Associate Director of Architecture

Job Description

Bring your architectural expertise to high-impact global capital projects and help turn business needs into innovative, compliant facility solutions worldwide.

For our Global Engineering Solutions organization, we are currently recruiting an Associate Director of Architecture

Welcome to our team

With more than 300 employees, our Global Engineering Solutions (GES) organization is responsible for managing investment capital and designing and executing capital projects for our global organization worldwide. GES is organized as a Technology Center (responsible for the design and start-up of projects), a Project Delivery organization (responsible for project management) and a Business Service organization (responsible for project financial reporting). Within the Technology Center, our Global Design Engineering Solutions (DES) team, provides technical leadership and front-end design management to deliver fit-for-purpose, compliant, and cost-effective facility solutions for our company’s global capital programs.

Purpose of the role

Reporting into, and under the guidance of, the Technology Director of DES (based in the U.S.), this role leads the development of holistic global facility design solutions that support critical manufacturing and business objectives across multiple programs and business units. It partners with internal stakeholders and cross-functional teams to translate business needs into practical, compliant, and cost-effective architectural solutions.

The role also provides architectural subject matter expertise across the front-end planning lifecycle, from early concept development and site selection through FEL 3 Basis of Design. The focus is on delivering facility designs that align with business needs, internal standards, and industry best practices; enabling successful capital project execution through clear architectural definition; and ensuring facilities are efficient, compliant, and fit for purpose. In addition, the role strengthens architectural standards and governance while building trusted relationships and providing technical leadership across global initiatives.

This role can be based in Boxmeer (NL) or Dublin (IE).

Primary tasks and responsibilities

· Partner with internal clients and stakeholders to define business needs and translate them into facility design solutions.

· Lead front-end planning activities, including site selection, facility programming, and facility options development.

· Develop architectural scope, conceptual layouts, and preliminary facility concepts for capital projects.

· Evaluate facility layout options, capital phasing approaches, and design alternatives based on business priorities and critical success factors.

· Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support decision-making and convergence on preferred solutions.

· Work with external EPCM firms, engineering partners, and vendors to progress design deliverables.

· Ensure facility designs meet internal requirements, cGMP principles, safety expectations, and industry best practices.

· Own, develop, author, and maintain architectural engineering standards, guidelines, and design documents.

· Create and review process, people, and material flow diagrams as they relate to facility design.

· Develop master planning and site selection analyses for new or existing facilities.

· Support modular building and lean facility design strategies, including creation of center-of-excellence practices.

· Conduct peer reviews and provide subject matter expertise across multiple projects.

· Participate in constructability reviews, equipment selection, and pre-charter planning activities.

· Maintain knowledge of internal practices, regulatory expectations, and industry trends.

· Collaborate with Quality, Safety, Regulatory, Operations, and Production System teams to integrate requirements into designs.

· Support field walk-downs during construction, troubleshooting, and active project execution.

· Mentor and coach junior engineers, providing technical guidance and oversight.

· Support existing operations with troubleshooting, investigations, and remediation as needed.

· Manage work within cost, schedule, and departmental constraints.

Your profile

· Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.

· Minimum 10 years of relevant industry experience.

· Proven experience in GMP facility design for biopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities or laboratories.

· Strong knowledge of manufacturing facility design, engineering fundamentals, regulatory requirements, and construction methods.

· Experience leading architectural design for capital projects in manufacturing and laboratory environments.

· Proficiency in AutoCAD and other 2D/3D design tools, with the ability to produce facility layout deliverables.

· Strong working knowledge of building codes, construction materials, and building systems, including MEP integration.

· Experience with master planning and site selection analysis for new or existing facilities.

· Knowledge of GMP-regulated facility design, including segregation strategies, clean space classification, and hygienic zoning.

· Strong communication, interpersonal, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work effectively in ambiguous environments and support capital projects through business case development.

· Ability to produce drawing deliverables, project specifications, URS documents, and design reports.

· Able to spend 2 – 3 days a week on one of the locations mentioned above and willing and able to travel around 30 % of your time (worldwide).

What we offer

An opportunity to influence front-end design, set architectural standards, and deliver projects with real business impact. A globally visible role with the opportunity to make a direct impact on delivering innovative products that help improve and save lives, advancing health and well-being for people and animals worldwide. Benefits depend on the job location but are in any case very competitive.

For questions about this vacancy

Please send an email including the vacancy number and job title to the following email address: RecruitmentNL@MSD.com

Applications can only be submitted through our career site.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

Required Skills:

Architectural Design, AutoCAD Engineering, Change Management, Clinical Manufacturing, Constructability Reviews, Construction Bidding, Cost Controls, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Design Development, Design Management, Design Principles, Drug Product Manufacturing, Engineering Management, Facility Design, Facility Engineering, GMP Compliance, Project Development, Regulatory Compliance, Results-Oriented

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

11/5/2026

*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.

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where we have codified our legacy for over a century. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

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