Job Description

Associate Scientist/Engineer - Downstream Vaccines and Advanced Biotechnologies Process R&D

Applications are sought for an opportunity in the Vaccine and Advanced Biotechnologies Process R&D department, which is part of the our Research Labs division. The individual will support our company's discovery & development efforts for Vaccine programs at West Point, PA.

Our department (Vaccines and Advanced Biotechnologies, VAX) Process R&D is responsible for the development and clinical manufacturing of Drug Substance (DS) and Drug Product Intermediates (DPI) for the vaccine and advanced therapy pipeline, spanning from preclinical to commercialization stages. We are part of the Process R&D organization, which enables modality-agnostic DS process development and clinical manufacturing for all of our company's pipeline.

The successful candidate is expected to work with other downstream scientists and engineers, typically focusing on one to two vaccine programs at a time. The candidate must have the ability to work independently and as part of a team, self-motivation, adaptability, and a positive attitude. The candidate must have the ability to learn new techniques, to balance multiple projects, to keep accurate records, to follow instructions, and to comply with company policies. The successful candidate will possess proven ability to work in a hands-on laboratory setting and excellent organization, interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct laboratory benchwork to execute, optimize, and troubleshoot downstream process unit operations
• Contribute to the development of new principles, concepts, and methods to enable process development, scale-up of processes to pilot scale, and technology transfer to manufacturing scale
• Design, execute, and analyze process development experiments to maximize understanding of purification bioprocesses to make vaccine products
• Analyze, summarize, and present experimental results in a collaborative team environment
• Conduct lab work in a way which complies with company expectations of data integrity and safety

Education Minimum Requirement:

Must have a BS in relevant filed:

• Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering
• Science and Technology: Cell Biology, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology

Required Experience and Skills:

• Must have scientific understanding of downstream bioprocess purification processes.
• Scientific understanding of purification operations of large complex molecules.
• Technical understanding of bioprocess scaling principles.
• Position requires employee to be willing to work with infectious agents, pathogens and/or potent compounds
• Position requires occasional travel and off hour/weekend work.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Prior hands-on bioprocess development experience through academic lab or industry internship/co-op.
• Prior hands on experience with any of the following purification bioprocesses: Tangential Flow Filtration, Dead-End Filtration, Chromatography, or Homogenization.
• Prior hand-on experience with production or analysis of nano-particles

#PRD

Required Skills:
Bioprocess Engineering, Bioprocesses, Biotechnology, Cell Physiology, Centrifugation, Chemical Engineering, Chromatographic Techniques, Chromatography, Column Chromatography, Data Analysis, Downstream Process Development, Experimentation, Membrane Filtration Systems, Process Scale Up, Production Process Development, Protein Biochemistry, Protein Purifications, Technology Transfer

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.

The salary range for this role is
$71,900.00 - $113,200.00

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:
Regular

Relocation:
Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Not Applicable

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Job Posting End Date:
08/7/2026
*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.