Day
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
Number of Openings:
1