Job DescriptionThe Senior Specialist, Manufacturing Data Engineering & Digital Integration serves as a senior technical leader for the design, integration, delivery, and sustainment of manufacturing data platforms and connected digital solutions across GMP operations. The role transforms complex manufacturing, laboratory, automation, and enterprise data into scalable data products, analytics, and AI-enabled capabilities that improve operational performance, process robustness, and data-driven decision making.
Responsibilities- Provide senior technical leadership for manufacturing data engineering, analytics, and digital integration initiatives of varied scope and duration.
- Translate complex business and manufacturing challenges into scalable technical strategies, solution architectures, and executable delivery plans.
- Lead and coordinate cross-functional technical work, mentor data engineers and analysts, review deliverables, and promote scientific rigor, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Design and direct integrations among manufacturing, laboratory, automation, and enterprise systems, including MES, process historians, SCADA/DCS, LIMS/CDS, ERP, and cloud analytics environments.
- Develop and oversee reliable data pipelines, APIs, web services, and integration patterns that move and contextualize information across OT and IT platforms.
- Define data requirements, interface specifications, data models, and architecture decisions for complex digital and capital projects.
- Lead troubleshooting and resolution of high-impact data flow, connectivity, interface, and performance issues affecting business operations.
- Own the end-to-end lifecycle of manufacturing data products from discovery and requirements through prototyping, industrialization, deployment, adoption, and ongoing sustainment.
- Direct the configuration and administration of manufacturing data and analytics platforms such as AVEVA PI System, SEEQ, Power BI, data lakes, and cloud-based analytics environments.
- Prepare, structure, model, and contextualize varied manufacturing datasets for dashboards, self-service analytics, advanced analytics, and operational reporting.
- Design scalable and reproducible analytical workflows that integrate process automation, laboratory, quality, and environmental monitoring data.
- Lead the evaluation, design, and deployment of AI and machine learning solutions for manufacturing use cases, including predictive analytics, process monitoring, deviation reduction, operational efficiency, knowledge management, and personal productivity.
- Guide development and integration of AI-powered applications, digital assistants, generative AI capabilities, and, where appropriate, computer vision solutions using approved enterprise platforms and APIs.
- Assess technical feasibility, data readiness, model risk, business impact, scalability, and sustainment requirements before industrializing AI solutions.
- Ensure data pipelines, models, dashboards, integrations, and applications follow internal data governance, data integrity, cybersecurity, and GxP/cGMP requirements.
- Provide leadership throughout the System Development Life Cycle, including requirements, design, configuration or development, testing, validation, deployment, release management, change control, and ongoing support.
- Lead or support validation and qualification activities for regulated computerized systems and maintain documentation needed for inspection and audit readiness.
- Establish data quality monitoring, metadata, lineage, access, and governance practices that promote trusted and reusable manufacturing data.
- Lead technical delivery for digital, automation, and capital projects requiring manufacturing system integration, data engineering, analytics, or AI capabilities.
- Partner effectively with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Technical Operations, Laboratories, IT/OT, external vendors, and global digital organizations.
- Communicate complex technical, analytical, and statistical concepts clearly to technical contributors, business stakeholders, and senior leaders.
QualificationsRequired
- Bachelor's degree in data science, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative or technical discipline with minimum of five (5) years of applied experience in data engineering, system integration, manufacturing systems, data analytics, data science, or AI/ML solution development.
- Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, or directing technical contributors or complex cross-functional projects.
- Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL, with working knowledge of additional languages or scripting tools such as R, PowerShell, or JavaScript.
- Hands-on experience with data integration technologies, REST APIs, web services, relational databases, data modeling, and enterprise integration patterns.
- Experience working within regulated environments and applying SDLC, computerized system validation, data integrity, and cybersecurity practices.
Preferred
- Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field with three (3) years of applied experience in data engineering, system integration, manufacturing systems, data analytics, data science, or AI/ML solution development.
- Strong knowledge of biopharmaceutical manufacturing operations, continuous process improvement, and cGMP regulatory environments.
- Experience with AVEVA PI System, SEEQ, Power BI, Ignition, Spotfire, Tableau, Dataiku, or comparable historian, analytics, and self-service BI platforms.
- Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn and cloud data platforms such as Azure or AWS.
- Experience with advanced manufacturing analytics, digital twins, large language models, generative AI, or computer vision, with emphasis on measurable business impact.
- Ability to explain complex engineering, data, AI, and statistical concepts to non-technical business leaders and influence decisions across organizational boundaries.
Required Skills: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Audit Management, Audit Trails, Automation, Automation Systems, Business Informatics, Business Process Improvements, Computer Science, Data Compliance, Data Engineering, Data Integration, Data Interfaces, Data Management, Data Modeling, Data Pipelines, Data Security, Data Visualization, Microsoft Azure, Problem Management, Python (Programming Language), Quality Management, Real-Time Programming, Requirements Specification, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) {+ 2 more}
Preferred Skills: Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:The salary range for this role is
$117,000.00 - $184,200.00
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:No relocation
VISA Sponsorship:No
Travel Requirements:10%
Flexible Work Arrangements:Not Applicable
Shift:1st - Day
Valid Driving License:No
Hazardous Material(s):n/a
Job Posting End Date:10/16/2026
*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. 
