Job Description

Location: US — Remote/Hybrid/On-site as required by manufacturing engagement

Reports to: Head of Manufacturing Systems

Grade: Senior / R5-equivalent

About the role

We are hiring a Senior Product Manager to lead strategic development of our Integrated Printing and Plastic Manufacturing system — a mission-critical platform that orchestrates complex, configurable manufacturing across printing and plastics lines. This senior leadership role requires deep domain fluency across both industrial software and automation/controls. You will set the product vision, align multi-year strategy with executive priorities, and partner closely with manufacturing leadership, engineering, and operations to deliver capabilities that materially improve throughput, quality, flexibility and cost-to-serve for highly customized manufacturing requirements.

Why this role matters

• The platform drives end-to-end execution of complex custom orders: quoting/configuration, planning and scheduling, production execution, quality, and fulfillment.

• Your leadership will reduce waste, shorten lead times, lower TCO, and enable new commercial models for custom and low-volume production.

• You will operate at the intersection of executive strategy, software delivery, control systems engineering and shopfloor operations — shaping the technical and operational trajectory of the business.

Key responsibilities

Product vision, strategy & leadership

• Set and continuously evolve the multi-year product vision and strategy for the Integrated Printing & Plastic Manufacturing system, ensuring alignment with executive priorities and plant-level objectives.

• Own the product roadmap, balancing strategic investments (e.g., automation integration, configurators, advanced scheduling) with tactical delivery and technical sustainability.

• Develop and defend high-value business cases and investment priorities to senior stakeholders and the executive team.

Stakeholder engagement & influence

• Act as the senior product leader and primary point of contact for manufacturing leadership, engineering, commercial teams, supply chain, quality, IT, and external partners/vendors.

• Lead stakeholder engagement strategies, facilitation of governance forums, and executive-level decisioning to align priorities and resolve trade-offs.

• Serve as product champion in executive discussions, articulating risks, dependencies and expected outcomes.

Technical ownership: software + automation/controls

• Provide technical leadership across software, integrations and automation/controls; translate shopfloor realities into robust digital and control solutions.

• Drive architecture-level decisions and integration approaches across MES/MOM, ERP, PLM, IIoT platforms, PLC/SCADA, vision/inspection systems and robotics.

• Ensure solutions meet functional, performance, reliability, safety and security requirements appropriate for industrial environments.

Requirements definition & systems design

• Lead scoping, requirements definition, and prioritization for large, cross-cutting initiatives (configurable BOMs, dynamic routing, nested work orders, advanced scheduling, in-line inspection and feedback loops).

• Produce system design inputs, models and prototypes; evaluate alternative designs and trade-offs with technical SMEs.

• Own requirements baselines, change control and acceptance criteria, ensuring delivered solutions map to expected outcomes.

Delivery, adoption & benefits realization

• Lead cross-functional delivery programs (software, controls, integrations, data/analytics, automation vendors), ensuring disciplined program governance and predictable delivery.

• Drive release planning, deployment, user acceptance, and adoption across plants; partner with change management to embed new ways of working with operators and supervisors.

• Define, measure and report product KPIs and benefits realization (e.g., OEE, lead time, yield, scrap rates, order-to-ship lead time, TCO), iterating until outcomes are achieved.

System & architecture governance

• Ensure compliance with enterprise architecture, security, data governance, safety and regulatory requirements; manage risks from integrations and on-prem/edge control systems.

• Collaborate with Infrastructure, Cybersecurity and Architecture teams to define integration patterns and operating models for edge-cloud solutions and vendor-supplied automation.

People & capability development

• Mentor and coach product managers, product owners and feature managers; build product management capability within manufacturing and digital teams.

• Help define hiring needs, competency development and team structure to scale the product function.

Required experience & skills

• 7+ years product management experience with progressive seniority; 5+ years leading complex enterprise/manufacturing systems or industrial software products.

• Strong hands-on experience spanning software systems (MES/MOM, ERP integrations, cloud/edge) and automation/controls (PLCs, SCADA, robotics, vision systems).

• Deep domain knowledge of manufacturing processes including: production planning, tooling/changeovers, nested BOMs, quality inspection, material handling.

• Proven track record owning end-to-end product lifecycle for large, complex systems and delivering measurable business outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to create and defend business cases and lead benefits realization at scale.

• Expertise in requirements management for multi-stakeholder initiatives; comfortable negotiating priorities and baselining requirements.

• Strong systems thinking, architecture awareness and experience working with software engineering and control systems teams.

• Excellent stakeholder management, executive communication and facilitation skills; experience engaging at C-suite and shopfloor levels.

• Data-driven mindset with experience defining and tracking product KPIs and using data for prioritization.

• Experience with safety, security and regulatory considerations in industrial environments.

Desirable

• Prior experience deploying MES, PLM, CPQ or production configurators in custom-manufacturing contexts.

• Understanding of industrial networking, MQTT, edge compute and cloud integration patterns.

• Experience with advanced scheduling/optimization engines, digital twins or simulation-driven design.

• MBA or advanced technical degree.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing or equivalent experience. Advanced degree preferred.

Behaviors and competencies

• Strategic and systems thinker who balances long-term vision with pragmatic execution.

• Influential leader who builds trust across functions and drives consensus.

• Comfortable with ambiguity and rapid learning in technical and operational domains.

• Customer-centric, empathetic to operators and planners while holding teams accountable to outcomes.

• Analytical, metrics-driven, and iterative in approach.

What we offer

• A senior, high-visibility role that shapes the future of manufacturing capability and commercial growth.

• Cross-functional engagement with senior business leaders, engineers and plant managers.

• Competitive compensation, benefits and opportunities for professional development.

How to apply

Please submit your CV and a cover note (max 500 words) describing a complex manufacturing product or system you led end-to-end, the measurable outcomes achieved, and why you’re excited about this senior role.

Required Skills:

Asset Management, Automation in Systems Integration, Benefits Management, Client-Centric, Communication, Customer Experience Management, Data Governance, Enterprise Architecture Management, ERP Integrations, Industrial Engineering, Management System Development, Plastics Fabrication, Prioritization, Production Management, Product Management, Project Prioritization, Requirements Management, Safety Protocols, Software Product Management, Stakeholder Buy-In, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, System Designs

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.

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

$169,700.00 - $267,200.00

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 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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

11/20/2025

*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.