Senior Technician, Operations (Technical)

Job Description

The Senior Technician (Technical), Operations role provides shopfloor technical leadership and advanced troubleshooting support for packaging operations. This role independently sets up equipment in accordance with approved setup sheets and/or work orders; leads first-line response to equipment and process issues that arise with manufacturing and packaging equipment, effectively diagnosing and addressing technical issues; performs process monitoring and alarm response to maintain operational efficiency and product quality; monitors and reduces ejects, jams, and similar losses; and replaces wear parts such as belts, suction cups, and filters. 

Key responsibilities include coaching and training operations staff, and partnering with Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering to minimize downtime and improve process reliability. The Senior Technician ensures accurate technical documentation, leads problem solving coordination and continuous improvement, and helps maintain compliance with cGMP and site procedures. 

This position requires leadership skills with strong technical skills, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to think critically under pressure. 

Primary activities include, but are not limited to: 

Operations 

• Operate, set up, adjust and optimize production and packaging equipment; determine proper equipment settings and clearances and develop/maintain set‑up standard work. 

• Act as the first technical escalation in operations to equipment malfunctions and process issues; diagnose issues (including response for un-common faults/errors), make necessary adjustments to return the equipment to a functional state; determine when to escalate to Maintenance, Reliability, or Engineering and follow through to resolution. 

• Proactively identifies potential production issues and takes action to prevent occurrence  

• Use systematic diagnostics to improve productivity and minimize ejects and downtime. 

• Assist maintenance personnel with routine and non-routine equipment maintenance and repairs, including helping with performing maintenance tasks, initiating work orders and retrieving parts from the stockroom as required. 

• Cleans and lubricates machines periodically and performs other basic maintenance work required (ie. wiping off sensors, recharging process fluids, replace wear parts such as belts, suction cups, filters,  etc.) to assure the efficient operation of all equipment. 

• Partner with support groups, leveraging line performance data to monitor and trend equipment performance, identify recurring issues, and recommend capital or process improvement projects to increase OEE. 

• Lead root cause investigations for equipment related‑ production issues; develop and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. 

• Maintain physical work areas, tools, and equipment to support safe and efficient operations. 

• Carry out our manufacturing division's site mission by assuring finished goods and services are of the highest quality, optimal cost, and delivered on schedule.   

 

Compliance 

• Conducts all manufacturing and packaging operations in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), site Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Divisional policies and guidelines.   

• Take accountability for personal and others' safety by reporting and resolving unsafe conditions. 

• Strictly adheres to all site policies on personal conduct and attendance.   

• Ensure accurate and complete documentation for equipment setup, challenges, cleaning, and maintenance; demonstrate Good Documentation Practices and promote data integrity standards among the team. 

• Actively identify, raise, and help manage quality deviations; provide timely, accurate information to Operations Managers, Quality, Maintenance and other areas to support investigations and CAPA. 

• Initiate incidents in CLUE and/or participate in quality investigations.  

• Collaborate to develop, review and update SOPs, work instructions, forms and other batch-related documents as required. 

• Coach team members on correct procedural execution and monitor adherence to identify training needs. 

• Lead or support quality and safety investigations related to equipment and process issues; apply root cause analysis tools to identify true root causes and implement appropriate corrective actions. 

• Perform and train staff on line clearance and contamination prevention procedures to reduce risk of mix-ups or cross contamination. 

• Ensure personal and team adherence to health and safety policies, proper gowning, PPE and housekeeping standards. 

• Participate in qualification, validation and technical documentation efforts, ensuring traceability and compliance with regulatory requirements. 

Collaboration and Teamwork 

• Provide leadership and technical coaching to operations technician; act as a the primary train the trainer to develop site capability and increase first line problem resolution. 

• Pursue knowledge and skills in assigned area from an operations and equipment maintenance perspective and share that information readily with team. 

• Participate in new equipment installations by interfacing with equipment vendors, partnering with project engineering on testing/qualification activities, recommending spare parts, and assisting with the review of preventative maintenance plans. 

• Collaborate with others to drive improvements, prioritize repairs, and ensure timely communication of equipment issues. 

• Lead and participate in continuous improvement activities (5S, GEMBA, root cause analysis) to reduce waste, variability, and downtime while improving throughput and first‑time quality. 

• Communicate effectively across shifts and functions; prepare and present technical findings, improvement proposals, and investigation outcomes in a clear and concise manner. 

• Participate in new equipment installations by interfacing with equipment vendors, partnering with project engineering on testing/qualification activities, recommending spare parts, and assisting with the review of preventative maintenance plans.  

• Participate in cross functional IPT meetings, and vendor interactions to ensure operational readiness and transfer of knowledge. 

Education Requirements 

• High School Diploma or equivalent  

 

Required Experience and Skills 

• 4 plus years of experience in a GMP manufacturing facility. 

• Minimum 3 years in a maintenance or Operations Technician (Technical) role with demonstrated troubleshooting and hands‑on equipment experience. 

• Strong mechanical aptitude and working knowledge of electrical/control fundamentals. 

• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot equipment utilizing a systematic approach to understand problems and determine appropriate solutions. 

• Experience in root cause analysis, continuous improvement and problem‑solving methodologies. 

• Demonstrated leadership ability and experience training peers. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

• Able and willing to lift up to 50 lbs and work various shifts including occasional weekends or irregular hours. 

• Must be willing to work irregular hours to support multi-shift operation and/or weekends as needed. 

 

Preferred Experience and Skills 

• Experience with SAP, MES, Tracksys, electronic logbooks, or PasEx systems. 

• Experience interfacing with vendors and supporting equipment qualification and commissioning. 

• Demonstrated ability and drive to work autonomously and help organize priorities and work with other team members. 

• Outstanding communication skills both within direct team and across multiple shifts to ensure success of overall team. 

• Ability to support technical writing of documents such as standard operating procedures (SOPs) 

#MSJR

Required Skills:

Aseptic Operations, Aseptic Operations, Cleanroom Gowning, Computer Literacy, Continuous Process Improvement, Corrective Action Management, Equipment Maintenance, Fault Repair, GMP Compliance, GMP Documentation, GMP Training, Manufacturing Compliance, Master Batch Records, Operational Efficiency, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Process Improvement Projects, Production Scheduling, Project Engineering, Safety Compliance, Service Orders, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Writing, Teamwork, Technical Issues, Technical Writing Documentation, Union Experience {+ 1 more}

Preferred Skills:

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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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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

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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:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

06/11/2026

*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.