Senior Maintenance Technician

Job Description

Job Description Summary
The Engineering & Maintenance department within the company's manufacturing facility in Durham, NC is seeking a highly motivated Senior Mechanic to provide maintenance, troubleshooting, and technical support for site utility, clean utility, facility, and environmental control systems. The Senior Mechanic works closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Technical Operations, Validation, Automation, and Engineering to ensure reliable operation of critical systems supporting BCG vaccine production.

This position is responsible for maintaining and troubleshooting utility and clean utility systems including boilers, chillers, cooling towers, HVAC systems, air compressors, clean steam generation, Water for Injection (WFI) generation and distribution systems, reverse osmosis systems, compressed gas systems, and waste deactivation equipment. The role supports a day shift schedule with rotational on-call responsibilities.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting:

Utility Systems

• Boilers
• Chillers
• Cooling Towers
• Air Compressors
• Waste Deactivation Systems
• Refrigeration Systems

Clean Utility Systems

• HVAC and Environmental Control Systems
• Clean Steam Generation Systems
• Water for Injection (WFI) Generation and Distribution
• Reverse Osmosis Systems
• Compressed Gas Systems

Automated Systems

• Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
• Building Automation Systems (BAS)

Maintenance Equipment

• Calibration Instruments
• Testing Equipment
• General Maintenance Tools

Key Duties

Must be flexible to perform the following functions and other tasks as needed:

• Perform maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, installation, and commissioning activities on utility and clean utility equipment.
• Execute preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, and calibration activities in accordance with site procedures.
• Diagnose equipment failures and lead technical troubleshooting efforts to restore equipment reliability.
• Support utility outages, shutdown activities, startup activities, and emergency response situations.
• Develop and revise SOPs, maintenance procedures, PM plans, task lists, and engineering documentation.
• Execute SAP transactions including work order management, notifications, confirmations, and material tracking.
• Assist with validation testing, commissioning, qualification activities, and change control implementation.
• Support root cause investigations, deviations, CAPAs, and reliability improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate work with contractors, vendors, and cross-functional site teams.
• Maintain accurate GMP documentation and ensure compliance with safety and environmental requirements.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on reliability, compliance, maintenance effectiveness, and energy utilization.

Core Competencies

• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and urgent operational issues.
• Mechanical aptitude with working knowledge of utility and facility systems.
• Ability to read and interpret: P&IDs Electrical Drawings Mechanical Drawings Equipment Manuals Control System Documentation
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and within a team environment.
• Strong planning, scheduling, and execution skills.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to climb ladders, stairs, and elevated platforms.
• Walking, bending, crawling, and stooping required.
• Required to wear appropriate PPE including safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, hard hats, and fall protection equipment.
• Ability to work in mechanical rooms, utility spaces, manufacturing areas, and outdoor environments as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Technical School Diploma or associate degree preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of maintenance experience supporting industrial utility, facility, HVAC, refrigeration, or clean utility systems.
• Experience in GMP or regulated manufacturing environments preferred.
• Working knowledge of SAP or CMMS maintenance systems.
• Knowledge of utility systems including boilers, chillers, HVAC, compressed air, WFI, and clean steam systems.
• Experience with PLC, BAS, or DCS-controlled systems preferred.
• Available to participate in rotational on-call coverage and emergency response activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Systems, HVAC, Instrumentation, or related field.
• Refrigeration License or HVAC certification.
• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotech, or regulated manufacturing facilities.
• Knowledge of SAP, Siemens Apogee, Allen-Bradley PLCs, and GMP maintenance practices.
• Experience with reliability-centered maintenance, equipment lifecycle management, and utility system performance monitoring.

This is a rotating day shift position, 2-2-3 rotation, hours of work are 6:00am to 6:00 pm including weekends and holidays.

#MSJR #EBRG´s

Required Skills:

Air Compressors, Air Compressors, Calibration Procedures, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), Computer Literacy, Control Logic, Corrective Maintenance, Electrical Maintenance, Environmental Controls, Equipment Commissioning, Equipment Maintenance, Equipment Repairs, Equipment Troubleshooting, Facility Maintenance, Fall Protection Training, HVAC Systems, Hydraulic Systems, Instrumentation Systems, Instrument Calibrations, Interpret Electrical Drawings, Machinery Inspection, Maintenance Management Systems, Maintenance Operations, Managing Engineering Teams, Mechanical Maintenance {+ 8 more}

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

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:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

Cleaning Supplies

Job Posting End Date:

09/23/2026

*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.