Manufacturing Data & Analytics Strategy Senior Specialist

Job Description

The Manufacturing Data & Analytics Strategy Senior Specialist supports the realization of business value across European Animal Health Manufacturing sites by translating Manufacturing business needs into structured analytics opportunities, data requirements, and insight-driven initiatives. The role partners with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Digital Technology, Data Science, site leadership, and global product teams to shape, prioritize, and enable analytics solutions that improve operational performance, quality, compliance, efficiency, reliability, and continuous improvement.

This role enables the effective use of manufacturing, shopfloor, and operational data by developing a strong understanding of business processes, operational workflows, lean principles, and manufacturing data flows. The role identifies and shapes high-value analytics opportunities, supports demand and portfolio visibility, and contributes to project execution across the EU regional site network.

Working with a degree of independence, the role investigates Manufacturing business situations involving some complexity and ambiguity, applies structured business analysis and requirements management practices, and provides constructive challenge to stakeholders where appropriate. The role also supports modernization and capital initiatives by helping define the data required to enable future operations, monitoring, optimization, and decision-making.

The role contributes to the responsible exploration and application of advanced analytics and AI-enabled capabilities to enhance insight generation from Manufacturing data, while ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, data governance, compliance requirements, and responsible AI principles.

You will be a member of our Global Animal Health Manufacturing IT team based at our Tech Center in Prague and will work closely with EU Animal Health Manufacturing sites, global product teams, local Digital Manufacturing Operations teams, platform groups, IT hubs, business partners, and vendors.

The key responsibilities of the role will include the following:

Manufacturing Business Engagement & Strategy Support

• Translate Manufacturing business questions across EU AH sites into structured analytical problem statements, with focus areas including performance, quality, throughput, cost, compliance, reliability, and operational efficiency

• Build understanding of Manufacturing business processes, shopfloor operations, data flows, and lean principles to identify high-value analytics opportunities that support continuous improvement and operational excellence

• Contribute to Manufacturing analytics strategy and planning by developing insights, recommendations, and supporting materials for regional and site stakeholders

• Support Manufacturing capital and modernization initiatives by helping define data requirements needed to enable future operations, monitoring, optimization, performance management, and decision-making

Stakeholder Relationships & Regional Collaboration

• Develop and enhance relationships with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Digital Technology, Data Science, site leadership, vendors, and global product teams

• Implement stakeholder engagement and communication plans, ensuring stakeholders understand analytics priorities, timelines, dependencies, risks, and decision points

• Manage stakeholder issues, corrective actions, lessons learned, and feedback to improve engagement effectiveness and ways of working

• Promote cross-site collaboration, reusable analytics assets, best practices, and alignment with regional, global, and One-IT objectives

Demand, Project & Portfolio Management

• Implement demand management analysis and planning for Manufacturing analytics opportunities across EU AH sites

• Maintain visibility of business requests, initiative status, priorities, dependencies, risks, issues, and expected business outcomes

• Work with business and technical partners to clarify demand, assess value, route requests appropriately, and support short- and medium-term prioritization decisions

• Support project and portfolio management activities by tracking scope, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risks, issues, and value realization

• Contribute >

  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:

  No relocation

  VISA Sponsorship:

  Yes

  Travel Requirements:

  10%

  Flexible Work Arrangements:

  Hybrid

  Shift:

  Not Indicated

  Valid Driving License:

  No

  Hazardous Material(s):

  N/A

  Job Posting End Date:

  05/26/2026

  *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.