Senior Process Engineer – Energy & Sustainability

Merck & Co USA - Virginia - Elkton Updated 2 October 2026
PharmaMedTechRegulatory AffairsQuality Assurancegmpemafdacroraveinform

Job description

Job Description Role Overview: The Process Engineer – Energy & Sustainability works in a team environment committed to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and business consciousness. As a key member of the Facilities Center of Excellence (CoE), you will merge technical process engineering principles with strategic program leadership to drive the Elkton site’s energy, emissions, and sustainability advancement. Key Responsibilities: Technical Process Optimization: System Modeling & Diagnostics: Apply core process engineering principles (mass/energy balances, thermodynamic analysis, and fluid dynamics) to troubleshoot, model, and optimize site utility, manufacturing, and wastewater treatment systems. Process Audits & Pinch Analysis: Conduct systematic energy audits, pinch analyses, and efficiency assessments of complex process systems (including steam boilers, chilled water loops, and compressed air systems). Technology Scouter: Explore, evaluate, and pilot emerging green technologies, clean utilities, and decarbonization strategies to determine their viability for the Elkton site. Capital Projects & Design Engineering: Front-End Engineering Design (FEED): Partner with site capital project teams to ensure that jurisdictional, corporate, and site energy standards are fully integrated into new construction and renovation designs. Capital Business Cases: Develop robust engineering-based business cases, technical feasibility studies, and ROI analyses for sustainability-driven capital projects and expenses. LEED & Project Coaching: Coordinate site-wide engineering and documentation efforts to obtain LEED certification for new buildings and support project teams with technical standards interpretation. Utility Stewardship & Budgeting: Financial Management: Manage the site’s energy and utilities budgets from forecast through reconciliation in coordination with consultants, finance, and production planning departments. Procurement & External Liaison: Act as the primary technical liaison with utility providers and government agencies, partnering with procurement to negotiate utility contracts. Market Intelligence: Keep the site abreast of global energy policy updates, regulatory requirements (including GMP/FDA clean utility boundaries), and environmental/EHS compliance impacts. Strategic Leadership & Culture: Strategy Delivery: Formulate and deliver the site's energy, water, emissions, and waste reduction goals in alignment with corporate environmental targets. Advocacy & Governance: Represent the Elkton site in corporate and regional above-site energy and sustainability forums. Site Awareness: Present energy and sustainability performance metrics at site town halls and meetings to foster a site-wide culture of environmental awareness. Facilities Engineering Support: Collaborate with and assist other members of the Facilities Engineering CoE and broader site operations teams as required. Qualifications Education: Required: Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Chemical, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering, or a closely related engineering or science discipline. Required Experience: Professional Track Record: Minimum of five (5) years of related process engineering or energy/sustainability optimization experience. Communication & Influence: Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with a proven ability to influence, cross-functional teams without direct authority. Program Leadership: Demonstrated experience managing projects, driving initiatives independently, and acting as a confident, autonomous decisionmaker. Preferred Experience & Certifications: Professional Credentials: Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Renewable Energy Professional (REP), Energy Management Professional (EMP), or Energy Star Certification (ESC). Regulated Industries: Working knowledge of GMP/FDA regulatory requirements and experience in a highly regulated manufacturing environment (such as pharmaceutical, chemical, or food production). EHS Alignment: Familiarity with Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) regulations. Required Skills: Capital Project Management, Capital Project Management, Chemical Engineering, Energy Efficiency, Energy Projects, Energy Reduction, Energy Resources, Energy Sustainability, Engineering Standards, Environmental Stewardship, Environmental Sustainability, Facility Engineering, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Industrial Processes, Organizational Sustainability, Process Engineering, Project Implementations, Project Sustainability, Regulatory Compliance, Renewable Energy, Renewable Energy Systems, Strategic Thinking, Sustainability Awareness, Sustainability Metrics, Sustainability Planning {+ 2 more} 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 EEOC GINA Supplement​ 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

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