Principal Engineer, Early Innovation R&D - Cardiovascular

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at jnj.com

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world.  We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual.  At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.

Job Function:

R&D Product Development

Job Sub Function:

R&D Mechanical Engineering

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Raritan, New Jersey, United States of America

Job Description:

Johnson & Johnson MedTech Surgery is currently recruiting for a Principal Engineer to join our R&D Innovation & Partnerships team located in Raritan, NJ.
 

About Surgery

Fueled by innovation at the intersection of biology and technology, we’re developing the next generation of smarter, less invasive, more personalized treatments.

Are you passionate about improving and expanding the possibilities of surgery? Ready to join a team that’s reimagining how we heal? Our Surgery team will give you the chance to deliver surgical technologies and solutions to surgeons and healthcare professionals around the world. Your contributions will help effectively treat some of the world’s most prevalent conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Patients are waiting.

Your unique talents will help patients on their journey to wellness.

Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/medtech

JOB SUMMARY

As a key member of the Wound Closure & Healing business unit, this role will primarily help shape the next generation of cardiovascular surgery solutions by identifying external innovation, translating clinical unmet needs into technical requirements, and advancing high-potential technologies through rigorous assessment and early development. You will join a cross-functional team focused on advancing meaningful innovation in surgery. This role offers the opportunity to shape strategy, influence portfolio decisions, engage external innovators and clinical leaders, and help deliver solutions that improve outcomes for patients and customers around the world.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify, assess, and recommend external technologies, platforms, and partnership opportunities that support J&J MedTech Surgery’s cardiovascular surgery strategy and innovation pipeline
• Conduct technical due diligence on startups, academic innovations, licensing opportunities, and strategic collaborations, including assessment of clinical need, technical feasibility, IP position, regulatory pathway, quality considerations, and commercial fit
• Develop and maintain technology landscapes, target scans, and competitive intelligence across priority cardiovascular surgery segments.
• Translate customer and clinical insights into clear problem statements, user needs, system requirements, and evidence-based recommendations for build, buy, partner, or monitor decisions
• Lead early-stage concept generation, feasibility planning, prototype evaluation, and proof-of-concept activities for novel cardiovascular surgery devices, tools, and enabling platforms
• Drive front-end innovation from opportunity definition through technology de-risking and transition to formal product development, partnering closely with Global Strategic Marketing, Business Development, Clinical, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, and external partners
• Contribute to intellectual property strategy, invention disclosures, freedom-to-operate considerations, and technical documentation supporting investment and development decisions
• Prepare and communicate technical assessments, business cases, risk profiles, and recommendations to senior leadership and governance forums to support portfolio prioritization and investment decisions
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert in cardiovascular surgery technologies and workflows.
• Ensure work is conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, J&J policies and procedures, design control expectations, quality system requirements, and health, safety, and environmental practices Provide technical guidance, coaching, and mentorship to engineers and cross-functional partners; influence without direct authority in a matrixed global organization
• Represent J&J MedTech Surgery with clinicians, key opinion leaders, academic collaborators, suppliers, and external innovation partners while modeling Our Credo and J&J leadership behaviors
• Up to 20% travel may be required. 

 

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline is required. 
• A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in medical device R&D, product development, advanced engineering, external innovation, or related technical roles is required.
• Experience in cardiovascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, structural heart, surgical robotics, advanced suturing, or adjacent surgical device categories is required.
• Experience leading front-end innovation activities, including customer discovery, unmet need definition, concept development, feasibility testing, technical de-risking, and transition to development programs is required.
• A track record of pipeline enrichment is required.
• Experience evaluating external technologies and partners, conducting technical due diligence, and making evidence-based build, buy, partner, or monitor recommendations is required.
• Working knowledge of medical device design controls, risk management, verification and validation, quality systems, and regulated product development is required.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical, clinical, and business information clearly and concisely to senior leaders, clinicians, technical teams, and external partners is required

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, CERTIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS

• Advanced degree (Masters or higher) is preferred.
• Established network with cardiovascular surgeons, academic innovators, startups, suppliers, incubators, or external technology developers
• Experience designing and interpreting bench testing, computational modeling, cadaveric studies, animal studies, simulated-use evaluations, or early clinical evidence plans for cardiovascular devices
• Design Excellence, Six Sigma, TRIZ, Design Thinking, Stanford Biodesign, or other structured innovation and problem-solving methodology experience

 

Benefits Summary:

• Employees and/or eligible dependents may be eligible to participate in the following Company sponsored employee benefit programs: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, business accident insurance, and group legal insurance.
• Employees may be eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).
• This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.
• Employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:
  • Vacation – up to 120 hours per calendar year
  • Sick time - up to 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington – up to 56 hours per calendar year
  • Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays – up to 13 days per calendar year
  • Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year

Additional information can be found through the link below! https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits​

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via  https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers. Internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

Required Skills:

 

 

Preferred Skills:

Coaching, Contract Management, Critical Thinking, Design Thinking, Fact-Based Decision Making, Feasibility Studies, Incident Management, Mechanical Engineering, Organizing, Process Oriented, Product Development, Project Management Methodology (PMM), Project Support, Research and Development, SAP Product Lifecycle Management, Technical Credibility, Technical Writing, Vendor Management

 

 

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$117,000.00 - $201,250.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

The Company maintains highly competitive, performance-based compensation programs. Under current guidelines, this position is eligible for an annual performance bonus in accordance with the terms of the applicable plan. The annual performance bonus is a cash bonus intended to provide an incentive to achieve annual targeted results by rewarding for individual and the corporation’s performance over a calendar/performance year. Bonuses are awarded at the Company’s discretion on an individual basis.