ESE Technical Architect

Job Description

Our company’s Information Technology organization partners with colleagues across the business to help serve our patients and customers around the world. Our IT team operates as a business partner proposing ideas and innovative solutions that enable new organizational capabilities. We collaborate internationally to deliver the services and solutions that help everyone to be more productive and enable innovation.

We are seeking a proficient Technical Architect who is passionate about securing, modernizing, and scaling the digital ecosystem while enabling seamless data flow, accelerating delivery, strengthening partnerships with product teams, and ensuring technology investments align with business objectives. This position will lead the design of holistic, scalable, and reusable solutions, reduce technical debt, and drive discovery and architecture efforts for critical initiatives.

As Technical Architect for the External and Scientific Engagement (ESE) Product Line, this position will define and execute a cohesive technology strategy to improve platform efficiency, foster innovation, and maximize business value across the product line. Responsibilities include defining, governing, and implementing the architectural blueprint for multiple products and platforms that connect drug development, medical affairs, and commercial business units.

The ESE Product Line partners with the Value & Implementation organization to advance technologies that support medical affairs and outcomes research. It also collaborates with the Scientific Communications & Information Sciences organization to deliver modern solutions that provide trusted scientific and medical information to healthcare providers and patients worldwide. The ESE Product Line is part of the Digital Development Capabilities Value Team within the Clinical Development and Digital Solutions organization.

Responsibilities

• Leads technology strategy and roadmap development, defining the conceptual, logical, and technical architecture across the product line.
• Conducts technology assessments and monitors emerging industry trends to drive innovation and the adoption of modern best practices. Develops and maintains reusable design patterns and reference architectures.
• Collaborates with enterprise IT teams to identify capability gaps, align technology roadmaps, and maximize the reuse of enterprise platforms and services.
• Drives the adoption of enterprise architecture standards and best practices, providing technical leadership to deliver scalable, high-quality solutions.
• Builds strong working relationships and facilitates communication among technical teams, business leaders, and technology leaders to support effective decision-making.
• Reviews requirements and architectures to ensure appropriate technology selection and the efficient use of resources.

Required Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years as a Technical or Solution Architect
• Expertise in designing scalable, distributed, cloud-native architectures
• Experience translating business vision into technology roadmaps and target-state architectures
• Proven ability to create and standardize architecture patterns, blueprints, and best practices
• Hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud platforms
• Strong knowledge of APIs, event-driven architectures, integration patterns, and messaging technologies
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases, search platforms, and data pipelines
• Familiarity with Enterprise Architecture governance, standards, and shared platforms
• Skilled in technology evaluations, vendor assessments, and proof-of-concept development
• Strong understanding of CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), site reliability, and security practices
• Ability to balance architectural rigor with business priorities, delivery timelines, and technical debt
• Experience optimizing cloud, infrastructure, and operational costs
• Exceptional ability to synthesize complex architectural trade-offs
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and business audiences
• Proven ability to mentor teams, build consensus, and lead complex technical initiatives

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Architect, TOGAF)
• Architecture experience in regulated industries (Life Sciences, Healthcare, Pharma)
• AI/ML, Generative AI, Enterprise Search, and Analytics integration experience
• Proven track record modernizing legacy platforms to microservices and modern architectures
• Strong expertise in Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and Agile/Scrum delivery models

What we offer

• Exciting work in a great team, global projects, international environment
• Opportunity to learn and grow professionally within the company globally
• Hybrid working model, flexible role pattern
• Competitive salary & incentive pay
• Pension and health insurance contributions
• Internal reward system and referral scheme
• 5 weeks annual leave, 5 sick days, 15 days of certified sick leave paid above statutory requirements annually, 40 paid hours annually for volunteering activities, 12 weeks of parental contribution
• Cafeteria for tax free benefits according to your choice (meal vouchers, sport, culture, health, travel, etc.), Multisport Card
• Vodafone, Raiffeisen Bank, Foodora, and discount programmes
• Up-to-date laptop and iPhone
• Parking in the garage, showers, refreshments, massage chairs, library, music corner

Ready to take up the challenge? Apply now!

Know anybody who might be interested? Refer this job!

Required Skills:

Architectural Specifications, Architectural Specifications, Business Architecture, Cloud Architectures, Cloud Computing, Cloud Computing Services, Cloud Deployment, Distributed Architectures, Emerging Technologies, Enterprise Architecture Strategy, Legacy Systems, Methods and Tools, Product Architecture, Product Roadmap, Reference Architectures, Requirements Management, Scalable Architectures, Software Development, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Software Development Management, Solution Architecture, Strategic Planning, System Designs, Team Mentoring, Technical Advice {+ 1 more}

Preferred Skills:

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:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

10/24/2026

*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.