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Merck · 17 hours ago

Executive Director, Engineering

USA - North Carolina - Durham (Old Oxford)

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$232K/yr - $365K/yr

15+ years exp

Merck is a leading pharmaceutical company seeking an Executive Director of Engineering to lead their Maintenance and Engineering functions at the Durham site. This role involves providing strategic direction, ensuring compliance, and driving continuous improvement across various production areas and utilities.

BiotechnologyHealth CareMedicalPharmaceutical

Comp. & Benefits

Responsibilities

Set the vision and multi‑year strategy for maintenance, utilities, and engineering aligned to business goals, capacity needs, and compliance requirements

Serve on the Durham Site Leadership Team; influence site priorities and resource allocation

Build and develop a high-performing organization (~200 employees) including associate directors, managers, engineers, technicians, and coordinators; coach/mentor leaders and ICs

Promote an inclusive, positive culture emphasizing safety, quality, continuous improvement, and accountability

Ensure all Maintenance, Utilities, Site Services, and Engineering processes comply with cGMP; Safety; Environmental; Industrial Hygiene; ANSI and Labor regulations

Own audit readiness and respond to/resolve compliance gaps from audits and deviations; lead or support investigations and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA)

Establish and enforce procedures for lockout/tagout, machine guarding, risk assessments, Electrical Safety, Hot Work, Line Breaking, Confined Space, Elevated Work, PSM elements as applicable, and contractor management

Direct preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs HPV, Flash, VMF and Teknika production equipment, clean utilities, facilities, and site services

Ensure equipment calibration programs are GMP-compliant; maintain integrity of equipment identification and specifications within the computerized maintenance/calibration management system

Manage shop floor support to meet safety, compliance, production, and financial goals; reduce reactive work by analyzing completed work orders and driving reliability actions

Oversee spare parts strategy including risk-based assessments, obsolescence replacement, storeroom controls, and SAP plant maintenance/spare parts procurement processes

Lead operation and maintenance of all plant utilities and distribution networks: boilers, refrigeration, HVAC, electrical substations, compressed air, potable/distilled water, dust collection, wastewater, storm water, and related systems

Coordinate site services (building, building services, grounds, waste, and facility support) to ensure reliable, compliant operation

Drive sustainability initiatives, ensuring regulatory compliance and implementing strategies for continuous improvement

Partner with reliability engineers to conduct RBAM, RCM/FMEA, root cause analysis, and implement area-specific reliability actions to improve uptime, MTBF/MTTR, and OEE

Collaborate with Automation for troubleshooting and maintenance of automated equipment; engage vendors and OEMs to resolve complex issues and improve performance

Monitor performance of maintenance, calibration, equipment, and utilities operations; identify improvement opportunities and drive continuous improvement initiatives

Own master shutdown schedules and execution across maintenance, calibration, capital project work, and GMP cleaning; chair/attend daily shutdown meetings to track completion

Qualification

Engineering DesignUtilities ManagementComplianceSafetyLeadershipReliability EngineeringSAPProject ManagementContinuous ImprovementRisk ManagementCross-Cultural AwarenessCustomer Service LeadershipEthical ComplianceInnovationManagement ProcessOperations ManagementPeople LeadershipVisionary ThinkingTeam Leadership

Required

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or a closely related technical field (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Industrial, or similar)

15+ years total in industrial plant engineering, maintenance, and/or utilities management within GMP or highly regulated manufacturing environments, covering production equipment, clean utilities, building services, and facilities/utilities project engineering

5+ years leading people, including through managers and individual contributors, in multi-disciplinary maintenance/engineering organizations

Track record owning maintenance and calibration programs, reliability improvement initiatives, and capital project delivery (scope, cost, schedule, quality, qualification/validation)

Proficiency with CMMS/EAM and GMP-compliant calibration systems; experience analyzing maintenance data to reduce reactive work and increase reliability

Working knowledge of SAP (Plant Maintenance and spare parts procurement) or equivalent ERP

Strong understanding of utilities operations (boilers, refrigeration, HVAC, electrical distribution, compressed air, water systems, wastewater/storm water) and associated regulatory requirements

Familiarity with automation/controls environments and collaboration with OEMs/vendors

Demonstrated knowledge of cGMP, EHS, and relevant Safety, Environmental, Industrial Hygiene, and Labor regulations

Experience leading audits/inspections, deviations, investigations, and CAPA

Strong planning, scheduling, budgeting, and financial acumen for OPEX/CAPEX management

Excellent analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills; effective written and oral communication

Proven ability to drive continuous improvement and foster an inclusive, positive team culture