Associate Specialist, Technical Operations Engineering

About the role

West Point Technical Operations Process Support Laboratories (WPTO PSL) is seeking highly motivated individuals to join the laboratory team supporting multi-product vaccine manufacturing processes. The role will be a laboratory-based role collaborating with Operations, Technology, Quality, and other support groups to meet targeted manufacturing and product projects, including product/process investigation, continuous improvement changes, and strategic product/process initiatives.

Primary Activities

• Functioning as a key member of the Analytical team within Technical Operations laboratories through the execution of identification and characterization testing in support of lab-scale process optimization and investigations.
• Executing assignments against accelerated, critical-path timelines in a right-first-time manner.
• Communicates data across organizations.
• The candidate must function well and be able to collaborate in a fast-paced, integrated, multidisciplinary team environment in a laboratory-based role.

Education Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry or comparable discipline, with a minimum of 0 - 2 years of relevant experience.

Required

• General working knowledge and practices associated with experimental preparation, execution, analysis, and safety.
• Good laboratory documentation practices in notebooks and corresponding data review.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and cross-functionally.

Preferred

• Knowledge and understanding of one or more of the following; separation-based methodology (HPLC, UPLC, CE, SDS-PAGE), absorbance and fluorescence protein quantification, and plate-based characterization (ELISA, enzymatic activity).
• cGMPs experience.
• Experience performing or developing analytical test methods for recombinant proteins, viruses, and/or polysaccharides.
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong problem-solving skills including a hands-on approach to problem solving, with a bias towards going to see problems for oneself in the field.
• Skill in troubleshooting experimental design, assay development, and data analysis.

Additional information

Our Manufacturing & Supply Division is committed to be the most trusted supplier of biopharmaceuticals worldwide. Our facilities, along with our external contractors, suppliers, and partners, create an interdependent global manufacturing network that’s committed to delivering a high quality, reliable supply to customers and patients on time, every time.

Required Skills

Adaptability, Assay Development, Biochemistry, Biopharmaceutical Operations, Chemistry, Data Review, Design of Experiments (DOE), Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Laboratory Analysis, Multitasking, Problem Solving, Process Improvements, Protein Quantification, Recombinant Proteins, Report Writing, Technical Calculations, Troubleshooting, Working Independently

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.
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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 primary location for this posting is: USA - Pennsylvania - West Point

Pay and benefits

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is

$71,900.00 - $113,200.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

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): Yes
• Job Posting End Date: 11/13/2026

Additional information

*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.