Associate Director of Architecture at MSD

Bring your architectural expertise to high-impact global capital projects and help turn business needs into innovative, compliant facility solutions worldwide. We are currently recruiting an Associate Director of Architecture for our Global Engineering Solutions organization.

About the Company

With over 300 employees, our Global Engineering Solutions (GES) organization manages investment capital and designs and executes capital projects globally. GES is structured into a Technology Center (responsible for design and project start-up), a Project Delivery organization (responsible for project management), and a Business Service organization (responsible for project financial reporting). Within the Technology Center, our Global Design Engineering Solutions (DES) team provides technical leadership and front-end design management to deliver compliant and cost-effective facility solutions for our company’s global capital programs.

The Role

Reporting to the Technology Director of DES (based in the U.S.), this role leads the development of holistic global facility design solutions that support critical manufacturing and business objectives across multiple programs and business units. You will partner with internal stakeholders and cross-functional teams to translate business needs into practical architectural solutions. The role also provides architectural subject matter expertise across the front-end planning lifecycle, from early concept development to FEL 3 Basis of Design. The focus is on delivering facility designs that align with business needs, internal standards, and industry best practices, enabling successful capital project execution through clear architectural definition. Additionally, you will strengthen architectural standards and governance while building trusted relationships and providing technical leadership across global initiatives.

Responsibilities

Partner with internal clients and stakeholders to define business needs and translate them into facility design solutions.
Lead front-end planning activities, including site selection, facility programming, and facility options development.
Develop architectural scope, conceptual layouts, and preliminary facility concepts for capital projects.
Evaluate facility layout options, capital phasing approaches, and design alternatives based on business priorities.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support decision-making and convergence on preferred solutions.
Work with external EPCM firms, engineering partners, and vendors to progress design deliverables.
Ensure facility designs meet internal requirements, cGMP principles, safety expectations, and industry best practices.
Own, develop, author, and maintain architectural engineering standards and design documents.
Create and review process, people, and material flow diagrams related to facility design.
Develop master planning and site selection analyses for new or existing facilities.
Support modular building and lean facility design strategies.
Conduct peer reviews and provide subject matter expertise across multiple projects.
Participate in constructability reviews, equipment selection, and pre-charter planning activities.
Maintain knowledge of internal practices, regulatory expectations, and industry trends.
Collaborate with Quality, Safety, Regulatory, Operations, and Production System teams to integrate requirements into designs.
Support field walk-downs during construction and troubleshooting.
Mentor and coach junior engineers, providing technical guidance and oversight.
Manage work within cost, schedule, and departmental constraints.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
Minimum 10 years of relevant industry experience.
Proven experience in GMP facility design for biopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities or laboratories.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing facility design, engineering fundamentals, regulatory requirements, and construction methods.
Experience leading architectural design for capital projects in manufacturing and laboratory environments.
Proficiency in AutoCAD and other 2D/3D design tools.
Strong working knowledge of building codes, construction materials, and building systems, including MEP integration.
Experience with master planning and site selection analysis for new or existing facilities.
Knowledge of GMP-regulated facility design, including segregation strategies and clean space classification.
Strong communication, interpersonal, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to produce drawing deliverables, project specifications, and design reports.
Willing to travel approximately 30% of the time.

What We Offer

An opportunity to influence front-end design, set architectural standards, and deliver projects with real business impact. A globally visible role with the opportunity to make a direct impact on delivering innovative products that help improve and save lives. Benefits depend on the job location but are very competitive.

For questions about this vacancy, please send an email including the vacancy number and job title to RecruitmentNL@MSD.com. Applications can only be submitted through our career site.