VENCE Field Application Specialist
MSD
Posted 7 May 2026
About this role
Job Description
About Technology Solutions
Our company's Animal Health Technology Solutions offers global animal identification and monitoring solutions for companion animals and livestock. These solutions enable pet owners to better manage the health and well-being of their pets and enable livestock producers to improve well-being and animal production. Technology Solutions include Core Technologies in Livestock Identification, Dairy, Beef and Swine monitoring, for which the product/market fit is established, as well as products in discovery.
Our Technology Solutions division is evolving. We are moving to a Product Operating Model – a new way of working that empowers product teams to take full ownership and accountability for delivering customer and business value in ways our customers love and that work for the business.
Our product teams are cross-functional and durable, bringing together all the skills required to deliver impactful outcomes. Each team includes a Product Manager, Technology Lead, Product Designer, Delivery Lead, engineers, developers, and extended team members.
We believe in customer centricity, ownership, and accountability. Solutions must be:
Valuable – customers choose to buy or use them
Viable – aligned with business constraints and goals
Usable – intuitive and user-friendly
Feasible – achievable with our technical capabilities
Leadership of the team is shared between the Product Manager and the Technology Lead, ensuring balanced guidance that bridges product vision and technical execution.
About Vence:
The Vence Product is redefining livestock management through virtual fencing technology that improves animal welfare, pasture utilization, and operational efficiency. Our GPS-enabled collar and software platform helps producers manage grazing with precision and flexibility
Vence FIeld Application Specialist:
The Vence Field Application Specialist is the R&D front line for Vence customers. You will combine deep product knowledge with practical field experience to help design, configure, and optimize Vence solutions on farms and ranches. Working closely with producers, deployment teams, rancher success, product managers and engineering, you ensure that Vence systems are correctly specified, robustly implemented, and delivering consistent value in real-world conditions.
Key Responsibilities
Contribute to field testing strategy and objectives by participating in the definition of field‑testing OKRs, success criteria, and key metrics, providing practical field, operational, and domain input to ensure objectives are realistic, measurable, and aligned with product lifecycle goals.
Participate in defining and refining field test protocols, test scenarios, and data requirements, collaborating with R&D, engineering, and product stakeholders who own overall test strategy and governance, and ensuring protocols reflect real‑world operating conditions and constraints.
Execute and support field trials across early and mid product lifecycle stages, including site readiness, on‑site execution, monitoring of test progress, structured data collection, and identification of anomalies, risks, and deviations from expected behavior.
Collaborate closely with Field Operations teams on large‑scale, multi‑site, or operationally intensive field activities, aligning on roles, responsibilities, logistics, and sequencing to ensure safe, consistent, and scalable execution.
Own R&D‑driven field investigations, acting as the technical owner for complex or escalated field‑originated issues, leading root‑cause analysis across hardware, software, data, and operational dimensions, and coordinating with engineering, data, and algorithm teams to drive resolution and design improvements.
Translate field execution and investigation outcomes into actionable R&D insights, working with R&D Delivery, Solution Engineering, and Product to inform design decisions, readiness assessments, and lifecycle stage transitions.
Document and communicate field outcomes, including trial execution results, investigation findings, and recommendations, contributing to continuous improvement of field testing practices, methodologies, and cross‑team ways of working.
Qualifications
Minimum 5 years experience in field application, systems engineering, technical operations, or similar hands‑on roles, preferably involving complex HW/SW systems
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Sciences, or a related field of study - advantage
Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills; comfortable diagnosing issues using data, logs, and field observations
Ability to operate independently in the field while collaborating effectively with R&D and Field Operations teams
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Willingness to travel at least 50% and work in outdoor or operational environments as required
Required Skills:
Animal Welfare, Applied Engineering, Computer Science, Field Trials, Leadership, Logistics, Operating Models, Pasture Management, Readiness Assessments, Structured Data, Systems Engineering, Testing ProtocolsPreferred Skills:
Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
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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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U.S. Hybrid Work Model
Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.
The salary range for this role is
$0.00 - $0.00This 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:
RegularRelocation:
No relocationVISA Sponsorship:
NoTravel Requirements:
50%Flexible Work Arrangements:
RemoteShift:
Not IndicatedValid Driving License:
NoHazardous Material(s):
N/AJob Posting End Date:
05/20/2026*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.