Director, Integrated Process Team (IPT) Leader
Merck
Summary
The Director, Operations position serves as the business unit manager for the cross-functional integrated process team (IPT) supporting a business area. This role provides leadership to the IPT and will also represent the business area on the Wilson Site Leadership Team.
Job description
Position Overview
The Director, Operations position serves as the business unit manager for the cross-functional integrated process team (IPT) supporting a business area. This role provides leadership to the IPT and will also represent the business area on the Wilson Site Leadership Team.
Primary Activities
Provide tactical and strategic direction to the IPT, ensuring business objectives are met, a high standard for Quality and EHS compliance is maintained, and the IPT operates efficiently and within budget. Promote continuous improvement within the IPT (aligned with lean manufacturing principles) and maintain an inclusive culture that supports positive employee relations.
Compliance
- Ensure operations are executed in compliance with Safety, Environmental, Quality (cGMP), and Labor regulations.
- Maintain a safe workplace and manage actions to prevent safety incidents.
- Investigate, determine root cause, and implement robust CAPAs for compliance discrepancies noted during activities, trend reviews, internal audits, or inspections.
Delivery
- Direct production, packaging, and support personnel to ensure customer supply requirements are achieved.
- Resolve and escalate issues impacting supply within daily, weekly, and monthly IPT and site management processes.
Cost
- Develop budget for the IPT and ensure activities are carried out in accordance with budget forecast.
- Identify and execute capital projects needed to support the IPT short and long-term strategies.
- Recognize and implement opportunities for efficiency and financial savings including elimination of waste.
People and Team
- Define and staff positions necessary to execute multi-shift operations at the Wilson site.
- Provide leadership to the cross-functional team and direct Operations team providing coaching, development, and performance management.
- Ensure culture of inclusion and consistency is maintained supporting positive employee relations.
- Build effective relationships with other functional areas and stakeholders across the company network.
Strategic Support and Continuous Improvement
- Help develop the strategy for the IPT as well as tactical plans to meet those goals.
- Embed a culture of continuous improvement and MPS into the Operations team focused on standard work, making problems visible, minimizing waste, reducing process variability, and problem solving.
- Identify and implement opportunities for process optimization and efficiency.
- Provide site support and leadership to high-priority network strategies and initiatives.
Requirements
- B.A./B.S. degree (preferably in Science or Engineering related field)
- Master's Degree preferred
- Minimum 12 years relevant industry experience across multiple functions (Operations, Quality, Technical, Engineering, Supply Chain Management, etc.)
- Minimum 5 years Operations experience with some responsibility managing multi-layered organizations
- Strong leadership and influencing skills: ability to drive change, influence stakeholders, and motivate teams to achieve stretch goals
- Working knowledge of cGMP and regulatory requirements as they apply to the pharmaceutical industry
- Strong communication skills: ability to effectively communicate with cross-functional teams, above-site stakeholders, and external authorities
- Willing to work irregular hours to support multi-shift operation on an as needed basis
- Experience leading a complex manufacturing or packaging operation within a plant site (Operations, Quality, or Technical role)
- Experience licensing a new facility or start-up/scale-up of new capital installations for commercial supply
- Experience in continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, problem solving, and/or right first time methodologies
- Familiarity with change execution management and behavioral coaching / consequence management tools
- Strong written and verbal communication including presentation skills and technical writing experience (investigations, change requests, standard operating procedures, protocols, etc.)
- Project management skills: ability to prioritize tasks, manage timelines, and meet deadlines
- Experience supporting regulatory inspections (FDA, EMA, etc.)
Benefits
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- 401(k) Matching
- Retirement Benefits
- Paid Holidays
- Vacation
- Compassionate Leave
- Sick Days
- Annual Bonus
- Long-Term Incentive
Company overview
Merck & Co., Inc., known as Merck in the United States and Canada and MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) internationally, is a premier American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. Founded in 1891 as the U.S. subsidiary of the German Merck Group, the company became independent following World War I and has since grown into one of the world's largest biomedical companies, ranking fourth globally by revenue. Merck operates across three core business segments: pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and animal health products. The company is renowned for its groundbreaking research and development, having brought numerous life-saving medicines to market including Keytruda (pembrolizumab), a leading immunotherapy for cancer treatment that generated $29.5 billion in 2024 revenue, and Gardasil, a revolutionary HPV vaccine. With approximately 75,000 employees worldwide, Merck maintains a robust pipeline of innovative therapies focused on oncology, vaccines, hospital acute care, cardiology, neuroscience, virology, immunology, and diabetes. The company invests heavily in R&D, spending $17.9 billion in 2024 alone, demonstrating its commitment to advancing scientific discovery. Merck's legacy spans over 130 years of bringing hope to humanity through important medicines and vaccines, operating with a purpose to use leading-edge science to save and improve lives globally while fostering an inclusive workforce and responsible business practices.