Specialist, Operations (Project Management)

Our Manufacturing Operations teams make and supply products with a “Safety First, Quality Always, Inclusion for All” mindset and a focus on continuous improvement. Team members work within the local plant and across the global manufacturing network to support reliable, compliant delivery of high-quality materials and finished products.

The Specialist, Operations (Project Management) supports the Durham manufacturing site by coordinating project activities, maintaining accurate project information, supporting change controls and incident writing, and helping teams complete actions to support PAI and filing. The role works with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Technical Operations, Automation, Regulatory, and other functions while receiving direction and coaching from project leaders and subject matter experts.

• Support Pre-Approval Inspection (PAI) and filing-readiness plans by tracking deliverables, owners, due dates, dependencies, and open actions.
• Update readiness trackers and dashboards so milestones, risks, gaps, and recovery actions are visible and current.
• Coordinate meetings, prepare materials, document decisions, and follow up with owners on assigned actions.
• Help organize inspection evidence, procedures, training records, and filing-related documents for review by subject matter experts.
• Raise schedule, documentation, or compliance concerns promptly to the project manager or workstream lead.

• Maintain project and portfolio records, including project status, priorities, milestones, risks, resource needs, and dependencies.
• Support project intake and portfolio review activities by gathering information and preparing standard summaries.
• Prepare status reports and dashboards using approved templates and data sources.
• Assist project leads with charters, action logs, risk registers, and project closeout documentation.
• Promote accurate, timely updates across project tools and reporting routines.

• Coordinate Change Review Board (CRB) logistics, including agenda preparation, intake tracking, meeting materials, minutes, and action follow-up.
• Gather required information from cross-functional partners to support assessment of proposed changes.
• Document decisions, conditions, owners, and due dates clearly and accurately.
• Track changes and open actions through implementation and closure; escalate overdue or blocked items.
• Support updates to CRB templates, metrics, and standard work.

• Author and coordinate incident and deviation records in partnership with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Technical Operations, and other subject matter experts.
• Build clear, fact-based event narratives and support problem definition, impact assessment, root-cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and on-time record progression.
• Facilitate investigation working sessions, track information requests and approvals, and maintain visibility to investigation milestones and potential delays.
• Apply strong technical writing practices to ensure records are concise, accurate, traceable, and aligned with applicable procedures and cGMP expectations.

• Develop and maintain integrated project schedules that include activities, logic, dependencies, milestones, critical paths, constraints, and resource assumptions.
• Partner with workstream leads to update progress, evaluate schedule impacts, identify recovery options, and communicate forecast changes.
• Produce routine schedule and milestone reporting for project teams and governance forums, with emphasis on exceptions and decisions required.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen planning, governance, cycle time, right-first-time performance, and execution reliability.
• Participate in site tier processes, gemba walks, readiness reviews, and other operational routines as assigned.

• Project coordination, organization, facilitation, and action tracking.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• Basic schedule, risk, and dependency management.
• Attention to detail and commitment to data integrity.
• Ability to collaborate across functions, ask questions, and escalate concerns appropriately.
• Adaptability, learning agility, and a continuous-improvement mindset.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Business, Project Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of two years of relevant experience in manufacturing, operations, quality, engineering, project management, or a related regulated environment.
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create clear technical or business documentation.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and escalate issues with clear recommendations.

• Experience working in pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccine, medical device, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with inspection readiness, regulatory filings, change control, deviations, investigations, or CAPAs.
• Experience with Microsoft Project or similar planning and tracking tools.
• Basic knowledge of cGMP, root-cause analysis, FMEA, Lean, or Six Sigma methodologies.
  • Lean Six Sigma certification or comparable project management or continuous-improvement training. #EBRG'S #VetJobs #SWE2026

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• Periodic off-shift or weekend support may be required based on business needs, inspection-readiness activities, incident response, or project milestones.
• Travel: Up to 10% based on business needs.

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.

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:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

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The primary location for this posting is:

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.