Technology Lead, Agentic AI and R&D

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Merck Group is seeking a Technology Lead for Agentic AI and R&D to anchor a production-grade multi-agent platform enabling autonomous experiment design and automated reporting at scale, with onsite work in San Jose and flexible remote options. You will own the architecture, set engineering standards, and drive CI/CD, observability, security and governance while coordinating internal engineers and external contractors within a SAFe cadence. The ideal candidate has leadership in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure on AWS and Azure, a security-first mindset, and agentic AI and LLM orchestration experience, plus the ability to translate R&D needs into reliable solutions and communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Tips: tailor your resume to prove end-to-end ownership, quantify outcomes, highlight mentorship and cross-functional collaboration, and provide concrete examples of governance and production readiness.

Work Your Magic with us! Start your next chapter and join EMD Electronics.

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.  

Everything we do in EMD Electronics is to help us deliver on our purpose of being the company behind the companies, advancing digital living. We are dedicated to being the trusted supplier of high-tech materials, services and specialty chemicals for the electronics, automotive and cosmetics industries. We foster a global collaborative organization made up of individuals who have the passion to win, obsess about the customer, are relentlessly curious and act with urgency. Together, we push the boundaries of science to make more possible for our customers.

Location: San Jose, California | Remote Flexibility Available

Your Role

You will be the technical cornerstone of a high-impact, multi-agent platform that powers AI-amplified research and development. In this pivotal role, you will own the architecture and evolution of a production-grade agentic system that enables autonomous experiment design and automated reporting at scale. Your work will directly shape how science and technology interact, driving meaningful progress for patients and customers worldwide.

You will define and uphold engineering standards through hands-on code review, pairing, and concrete examples, ensuring quality and maintainability endure beyond individual contributors. You will build and maintain shared agentic infrastructure that allows multiple programs to contribute specialized agents within a single governed platform, connecting it to external tooling, partners, and the broader ecosystem for seamless integration and scalable growth.

You will own platform design decisions spanning data sources, access controls, agent composition patterns, scalability, and technical debt management. Within a SAFe delivery cadence, you will lead the technical roadmap, guiding both internal engineers and external contractors to maintain architectural consistency. You will ship production code, own CI/CD pipelines and observability, and drive robust testing and security practices for sensitive research data.

You will translate complex research and development requirements into reliable technical solutions and communicate them clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. You will mentor developers, lead by example, and help the team navigate the evolving AI landscape with disciplined, evidence-based decision making. As the permanent internal anchor for architecture and standards, you will ensure the platform remains reliable, secure, and extensible as the program scales.

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in computer science, data science, chemistry, materials science, or a related field with 3+ years of experience Or Ph.D in computer science, data science, chemistry, materials science, or a related field with 2+ years of experience.
• Demonstrated experience in technical leadership, including making architectural decisions under uncertainty and guiding cross-functional engineering teams.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems, APIs, and cloud infrastructure on AWS and/or Azure.
• Security-first mindset with hands-on knowledge of authentication, authorization, input validation, and AI-specific risks such as prompt injection and data leakage.
• Experience establishing engineering standards, automated testing strategies, and maintainable code practices that scale across teams and contributors.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven track record of building and operating complex, production-grade software systems end to end, including ownership of CI/CD, observability, and on-call operations.
• Experience designing or operating multi-agent or agentic AI platforms in a production environment.
• Familiarity with large language model (LLM) orchestration frameworks and patterns for agent composition and governance.
• Experience working within SAFe or similar scaled agile delivery frameworks.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to bridge software engineering and non-technical research or product stakeholders.
• Familiarity with research and development workflows, scientific data environments, or regulated data contexts where security and data governance are critical.

Base Pay Range for this position: $119,300-$178,900

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites. For more information click here.

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!