IT Infrastructure Portfolio Lead

Job Description

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced IT Infrastructure Portfolio Lead to join our global Capital Projects IT Infrastructure team. In this role, you will help coordinate and implement Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure for major capital projects across our global network, including new pharmaceutical facilities, significant renovations, and strategic site expansions. This is a great opportunity to play a meaningful role in delivering innovative health solutions while growing in a culture that values ownership, impact, and digital-first thinking.

You will lead a technical IT team working closely with other cross-functional teams across regions, bringing together stakeholders from engineering, manufacturing, quality, security, and IT to ensure digital infrastructure solutions are aligned with business needs, global standards, project delivery processes within agreed timelines. This role offers the opportunity to support complex, high-impact projects in a multicultural, matrixed environment where collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement are essential.

As a portfolio lead, you will leverage both your people management and technical expertise to plan, execute, and oversee ICT infrastructure scope across large facility capital projects from concept through handover. While primarily delivering US based projects, you will contribute to the delivery of modern, resilient, and scalable infrastructure that enables advanced pharmaceutical operations worldwide. This is a great opportunity to play a meaningful role in delivering innovative health solutions while growing in a culture that values ownership, impact, and digital-first thinking.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate a technical team responsible for ICT infrastructure deliverables across capital projects, ensuring alignment with scope, schedule, budget, quality, and business priorities.
• Collaborate with project teams to design and implement ICT infrastructure solutions that support overall project execution and milestone delivery.
• Develop and manage project cost estimates, schedules, and key documentation deliverables in support of project planning and governance.
• Ensure ICT designs comply with standards, guidelines, and best practices, while promoting robust digital-enabling infrastructure.
• Oversee the design and build-out of technology rooms, including coordination of dependencies, timelines, and implementation readiness.
• Oversee the installation of physical networking infrastructure, ensuring delivery meets project requirements and construction schedules.
• Oversee the development of logical and wireless network designs, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to support execution.
• Coordinate requirements gathering and sizing for virtualized computing clusters and virtual machines, ensuring solutions are fit for purpose and delivery-ready.
• Lead selection, configuration, and installation of shop-floor hardware solutions, managing technical inputs and implementation coordination.
• Support requirements definition and implementation planning for digital visual factory and video surveillance systems.
• Facilitate weekly portfolio status and technical meetings, maintain dashboards, and present updates at leadership and steering-level forums.
• Track, document, and escalate actions, risks, issues, decisions, and challenges to maintain project momentum and support timely resolution.
• Proactively manage cross-functional dependencies and communicate progress, risks, and upcoming milestones to stakeholders.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Business, or related field with seven (7) years of required experience.
• Familiarity with technical, people, project, and portfolio management.
• Experience in the design and build of technology rooms (Server, MDF, IDF, ISP Point of Entry/Demarc).
• Experience with physical networking (structured cabling—backbone/horizontal/patching, switches, etc.).
• Experience with logical networking (network architecture, segmentation, logical addressing, etc.).
• Familiarity with wireless network design and implementation (predictive models, surveys, WAPs, etc.).
• Familiarity with virtualized computing infrastructure (VMware ESXi clusters, VMs, etc.).
• Understanding of the Industry 4.0, Purdue Model, OT vs. IT, and process automation.
• Exposure to manufacturing environments, especially GxP.
• Strong planning, organization, leadership, and communication skills; effective stakeholder management.
• Self-managed, resourceful, and adaptable; comfortable working within a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Preferred

• BICSI RCDD or similar certification.
• Knowledge and/or experience in manufacturing facility construction.
• Knowledge and/or experience in process automation infrastructure.
• Knowledge and/or experience in manufacturing IT/OT.
• Knowledge and/or experience in data center construction or engineering.
• Knowledge and/or experience in electrical systems in manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge and/or experience in manufacturing operational environments.
• Knowledge and/or experience in GxP environments.
• Knowledge and/or experience in hazardous environments.

Required Skills:

Capital Projects, Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure, IT Portfolio Management, Manufacturing Environments, Measurement Analysis, Portfolio, Programme, and Project Support, Portfolio Management, Program Management, Project Delivery, Project Procurement Management, Rapporteuring, Risk Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Structured Cabling, Technical Management, Technical Projects, Technical Writing, Waterfall Model

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.

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The salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

08/11/2026

*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.