2026 Future Talent Program - Vaccine Manufacturing Co-op

Merck Merck · Pharma · PA

Co-op position in Vaccine Manufacturing at Merck, supporting operational activities, deviation investigations, and process improvement projects using Lean Six Sigma tools. Requires pursuit of an engineering or science degree.

What you'd actually do

  1. Providing on-the-floor support of operational and technical issues; collaborating with the shop floor on a variety of different projects and activities that are critical to ongoing manufacturing of vaccines at the West Point, PA site.
  2. Performing deviation investigations aimed to prevent deviation re-occurrence, including determining the root cause, identifying corrective/preventative actions, identifying event scope, and conducting a product impact assessment. Where applicable, complete investigational test protocols to determine root cause, product impact, event scope, etc.
  3. Completing projects to improve the performance of our processes and manufacturing performance, including projects aimed at improving Right-First-Time performance or preventing/reducing deviations, and continuous improvement projects that seek to improve yield, reduce cost, or lower our processing cycle times.
  4. Supporting team safety, environmental and compliance objectives.
  5. Collaboration with the area Managers, Operators/Mechanics, support groups (Maintenance, Automation, Technology, Quality, and Supply Chain).

Skills

Required

  • Chemical, Mechanical, Biomedical, or related Engineering discipline, or Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Virology, or Business and Engineering degree pursuit
  • Communication skills
  • Leadership skills
  • Teamwork skills

Nice to have

  • Experience in biologics, vaccine or bulk sterile manufacturing facilities
  • Experience using Lean/Six Sigma tools
  • Capabilities for managing multiple tasks simultaneously, including leading small projects
  • Experience in problem solving and/or troubleshooting

What the JD emphasized

  • Good Manufacturing Practice
  • Right-First-Time