2026 Future Talent Program - Global Development Quality - Co-Op

Job Description

The Future Talent Program features Cooperative (Co-op) education that lasts up to 6 months and will include one or more projects. These opportunities in our Research and Development Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals

Our Company is on a quest for cures and is committed to being the world’s premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Today, our focus is directly fixed on this goal. Our Company's Research Laboratories is a true scientific research facility of tomorrow and will take our Company's leading discovery capabilities and world-class small molecule and biologics research and development (R&D) expertise to create breakthrough science that radically changes the way we approach serious diseases. 

Within our Research Labs division, the Quality Assurance group is seeking 1 co-op who will work collaboratively in a team environment to help advance Quality throughout the drug development life cycle.

Global Development Quality Co-Op Opportunity (1 position): 

The role of Global Development Quality (GDQ) within our Company's Research & Development Quality Assurance is to ensure that clinical supplies are safe and manufactured with appropriate quality in compliance with regulatory requirements. The Global Development Quality team does this by ensuring that there is a strong foundation of quality systems, qualification and validation of our facilities, equipment, and computer/automation systems, and tools to operate against. The team also manages product, document, and system life cycles. 

Global Development Quality provides quality oversight of manufacturing, packaging and labeling, testing, and release of materials from early- to late-stage clinical trials conducted across the globe for small- and large-molecule (biologics and vaccines) development compounds, API/drug substance, drug product, and finished goods within our internal and external networks.  

The co-op position will support the organization by leading small projects and/or assisting with important project-specific tasks. These deliverables will help advance our operating model and enable new technology implementation with the goal of increasing our efficiency, agility and flexibility to ensure success in the dynamic development environment.  

These tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Development of collaboration tools to improve communication & coordination

• Development of data visualization tools and solutions

• Document review & management, including technical editing

• Project management, including meeting coordination & facilitation

• Quality-focused support of clinical manufacturing operations.

Location: 1 position located at West Point, PA or Rahway, NJ

The co-op in Quality Assurance will also have the opportunity to network with the Quality Assurance Leadership Team, which will provide a broad perspective on quality throughout the drug development continuum. They will also: 

• Gain an understanding of the phases of drug development.  

• Gain an understanding of the importance of quality in ensuring the rights and well-being of patients and the welfare of animals; helping to meet the intent of global regulatory requirements through robust processes and procedures; and ensuring subject, company, and regulator ​confidence and public trust in our Company.​ 

• Interact with our Company employees who have broad experience across the pharmaceutical industry.  

We are seeking co-op candidates with strong academic performance, communication skills, teamwork, and the ability to work in a multi-functional environment. 

Education

• Candidates must be a current student pursuing a BS or MS degree in a science or engineering discipline.

Required Experience and Skills:  

• Candidates must be available to work full-time for a duration of 4 – 6 months, with a start date by June 8, 2026. 

• Candidates must have strong organizational skills 

• Candidates must have demonstrated ability to take initiative and own deliverables 

• Candidates must have demonstrated interpersonal skills including flexibility, collaboration and inclusion skills, and ability to work in a team environment 

• Candidates must have demonstrated the capability to develop innovative solutions to challenges 

• Candidates must have strong written and verbal communication skills 

Preferred Experience and Skills: 

• Candidates should have proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams) ​

• Candidates should have experience with data analysis and visualization tools such as Excel, Power BI, and Spotfire

• Candidates should have capabilities for managing multiple tasks simultaneously, including leading small projects

• Candidates should have the ability to contribute to a culture of high performance, out-of-the-box thinking, innovation and learning, empowerment, diversity and inclusion

Please note that this position may be closed before the posted end date or may remain open longer, at the discretion of the company.

The salary range for this role is $39,600.00-$105,500.00 USD

FTP2026

RL2026

Required Skills:

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:

EEOC Know Your Rights

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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

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

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:

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

*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.

Requisition ID:R362348

Salary : $39,600 - $105,500