Senior Scientist, Research Science

Job Description

Join the Elkhorn, Nebraska Animal Health Team 
Our Company's Global Animal Health Research & Development (R&D) division is a pioneer in the discovery, development and registration of vaccines and therapeutics for animals.. To strengthen our team responsible for poultry vaccine projects, we are looking for a highly skilled and motivated Senior Scientist to join our R&D team.

Purpose of the role 
Reporting to the Global Head of Poultry Bio R&D, this role will drive and provide scientific leadership for multifaceted animal vaccine development projects — partnering with Project Management and senior leadership to guide programs from discovery through late-stage development and licensure. This position combines hands-on scientific expertise with strategic project leadership, requiring both deep technical knowledge and the ability to influence cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific Leadership & Execution

• Lead the scientific strategy for the assigned poultry vaccine development projects, with emphasis on poultry disease biology, pathogen-host interactions, candidate selection, and licensure-enabling studies.

• Timely design, execute, and analyze experiments related to poultry vaccine candidate characterization, immunogenicity assessment, challenge model development, and assay development and validation.

• Apply deep technical expertise in poultry diseases to independently troubleshoot complex scientific problems and make data-driven decisions that advance project goals.

• Maintain a strong laboratory presence, with a minimum of 50% of time dedicated to wet-lab experimentation supporting poultry vaccine and disease research.

Project Leadership

• Serve as the scientific lead in the cross-functional poultry vaccine development project teams, providing strategic and technical direction throughout the development process.

• Lead project management activities for the poultry vaccine programs, including timeline planning, milestone tracking, resource allocation, and cross-functional coordination under defined organizational governances and processes.

• Define and drive project strategy, ensuring scientific excellence, effective decision-making, and alignment across key functional areas (e.g., Discovery, Process Development, Analytical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical, and Manufacturing).

• Proactively identify, communicate, and mitigate scientific, clinical, and regulatory risks related to poultry disease models and vaccine development to ensure timely achievement of key milestones.

Regulatory Compliance & Documentation

• Author and review technical documents, including development reports, validation protocols, SOPs, and sections of regulatory submissions for poultry biologics (e.g., USDA/CVB).

• Ensure all poultry vaccine development activities comply with relevant regulatory requirements and are aligned with the path to product licensure.

• Serve as a scientific point of contact during regulatory interactions related to assigned poultry vaccine and poultry disease programs.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with colleagues in Clinical, Process Development, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Manufacturing to ensure seamless progression of poultry vaccine projects from research through commercialization.

• Represent the scientific function in governance meetings, providing clear technical assessments and recommendations grounded in poultry disease expertise and vaccine development experience.

Innovation & Scientific Contribution

• Stay current with scientific literature, emerging technologies, and industry trends relevant to poultry diseases, poultry pathogens, and poultry vaccine development.

• Propose and evaluate innovative approaches to improve poultry vaccine design, disease models, assay performance, and development efficiency.

• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at external scientific conferences, contributing to the organization's scientific reputation in poultry disease and vaccine research.

Qualifications

Education & Experience:

• Master’s degree in a relevant scientific discipline with 10+ years of poultry vaccine R&D experience in the animal health industry, OR a Ph.D. in Poultry Diseases, Veterinary Medicine, Immunology, Virology, Bacteriology, Microbiology, Vaccinology, or a related discipline, with at least 1 year of postdoctoral training in poultry disease research preferred.

• Demonstrated expertise in poultry diseases and poultry vaccine development is required, including experience with relevant poultry pathogens, disease models, diagnostics, and/or vaccine efficacy studies.

• Hands-on clinical or field experience with poultry diseases, including field investigations, diagnostics, challenge studies, and disease management, is highly desirable.

Technical Knowledge:

• Strong technical background in poultry diseases, poultry pathogens, disease pathogenesis, diagnostics, and poultry vaccine development.

• Strong understanding of vaccine development principles, including antigen design, adjuvant selection, immunogenicity evaluation, efficacy studies, and/or formulation development for poultry vaccines.

• Solid knowledge of assay development, qualification, and validation principles within a regulated environment, particularly as applied to poultry vaccine programs.

• Working knowledge of regulatory requirements for animal health biologics (USDA/CVB), including the product licensure pathway for poultry vaccines.

Leadership & Communication:

• Demonstrated ability to lead or significantly influence cross-functional project teams.

• Proven ability to communicate complex scientific concepts clearly to diverse audiences, including senior leadership, regulatory bodies, and external partners.

Preferred

• Direct experience in the development and licensure of poultry vaccines is strongly preferred.

• Experience leading cross-functional poultry vaccine development project teams from discovery through late-stage development.

• Track record of scientific contributions in poultry disease, poultry pathogens, immunology, vaccinology, or related fields, including publications in peer-reviewed journals and/or presentations at scientific conferences.

• Experience authoring technical reports and regulatory filing documents for USDA/CVB or equivalent regulatory agencies.

• Familiarity with viral and bacterial poultry pathogens relevant to the team's vaccine portfolio.

Animal Health 
Our Animal Health Division is a trusted global leader in veterinary medicine, dedicated to preserving and improving health, well-being, and performance of animals and the people who care for them. We are a global team of professionals working together to make a positive difference in animal care and the world’s food supply and have a deep sense of responsibility towards our customers, consumers, animals, society, and our planet. 
Through our commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, we offer veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. We invest in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. We are present in more than 50 countries, while our products are available in some 150 markets.
 

Required Skills:

Analytical Thinking, Analytical Thinking, Assay Development, Automated Liquid Handling Systems, Bacteriology, Bioanalytical Method Development, Bioanalytical Techniques, Biological Sciences, Clinical Judgment, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Data Analysis, Experimentation, Flow Cytometry, Immunoassays, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Microbiology, Production Process Development, Project Risks, Regulatory Compliance, Research Proposal Development, Scientific Leadership, Scientific Writing, Teamwork, Tissue Culture Techniques, Vaccinology {+ 1 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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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

$106,200.00 - $167,200.00

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

07/27/2026

*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.