Associate Director, Discovery Biologics Data Platforms & Engineering

Job Description

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our company has codified its legacy for over a century. Our company's success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

We are on a quest for cures and are committed to be the world's premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Today, we're doubling down on this goal to take our company's leading discovery capabilities and world-class small molecule and biologics R&D expertise to create breakthrough science that radically changes the way we approach serious diseases.

Discovery Biologics is seeking an Associate Director with experience in biologics and data science to expand our abilities to design and engineer biotherapeutics. We are building a department that directly integrates computational and wet-lab researchers with state-of-the-art automation to accelerate the discovery of novel biologics. We are a highly collaborative group of biologists, engineers, and computer scientists working at the edge of computation, disease biology, and biotherapeutics. We collaborate broadly within our Company and with academic and industry partners to accelerate the pace of biologics discovery and engineering.

We recognize that in our team is our strength and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Successful candidates must demonstrate inclusive behaviors in working with a group of researchers to drive our core mission.

Position Description:

This is an individual contributor role with project leadership responsibilities. The successful candidate will work side-by-side with wet-lab researchers, Discovery Biologics leadership and IT to develop Discovery Biologics end to end data capture, processing and integration ecosystem enabling data driven decision making and ML/AI applications. They will contribute to the identification/development and release of data capture, processing and integration tools and applications that enable the discovery and engineering of biologics. They will partner broadly across Discovery Biologics, Data Science, and IT to implement systems and practices that support high throughput data capture, integration, and the generation of predictive models. As part of project teams, they will provide capabilities to generate multidimensional data to enable teams to drive pipeline programs forward. As part of technology development teams, they will pursue novel research that enhances our ability to collect and learn from large datasets. They will mentor, coach, and train fellow researchers. The successful candidate will join a group of innovative researchers who are driving the next revolution in biologics discovery and engineering.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop strong partnership with our company's IT and Discovery Biologics (DB) to act as key interface in IT/DB relationships
• Perform requirement gathering, development, sprint reviews, UAT, release and trainings for new data capture and processing solutions and capabilities
• Collaborate across groups to systematize and automate the process of capturing raw instrument data and preparing it for storage and analysis Ensure developed solutions are aligned within Discovery Biologics to facilitate data reusability and confidence
• Collaborating with our company IT on SAS applications evaluations, configuration, onboarding and release
• Develop custom data processing and visualizations workflows that enable project teams to impact protein engineering designs and allow teams to rapidly make program decisions from real-time data
• Develop AI Agents to facilitate access to key information for lab scientists and leadership
• Develop data visualizations to enable data driven decision making for scientists and their leadership
• Provide technical expertise and leadership for data science working groups and teams
• Author and contribute to presentations, publications, and patents
• Foster a high-performance culture of collaboration, engagement, self-accountability and inclusion

Position Qualifications:

Minimum Education Requirement:

• PhD in Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Biology, Engineering/Bioengineering, Structural Biology, Biophysics, Chemistry or related STEM discipline with demonstrated expertise in biologics and data science and 4+ years of industry experience
• MS and 8+ years or
• BS +12 years of experience

Required Experience:

• Fluency in at least one modern programming language such as Python, Java or similar; fluency in using version control systems (Git) and branching strategies.
• Strong expertise in data science and data engineering workflow and best practices for life science applications
• Experience working with relational database (SQL) and non-relational database, and designing data models
• Experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining modern data architecture, using the state-of-the-art tools for large scale data applications, such as Airflow, DBT, Kafka, Debezium, Docker, Kubernetes, Datadog
• Extensive experience as a developer using any major cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure)
• Experience in working with microservices and API development
• Experience building visualizations using tools such as Spotfire, JMP, Power BI
• Ability to teach biologists and biochemists the fundamentals of data science
• Demonstrated ability to succeed in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Champion for inclusive culture
• Mentor and coach group members to complement and strengthen their team

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Full stack developer experience
• Experience with Scientific Data Life Cycle (SDLC) documentation
• Experience with protein engineering or the discovery and development of biologics
• Experience with multiple types of protein structure and sequence representations, featurization, and embeddings
• Experience with protein modeling software (e.g. AlphaFold, Rosetta, TrRosetta, MOE, GROMACs, or similar)
• Experience in DevOps, DataOps, and ML Engineering

#EligibleforERP

Required Skills:
API Development, Big Data Platforms, Biopharmaceuticals, Cloud Platform, Computer Science, Data Analysis, Data Architecture, Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Science, Data Visualization, Programming Languages, Python (Programming Language), Relational Database, Scientific Data Management, Software Development, SQL Script, Stakeholder Relationship Management

Preferred Skills:
GROMACS, Machine Learning, Protein Engineering, Rosetta Studio, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

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.

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

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.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

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 (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); 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".

The salary range for this role is
$159,600.00 - $251,200.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this 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 ;br>
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.

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 Please Read Carefully
Merck & 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.

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:
Yes

Travel Requirements:
10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Job Posting End Date:
03/3/2026
*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.