Director, Discovery Translational Biomarker Lead (Neuropsychiatry)

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine • San Diego, CA

5d • $164,000 - $282,900

About The Position

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. Johnson and Johnson is recruiting for a Director, Neuropsychiatry Discovery Translational Biomarker Lead to be located in La Jolla, CA, Titusville, NJ, Spring House, PA, or Cambridge, MA. Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow. Our Neuroscience team tackles the world’s toughest brain health challenges including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, myasthenia gravis, epilepsy, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and autism. This patient-focused team helps address some of the most complex diseases of our time. Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine The Neuroscience Precision Measures Team is an integrated group of scientists that supports the mission to deliver precision therapeutics to patients with CNS disorder in the areas of neuropsychiatry, neurodegeneration and ophthalmology. The team is composed of disease experts, biomarker scientists, computational biologists, and experts in imaging and digital health, partnering closely with the Neuroscience Discovery and Development organizations to enable advancement of our industry leading pipeline of novel mechanisms. The Precision Measures team advances measurement based on human data from fluids, tissues, high-dimensional biology, and neuroimaging to support the end-to-end portfolio. Together with our partners, the PM group will provide the key learnings/insights on the next wave of novel therapies. Precision Measures has a broad remit stretching from support of discovery with human data to support target selection, through development of novel decision-making biomarkers for early phase clinical trials, biomarker support of regulatory filings, post-market publications and diagnostics. The Director, Neuropsychiatry Discovery Translational Biomarker Lead position is a senior leadership role within the Neuroscience Precision Measures team, supporting discovery phase programs in Neuropsychiatry This position reports to the Head of Molecular and Discovery Biomarkers, and will lead and coordinate Precision Measures team supporting discovery phase neuropsychiatry programs. The Director will coordinate the translational measurement strategy including patient stratification approaches, advanced endpoints, creating and implementing innovative biomarker strategies by partnering and aligning experts across the Precision Measures, Neuroscience and broader J&J Innovative medicines organization. This role serves as a key member of Discovery Biology Teams, and will lead preparation for the Neuroscience Translational Forum to align with and receive input from key members of the Neuroscience Leadership Team. The Director will manage the cross-functional team to turn ideas into plans, evaluating feasibility and risk, performance requirements, timelines, deliverables and communication. Beyond responsibility for compound development, this leader, when needed, will establish requirements, roadmaps and timelines, in partnership with clinical development and regulatory, for novel measurement development. Integration of insights from the external ecosystem, including literature, conferences, partnership and consortia, aligned to program goals and timelines. The successful candidate will have a strong track record, expertise and collaborative base in the field of neuropsychiatry. The Director will be accountable for ensuring the group’s strategic direction, proactive preparedness for governance decisions, the timely creation and implementation of high caliber translational biomarker plans in support of key milestones for preclinical discovery programs. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the construction of translational data packages, including strategies for target engagement, expression and predictive response biomarkers to enable patient stratification.

Requirements

• PhD, MD or MD/PhD required
• Minimum of 6-12 years of industry or relevant experience where direct ‘hands-on’ experience in neuroscience biomarker development is required.
• Depth of experience with several different therapeutic platforms preferred (biologics, small molecules and/or gene/RNA).
• Fluid biomarker, assay development and proteomic experience required
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills are required
• Track record of developing and implementing impactful biomarker and translational plans is essential.
• Experience leading matrix teams is required.
• Training in molecular biology or basic neuroscience is strongly preferred.
• Subspecialty training in neuropsychiatry is preferred
• Dynamic entrepreneurial mindset

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams of scientists to establish first clinical biomarker plans for discovery stage compounds, develop and validate novel assays, analyze and interpret data, and prepare strategy to support decision making for assets.
• Lead and shape the design and execution of program translational strategies integrating both disease and pathway approaches to address target engagement and expression, patient segmentation and indication potential.
• Collaborate with Discovery, Precision Measures leadership, Data Science & Digital Health to establish strategies for the development and implementation of clinical biomarkers.
• Partner with Discovery leads to integrate clinical translational science findings into evolving programs.
• Lead and drive efforts to engage in collaborations with external partners/academic institutions having strong capabilities in translational science and medicine.
• Support Business Development, including due diligence activities.

Benefits

• Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees and/or eligible dependents are 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.
• Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are 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.
• Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, Employees are eligible for the following time off benefits: Vacation –120 hours per calendar year Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington –56 hours per calendar year Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child Condolence Leave – 30 days for an immediate family member: 5 days for an extended family member Caregiver Leave – 10 days Volunteer Leave – 4 days Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours
• Additional information can be found through the link below.
• https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree