Operations Manager

About the role

This requisition is for both day shift and night shift positions.

This position is for a manufacturing leadership role as Operations Manager supporting the commercial-scale manufacture of vaccines and therapeutics at the Durham, NC site. The individual in this role must provide direction, coaching, and technical expertise to operations personnel responsible for the manufacturing processes.

This individual must actively manage their assigned team to reliably support customer demand, including hiring as needed, employee development, routine 1:1 meetings and coaching, recognition, and performance management. Additionally, they must become proficient in the use of manufacturing systems and knowledgeable of site procedures in order to resolve process/equipment issues, minimize downtime, and ensure product quality.

Successful candidate(s) will be assigned to support one of the manufacturing factories located at the Durham, NC site.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to

Employee Development / People Management

• Develop, motivate, and manage a team to ensure reliable manufacturing process execution
• Assign yearly performance objectives for the team in alignment with department and site goals
• Provide regular feedback and coaching to employees on work performance
• Provide leadership to the team as needed based on the team's capabilities and maturity
• Ensure on time approval of payroll activities using site approved software like ADP.

Process Execution / Continuous Improvement

• Provide a leadership presence on the manufacturing floor
• Champion standard work to drive consistent use of best practices across teams
• Regularly help the team troubleshoot issues to minimize downtime and maintain product quality
• Identify opportunities to improve the process (e.g. cycle times, ease of execution, reliability)
• Support work as needed to implement improvements (e.g. scheduling, staffing, protocol execution)
• Coach team members in executing smaller improvement projects in their operational area
• Represent Operations on project teams as needed

Communication

• Lead and support daily (Tier) meetings to facilitate flow of information up/down through the organization
• Hold regular team meetings to cascade information and collect team feedback
• Provide clear consistent communication from shift to shift
• Escalate issues as needed to ensure the right support/awareness is given to issues as they arise
• Serve as an Subject Matter Expert (SME) during tours to provide area/process overview information to visitors/auditors upon request

Quality & Safety Compliance

• Foster strong safety culture on the team through actions, coaching, and prioritization
• Coach individuals when reporting safety issues and completing corrective/preventative actions
• Drive culture of compliance through actions, consistent quality-driven decision making, and coaching of the team (e.g. documentation, housekeeping, area 5S, etc.)
• Participate in safety/regulatory audits (i.e. tours, topic discussion)

Financial

• Coach the team to ensure SAP transaction completion is timely and accurate
• Manage team staffing and overtime to support customer demand while meeting budget targets
• Recognize opportunities for cost savings and communicates them for potential project chartering

Education Minimum Requirement

• High School Diploma/GED required

Required Experience and Skills

• Minimum six (6) years of experience in a manufacturing, technical, support, or Military role or at least four (4) years of experience in a manufacturing, technical, support, or Military role with a Bachelor's degree in Life Science or Engineering
• Must be willing to work a rotating shift schedule including but not limited to:
• 2-3-3 rotation x 12.5 hr shifts (example 6:00AM to 6:30PM or 6:00PM - 6:30 AM). Note that this schedule does include working alternating weekends and holidays
• 4 day x 10.5 hr shifts with rotating weekend coverage. Note that this schedule does include working alternating weekends and holidays.
• 5 day x 8.5 hr shifts. Note that this schedule does include working holidays with weekend coverage required based on business needs.
• Ability to qualify and maintain gowning requirements to enter classified areas in the manufacturing area to provide shopfloor support
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team (i.e. experience leading directly as a supervisor/coach or indirectly as part of a project or through routine process execution)
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and coordinate people/resources to meet a production schedule
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Previous supervisory experience
• Experience in a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-regulated manufacturing environment
• Experience using electronic manufacturing systems (e.g. PAS-X, SAP, Delta-V, etc.)
• Experience interacting with regulatory auditors as part of area tours and/or topic discussion
• Lean Six Sigma certification #MSJR #VetJobs #EBRG

Required Skills

Adaptability, Aseptic Manufacturing, cGMP Compliance, Data Analysis, Employee Performance Standards, Interpersonal Relationships, Inventory Management, Manufacturing Quality Control, Operational Excellence, Packaging Operations, People Leadership, Process Engineering, Process Improvements, Production Scheduling, Sterile Filling

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.
• EEOC Know Your Rights

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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.

• Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts
• The primary location for this posting is: USA - North Carolina - Durham (Old Oxford)

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

$96,200.00 - $151,400.00

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

• 10%
• Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable
• Shift: 1st - Day, 2nd - Evening, 3rd - Night
• Valid Driving License: No
• Hazardous Material(s): Cleaning Supplies
• Job Posting End Date: 11/16/2026

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.