The posting
Job Description
The Future Talent Program features internships that last up to 12 weeks and will include one or more projects. These opportunities in our Research Labs Division can provide you with great development and a chance to see if we are the right company for your long-term goals.
Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO) is responsible for planning and executing our company's clinical trials globally, with a mission to deliver clinical research in an innovative, efficient, high-quality, and compliant manner. Within GCTO, Global Site Agreements (GSA) supports the agreements, contracting, and legal activities that enable clinical research, with a particular focus on clinical site contracting and related agreement processes.
GSA is seeking a curious, motivated intern with an interest in technology, contracting, clinical research, and/or process improvement. The intern will collaborate with GSA and GCTO colleagues to understand business challenges, analyze processes and information, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop practical solutions. Depending on the intern's background and interests, assignments may focus on technology-enabled solutions, legal and contracting processes, operational administration, or a combination of these areas.
This opportunity is ideal for a student who enjoys solving problems, organizing complex information, learning new tools and processes, and communicating practical recommendations. The intern will contribute to real GSA business challenges within a global clinical operations environment and participate in the problem-solving lifecycle, from understanding a business need to developing and documenting a solution and communicating the outcomes.
Primary Responsibilities
The intern will have opportunities to:
- Partner with GSA and GCTO stakeholders to understand business processes, contracting activities, administrative needs, challenges, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.
- Review, organize, and summarize business, legal, contracting, or operational information to support clear and practical recommendations.
- Support process mapping, requirements gathering, documentation, standardization, and workflow redesign.
- Identify opportunities to reduce manual activities, simplify workflows, improve controls, and strengthen the user experience.
- Contribute to technology-enabled solutions, such as automation, dashboards, reporting, collaboration tools, or artificial intelligence use cases, where appropriate.
- Analyze operational data and information to identify trends, patterns, bottlenecks, risks, and improvement opportunities.
- Assist with agreement-related process reviews, template or guidance updates, issue tracking, records organization, and other legal operations or administrative activities.
- Document and communicate requirements, processes, findings, recommendations, and outcomes for stakeholder and leadership audiences.
Required Qualifications
- Currently enrolled full-time in a BS/BA program or an accredited J.D. program. Relevant areas of study may include science, technology, information systems, business/public administration, legal studies, pre-law, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of two years of collegiate study completed by June 2027.
- Available to work full-time for up to 12 weeks beginning May or June 2027.
- Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities.
- Comfortable working with cross-functional teams and stakeholders across the globe.
- Demonstrated interest in one or more of the following: technology, legal operations, contracting, clinical operations, process improvement, innovation, data, or related disciplines.
- Strong problem-solving skills, intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, and willingness to learn and apply new tools, processes, and concepts.
- Ability to analyze, organize, and synthesize information and translate findings into practical recommendations, documentation, and solutions.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues.
Preferred Qualifications
Coursework, project experience, or hands-on experience in two or more of the following:
- Legal research, document review, and policy/procedure development.
- Business administration, project management, stakeholder engagement, meeting facilitation, and operational support.
- Process improvement, process mapping, requirements gathering, workflow design, and change management.
- Generative AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini.
- Microsoft Power Platform, such as Power BI, Power Automate, or Power Apps.
- Data analysis, reporting, data visualization, and dashboard development.
- Microsoft 365 tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Teams, and SharePoint.
- Clinical research, regulated environments, and global business processes.
Please note that this position may be closed before the posted end date or may remain open longer, at the discretion of the company.
Salary range: The salary range for this role is $39,908 - $111,111
FTP2027
RL2027
Required Skills:
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Clinical Research, Cloud Data Catalog, Dashboard Development, Data Analysis, Database Management, Data Science, Data Visualization, Data Wrangling, Detail-Oriented, Generative AI, Legal Operations, Legal Studies, Meeting Facilitation
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, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts
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:
Intern/Co-op (Fixed Term)
Relocation:
No relocation
VISA Sponsorship:
No
Travel Requirements:
No Travel Required
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid
Shift:
Not Indicated
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
n/a
Job Posting End Date:
12/10/2026
*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.
