Executive Director, Materials and Biophysical Characterization

Job Summary

The Executive Director of Materials and Biophysical Characterization plays a critical role in advancing our company's mission. This leader is responsible for providing strategic and technical leadership for materials characterization methodologies, phase screening platforms, and biophysical characterization to enable deep understanding of drug substances and drug products and successful advancement of small molecules, biologics, and vaccines from discovery through development and commercial launch.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Analytical Enabling Capabilities, the Executive Director will lead a multidisciplinary team of 50–60 talented people managers, scientists, and technical experts across our Rahway, NJ and West Point, PA sites. In this role, you will partner closely with leaders across Discovery, Preclinical Development, Manufacturing, Quality, and Regulatory to ensure our science delivers with excellence across the development continuum. Your focus will be on building modality agnostic scientific excellence across drug substance and drug product, strengthening biophysical characterization capabilities for biologics and vaccines, and developing fungible expertise that can flex with our company's evolving portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Scientific Excellence & Innovation Leadership
  • Set a forward‑looking strategy for materials and biophysical characterization that anticipates the needs of an evolving pipeline and emerging modalities.
  • Ensure the delivery of scientifically sound data, insights, and methods that enable decisive scientific and regulatory advancement.
  • Foster a culture of scientific curiosity and innovation, encouraging teams to explore novel analytical technologies and workflows that accelerate deep product understanding and development.
• Quality, Integrity & Regulatory Excellence
  • Uphold the highest standards of quality and data integrity, ensuring our analytical approaches meet global regulatory expectations.
  • Lead the delivery of robust CMC content for IND/CTA/NDA submissions and partner with regulatory colleagues to confidently address health authority inquiries.
• Operational Excellence & Compliance Culture
  • Champion a strong compliance mindset and ensure systems, processes, and teams operate consistently with cGMP/GLPs (as needed), SOPs, good documentation practices, safety standards, and corporate expectations.
  • Drive operational excellence by simplifying workflows, eliminating barriers, and enabling teams to work with speed, clarity, and purpose.
• Strategic Partnership & Enterprise Leadership
  • Build strong, trusting relationships with partners across discovery, development, and manufacturing to align priorities, support program needs, and deliver on mission‑critical timelines.
  • Promote transparency, collaboration, and a shared sense of ownership for pipeline success.
• Building & Developing a High‑Performing Organization
  • Inspire, empower, and develop a team, ensuring people have the resources, skills, and support needed to excel.
  • Set clear expectations, elevate performance standards, and build a culture where continuous learning, accountability, and inclusion thrive.
  • Recruit and nurture talent to ensure the organization is equipped for future scientific challenges and opportunities.
• Communication & Leadership Presence
  • Communicate strategy, priorities, and scientific outcomes with clarity and authenticity to senior leaders, collaborators, and teams.
  • Promote a culture of open dialogue, shared learning, and partnership across all levels.

Education

• MS in a relevant scientific discipline with 15+ years’ experience, or PhD in a relevant scientific discipline with 12+ years’ experience.

Required Experience And Skills

• 12+ years of development experience.
• 10+ years of direct leadership experience.
• Multi‑modality experience in drug substance and/or drug product development.
• Technical expertise in physical, biophysical and/or materials characterization.
• Demonstrated ability in leading large multi‑disciplinary teams and mentoring and developing talent.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills with proven ability to drive alignment with stakeholders.
• Strength in delivering results on firm deadlines in support of drug/vaccine development.

Preferred Experience And Skills

• Breadth of experience from discovery through commercial launch.

Required Skills

• Analytical Chemistry, Analytical Method Development, Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC), Biochemistry, Biopharmaceuticals, Biopharmaceutics, Business Development, Business Integrity, Chemical Engineering, Creativity, Cross‑Functional Leadership, Data Integrity, Dosage Forms, Drug Development, Ethical Compliance, Innovation, Interpersonal Relationships, Large Team Leadership, Leadership, Materials Characterization, Modalities, Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Operational Excellence, Organizational Compliance.

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.

Requirements (EEO Statement)

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit: EEOC Know Your Rights, EEOC GINA Supplement, and other resources.

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office‑based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on‑site per week, Monday‑Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote‑working day, unless business critical tasks require an on‑site presence. This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in‑person attendance is required for, field‑based positions; facility‑based, manufacturing‑based, or research‑based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective‑bargaining agreement; or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $231,900.00 – $365,000.00. 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.

Benefits

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

Application

You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

Legal Considerations

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 Policies

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms. All CVs/resumes submitted by search firms without a valid written agreement will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral without a pre‑existing agreement. Where agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please do not make phone calls or emails.

Additional Job Details

Employee Status: Regular.

Relocation: Domestic/International.

Visa Sponsorship: Yes.

Travel Requirements: 25%.

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable.

Shift: 1st – Day.

Valid Driving License: No.

Hazardous Material(s): N/A.

Job Posting End Date: 04/22/2026. A job posting is effective until 11:59:59 PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date; please apply no later than that day.

Requisition ID: R .

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