Principal Engineer, Early Innovation R&D

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 Software/Systems Engineering

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Raritan, New Jersey, United States of America

Job Description:

Johnson & Johnson MedTech Surgery is currently seeking a Principal Engineer to join our R&D Innovation & Partnerships team located onsite at our Raritan, NJ location.

#LI-Onsite
 

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

This role will help shape the next generation of surgical, healing, and digitally enabled solutions by identifying and assessing external innovation, translating clinical unmet needs into technical requirements, and advancing high-potential technologies through structured due diligence, feasibility planning, and early development. The Principal Engineer will partner across R&D, Global Strategic Marketing, Business Development, Clinical, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, and external partners to support portfolio decisions and accelerate meaningful innovation for patients and customers.
 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify, assess, and recommend external technologies, platforms, and partnership opportunities aligned to J&J MedTech Surgery’s Wound Closure & Healing strategy and innovation pipeline.
• Conduct technical due diligence on startups, academic innovations, licensing opportunities, and strategic collaborations, including evaluation of clinical need, technical feasibility, intellectual property, regulatory pathway, quality considerations, scalability, and strategic fit.
• Develop technology landscapes, target scans, competitive intelligence, and evidence summaries across priority surgical, healing, regenerative medicine, and digital solution spaces.
• Translate customer, clinical, and technology insights into problem statements, user needs, system requirements, risk profiles, and evidence-based recommendations.
• Engage clinicians, key opinion leaders, academic collaborators, suppliers, incubators, accelerators, and external innovation partners to maintain a robust innovation pipeline.
• Lead front-end innovation activities, including customer discovery, unmet need definition, opportunity framing, concept generation, feasibility planning, prototype evaluation, and proof-of-concept execution.
• Partner cross-functionally to advance opportunities from assessment through technology de-risking and transition to formal product development, as appropriate.
• Prepare and communicate technical assessments, business cases, risk profiles, and recommendations to senior leaders and governance forums to support portfolio prioritization and investment decisions.
• Follow all applicable laws and regulations, J&J policies and procedures, design control expectations, quality system requirements, and health, safety, and environmental practices.
• Up to 20% travel may be required. 

 

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical 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, digital health, or related technical roles 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.
• Experience evaluating external technologies and partners, conducting technical due diligence, and making evidence-based 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 to senior leaders, clinicians, technical teams, and external partners is required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, CERTIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS

• Advanced degree in engineering, science, or a related technical discipline is preferred
• Experience with digital health technologies, connected medical devices, sensors, software-driven products, data platforms, AI/ML-enabled solutions, or clinical decision support tools is preferred.
• Experience in wound healing, tissue repair, regenerative medicine, advanced biologics, advanced wound care, or adjacent surgical device categories is preferred
• Prior experience in strategic partnerships or external innovation is preferred
• Design Excellence, Six Sigma, TRIZ, Design Thinking, Stanford Biodesign, or other structured innovation and problem-solving methodology experience
• Active network within digital health, healing sciences, or relevant startup ecosystems
   

  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, Critical Thinking, Innovation, Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Organizing, Project Management, Report Writing, Requirements Analysis, Research and Development, Researching, SAP Product Lifecycle Management, Scripting Languages, Software Acquisitions, Software Development Management, Software Engineering Practices, Software Quality Assurance (SQA), Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Technologically Savvy, Training People

 

 

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.