Senior Specialist, Scientific Nomenclature & Reference Data - Product

Job Description

The Senior Specialist, Scientific Nomenclature & Reference Data is an individual contributor who supports the stewardship, curation, and integration of chemical, biologic and vaccine product reference data across the drug development lifecycle. This role blends deep chemistry domain expertise, hands-on nomenclature skills, and practical master data capabilities to deliver accurate, traceable, and usable reference data for scientific, regulatory, and other business stakeholders. The Senior Specialist will continuously improve data quality, governance, and automation approaches, so the capability remains adaptable as technologies and ways of working evolve.

Primary activities include, but are not limited to:

• Derive and assign correct nomenclature (IUPAC and CAS style as appropriate) for small molecules, biologics, and related entities; research and validate existing names for accuracy
• Create, maintain, and curate company reference/master data for substances and products, and associated descriptive metadata across the product lifecycle
• Enter and routinely update nomenclature and reference data into centralized systems; perform detailed proofreading, validation and data integrity review activities
• Define and apply structure standardization and substance representation practices (SMILES, InChI, Mol files); support structure normalization
• Understand and apply data quality rules
• Participate in system maintenance, SDLC activities, and end-user acceptance testing for reference data systems
• Understand canonical data models and metadata definitions
• Document changes & decision rationale for data contracts and SOPs for master/reference data
• Evaluate ML/AI or NLP approaches to assist curation (e.g., entity resolution, name generation, property prediction)
• Support or lead projects and pilots to improve efficiency, data quality, and usability; identify and implement process improvements
• Serve as subject matter expert and point of contact for chemical and scientific nomenclature and reference data issues; build and maintain strong relationships with end users and stakeholders across functions
• Participate in governance forums; help establish stewardship models, KPIs (completeness, accuracy, timeliness), escalation paths, and training for data producers/consumers
• Ensure practices reflect relevant regulatory and industry standards (GxP, 21 CFR part 11, ICH, IDMP, WHO Drug Dictionary) and maintain up-to-date knowledge of nomenclature and data standards
• Preserve confidentiality and adhere to company policies governing information disclosure

Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• Degree in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, or related scientific disciplines that combine chemistry and biology, plus pharmaceutical industry, regulated industry, or Information Science experience - Bachelor’s and 5+ years, Master’s/PhD and 3+ years

Required:

• Completed at least one year of organic chemistry
• Experience or familiarity with deriving chemical nomenclature (IUPAC or CAS style)
• Experience with structure drawing software (ChemDraw, ACD, Accerlys, etc.)
• Domain expertise: Strong knowledge of chemical structures, stereochemistry, physicochemical properties, biological sequence representations and concepts, and the drug development process
• Familiarity with chemical identifiers and formats (SMILES, InChI, CAS, MOL/SDF), spectral data concepts, chemical ontologies/taxonomies, and common cheminformatics tools or libraries
• Experience establishing stewardship frameworks, SOPs, ownership models, and KPIs to maintain high quality, traceable, and compliant data
• Demonstrated history of adopting new technologies (AI, ML-assisted curation, knowledge graphs) and willingness to learn & prototype new approaches
• Very organized and able to work with high attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey technical and business information
• Ability to present in a group environment
• Strong time management and project management skills
• Ability to balance and prioritize multiple tasks
• Ability to work under pressure in a changing environment with flexibility
• Ability to work independently to drive tasks to completion and to act with appropriate accountability
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with the different functional areas and work cross functionally as part of a team

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with searching resources (SciFinder, STN) and familiarity with structure searching.
• Data modeling & metadata: Ability to understand canonical data models for products, substances and related metadata, with understanding of identifiers, keys, versioning, and provenance.
• Familiarity with data standards and ontologies used in the biomedical/pharma domain (WHO Drug, MedDRA, CDISC, MESH, UMLS).
• Experience with database querying (SQL), and data visualization tools
• Proficiency with programming languages, such as python or R
• Skilled at defining validation rules, implementing automated checks, resolving duplicates/merges, and maintaining robust audit trails.
• Knowledge of how GxP, GLP, 21 CFR part 11, REACH, and IDMP standards influence data management practices

#eligibleforERP

BARDS2020

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Biopharmaceutical Industry, ChemDraw, Data Integrity, Data Management, Data Modeling, Data Standards, Data Systems, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Ontology, Pharmaceutical Industry, Regulated Industries, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Preferred Skills:

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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:

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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.

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The salary range for this role is

$117,000.00 - $184,200.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

08/3/2026

*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.