This role pays less than
85%
of similar roles. Most pay
$130,770–$190,350
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$112k
versus about
$161k
for comparable roles.
Based on 239 similar postings.
Employer
About MSD
MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) is the international name for Merck & Co., a major U.S.-based pharmaceutical company.
MSD currently has
33 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$117,000–$184,200
across 33 roles with salary data.
Operations Lead (Shop Floor Supervisor) joins the Modality Agnostic Chemistry Scaleup team within the Chemical Engineering Research & Development department. This role supports a multi-modality drug substance development and GMP manufacturing plant during its construction, commissioning, and startup phases. The individual will supervise daily production activities, manage staff assignments, and implement process improvements to ensure compliance with Safety, Environmental, and GMP requirements. Key responsibilities include coordinating maintenance, overseeing equipment qualification, and ensuring facility readiness for active pharmaceutical ingredient processing. The role requires expertise in manufacturing processes, pilot plant operations, and root cause analysis while working with automation systems like DeltaV and PLC. Candidates must possess mechanical aptitude and experience with potent compound containment systems. This position addresses the technical challenge of scaling up complex chemistries, including small molecules and bioconjugates, within a high-standard regulated production environment.
Supervise daily production activities while ensuring compliance with Safety, GMP Quality, and Environmental requirements.
Prioritize and assign daily tasks for the operations staff to meet facility objectives.
Contribute to equipment and facility design, system commissioning, and qualification during the construction phase.
Implement process improvement actions to satisfy safety and manufacturing regulations.
Ensure facility readiness for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) processing.
Coordinate maintenance activities around production schedules to ensure reliable facility operation.
Perform root cause analysis and manage corrective actions (CAPA) and change controls.
Operate and maintain manufacturing, pilot plant, and laboratory scale equipment in a multi-modality environment.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related field with at least 2 years of relevant experience.
High school diploma with at least 6 years of relevant experience in a process development lab or pilot plant/manufacturing facility.
Experience supervising a team of shop floor personnel in an operations environment.
Proficiency in cGMPs, Good Documentation Practices (GDPs), and Safety & Environmental (S&E) regulations.
Experience operating and maintaining manufacturing, pilot, and laboratory scale equipment.
Ability to work in environments with automation systems such as DeltaV or PLC.
Skills in root cause analysis, conflict resolution, and troubleshooting.
Experience in GMP facility design, equipment startup/qualification, and potent compound containment (preferred).
cGMP
Chemical Engineering
Process Engineering
Facility Engineering
Pilot Plant Operations
DeltaV
PLC
SOP
PHA
LOPA
Quality Control Systems
Change Management
Containment Systems
Electronic Batch Records
Safety Compliance
Process Development
Scale-up
Technology Transfer
cGMP
GDocP
Design of Experiments
Process Modeling
Organic Chemical Synthesis
Wet Chemistry
Process Analytical Technologies (PAT)
Chemical Engineering
Pharmaceutical Process Development
cGMP
Design of Experiments (DOE)
Process Scale-up
Technology Transfer
Data Analysis
Process Modeling
Quality by Design
Technical Writing
Downstream Process Development
Product Formulation
Process Validation
Statistical Process Control
Chemical Engineering
Biochemical Engineering
Materials Science
GMP
Downstream Processing
Single-Use Systems
DeltaV
MES
SAP
Veeva Quality Docs
JMP
Microsoft Office
Lean Manufacturing
Root Cause Analysis
Process Engineering
Equipment Qualification
Data Analysis
Project Management
Chemical Engineering
Process Development
Technology Transfer
Design of Experiments (DOE)
cGMP
Wet Chemistry
Process Scale-up
Data Analysis
Statistical Data Analysis
Pharmaceutical Process Development
Quality Risk Management
Technical Writing
Good Documentation Practices (GDP