{"id":3328538,"url":"https://alion.io/job/merck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead","title":"Associate Director, Downstream Technical Operations Lead","company":{"id":3768,"name":"Merck & Co.","domain":"msd.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/msd","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":98,"open_postings":132,"ghost_share":0.03,"stale_share":0.114,"repost_share":0.174,"time_to_fill_p50_days":16,"computed_at":"2026-11-01T06:10:25Z"}},"role":"Biotech","role_family":"Biotech","seniority":"head","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Dunboyne, Ireland"],"countries":["IE"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":146000,"max_usd":269000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":507},"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"CAPA","optional":false},{"name":"Chromatography","optional":false},{"name":"GMP","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-26","last_verified_at":"2026-11-01T01:25:07Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":6,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":6},"description":"Job Description\nJoin our state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing facility in Dunboyne as the Downstream Technical Operations Lead.\nIn this pivotal role, you will hold end-to-end technical, manufacturing, and people accountability for a complex, growing biologics program. Reporting directly to the Downstream Technical Operations Director as part of the MSAT function, you will lead a high-performing team of scientists and engineers delivering day-to-day manufacturing support across all downstream unit operations - including chromatography, filtration, and formulation.\nWhat You Will Do\nTechnical Program Ownership\nMaintain end-to-end technical ownership of the assigned biologics program, guiding activities from technology transfer and PPQ execution through to commercial lifecycle management.\n\nAct as a core member of the Downstream technical leadership team, helping to shape the site's overall technical strategy and execution standards.\n\nManufacturing Support & Operational Excellence\nEnable robust, compliant, and reliable production by providing visible, floor-based technical support to resolve real-time manufacturing issues.\n\nSet clear priorities, expectations, and decision-making frameworks to ensure rapid deviation investigations, root-cause analyses, and change implementation.\n\nProactively identify, assess, and resolve manufacturing risks, establishing strong escalation practices and transparent communication with site and global stakeholders.\n\nPeople Leadership & Talent Development\nLead, coach, and develop a team of downstream scientists, engineers, SMEs, and subteam leads, ensuring clear accountabilities, capacity management, and strong engagement.\n\nFoster a culture of continuous learning, scientific rigor, engineering excellence, psychological safety, and lean-driven improvement.\n\nMentor team members through complex problem-solving, stretch assignments, and subteam leadership opportunities to strengthen site succession plans.\n\nCross-Functional Collaboration\nCollaborate closely with Downstream Receiving Unit lead, Integrated Process Teams, Commercialisation partners, and the Global Biologics Organisation to align technical priorities, share best practice, and accelerate the successful delivery of a complex and evolving pipeline.\n\nPartner closely at the interface between Development, Quality, Engineering, Automation, Supply Chain, and global technical partners to drive strategic program delivery.\n\nWhat Skills You Will Need\nEducation & Professional Experience\nDegree: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in a relevant Engineering or Scientific discipline.\n\nExperience: A minimum of 8-10 years of experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and/or development, with a proven track record in scientific and technical leadership roles.\n\nTechnical & Operational Expertise\nDownstream Processes: Deep technical expertise in biologics molecules, chromatography, filtration, formulation, process equipment, and automation.\n\nProduct Lifecycle: Proven experience in biologics drug substance development, downstream technical operations, technology transfer, PPQ, and new product introduction.\n\nGMP Compliance: Strong operational experience in a highly regulated GMP environment, including floor-based support, regulatory filings, investigations, quality notifications, CAPA management, and process monitoring.\n\nBusiness Acumen: Solid understanding of product lifecycle management, financial stewardship, and the ability to manage resource allocation across multiple complex programs simultaneously.\n\nLeadership & Influence\nLeading Through Others: Proven ability to build, scale, and lead high-performing technical teams, setting clear priorities and coaching technical decision-making.\n\nStakeholder Management: Excellent communication and presentation capabilities, with a demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of a global network.\n\nAgility & Drive: A strong sense of urgency, resilience, and change agility, combined with an engaging, motivational leadership style.\n\nWhy Join Us?\nWork in a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art biologics facility in Dunboyne.\n\nLead a diverse, growing pipeline of biologics programs.\n\nDrive technical excellence within a highly collaborative, cross-functional global network.\n\nAdditional location(s) Compensation Information:\nRequired Skills:\nBusiness Acumen, Business Acumen, Business Management, Change Adoption, Chromatography, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), Cross-Cultural Awareness, Deviation Investigations, Financial Management, GMP Compliance, GMP Environments, Maintenance Supervision, Manufacturing Quality Control, Manufacturing Support, People Leadership, Pharmaceutical Development, Process Engineering, Process Improvements, Product Lifecycle, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Inspections, Resource Allocation, Single-Use Systems (SUS), Sterile Manufacturing, Strategic Thinking {+ 1 more}Preferred Skills:\nCurrent Employees apply HERE\nCurrent Contingent Workers apply HERE\nSearch Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully\nMerck & 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.\nEmployee Status:\nRegularRelocation:\nVISA Sponsorship:\nTravel Requirements:\nFlexible Work Arrangements:\nHybridShift:\nValid Driving License:\nHazardous Material(s):\nJob Posting End Date:\n11/16/2026*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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6051,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Continuous learning","Flexible schedule"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Ireland","iso":"IE","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Veterinary Medicine","Vaccines","Biologics & Biosimilars","Oncology Therapeutics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-27T11:13:17Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":81,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":6,"expected_fill_days":16,"reasons":["conf:4","velocity","win:mid","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-01T06:10:25Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/merck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/merck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-01T09:00:06Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":13925,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3768},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3768"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fmerck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fmerck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fmerck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/merck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fmerck-co-associate-director-downstream-technical-operations-lead"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3328538}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"msd.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3328538},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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