Job Description

We are seeking an Associate Principal Scientist to contribute to a pivotal role in our Inventory and Data Management team in our company Biomarker Operations group within Translational Medicine. The mission of this role is to design, build, and deploy the digital infrastructure that manages our biomarker specimen assets. You will transform a complex landscape of biomarker specimen data into a streamlined, accessible, and intelligent ecosystem. By automating workflows, powerful analytics, and stewarding these data, you will empower our scientists and clinical teams to make faster, data-driven decisions that propel our pipeline forward.

In this pivotal role, you will:

• Be responsible for integrating, cleaning, and governing disparate data sources such as biorepositories, central, and testing labs , into a cohesive and governed data environment.

• Maintain accurate and comprehensive specimen inventory by tracking specimens collected from our company clinical trials and assay metadata generated from these collections.

• Embed automated quality control checks and validation rules directly into data pipelines, ensuring our data assets meet the highest standards for compliance and integrity.

• Support teams with reports of biomarker information using various query and database integration tools.

• Leverage the Microsoft Power Platform to eliminate manual processes in specimen tracking, data QC, and reporting. You will build and deploy reusable automation solutions that increase efficiency and accuracy across dozens of clinical trials.

• Design and implement robust, scalable data pipelines using Azure Data Factory, Azure SQL.

• Create and manage dynamic, interactive dashboards in Power BI and Fabric. You will develop data models and visualizations that provide our scientific and operational teams with self-service access to critical biomarker inventory and metadata.

• Maintain effective communications and relationships with project teams, vendors, and other cross-functional our company teams

NOTE: This role is available in Rahway, NJ or North Wales, PA based on candidate preference.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's (with 12 years), Master's (with 8 years) or Ph.D. (with 4 years) in bioinformatics, computer science, data science, engineering, data analytics, life sciences or other related field and relevant experience

Required Experience and Skills:

• A deep understanding of the clinical trial process: You can speak the language of protocols, specimens, and clinical data, and have a proven ability to translate scientific needs into technical solutions.

Proven expertise in designing and building solutions with modern data stacks (one or more of the following):

• Microsoft Power Platform: Demonstrated expertise in building complex solutions with Power Automate, Power Apps, and Dataverse. You think in terms of flows, model-driven apps, and connectors.
• Data Engineering: High proficiency in SQL for complex querying and data manipulation, and practical experience using Python for data processing and automation.
• Database Architecture: Proven expertise in architecting and managing databases. You are skilled in designing normalized relational schemas and enforcing referential integrity.
• Cloud Data Expertise: Proven experience designing and managing data solutions in a major cloud environment, with a strong preference for Azure, including Azure Data Factory, and Gen1/2 dataflows.
• Advanced Business Intelligence Skills: Expertise in Power BI, including creating robust data models, writing advanced DAX, and focusing on performance optimization and user experience.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with LIMS Systems and building relational models and queries to empower stakeholder decisions.

• A builder's mindset with a demonstrated ability to take a problem from concept to a fully functional, automated solution as well as deep curiosity and willingness to experiment with state of the cloud automation and business intelligence technologies.

• A deep technical foundation, backed by an advanced degree in a field like Computer Science, Data Engineering, or Bioinformatics, which you're eager to apply to tangible, real-world challenges.

• Hands-on experience wrangling and optimizing large-scale data transformations using platforms like Databricks. You're also comfortable in a multi-cloud world, with familiarity navigating data ecosystems that span both Azure Blob Storage and Amazon S3.

• A willingness to investigate bleeding edge generative AI to data solutions Hands on experience with Copilot Studio and other tools to build intelligent, agents that empower scientists to query complex datasets using natural language is desired.

• Experience with incorporating Large Language Models (LLMs) to make data and data adjacent tools smarter, and the ability embed LLMs as autonomous agents in our backend processes.

• Fluency clinical development and experience navigating clinical systems with a strong preference for Veeva CTS.

• Mastery of tools like Jira and Confluence for fostering transparency and building a shared understanding across teams as well as a solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and the rigor required to build robust, compliant solutions in a validated (GxP) environment.

• Experience leveraging the Azure developer stacks, including deploying Azure Functions to run custom Python code for complex data processing or specialized API integrations, and using Azure Logic Apps to orchestrate enterprise-grade workflows that require advanced monitoring and connectivity.

#EligibleforERP

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:

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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.

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

$139,600.00 - $219,700.00

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 https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (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:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Required Skills:

Bioinformatics, Biomarker Research, Clinical Research, Clinical Research Trials, Computer Science, Computer Science Research, Data Analytics, Database Architecture, Data Engineering, Data Management, Inventory Management

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

09/30/2025

*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.