Director, Neuropsychiatry Clinical Translational Biomarker Lead

Johnson & Johnson•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Johnson and Johnson is recruiting for a Director, Neuropsychiatry Clinical 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 Clinical Translational Biomarker Lead position is a senior leadership role within the Neuroscience Precision Measures team, supporting programs clinical stage programs in Neuropsychiatry. This position reports to the Head of Quantitative Imaging and Clinical Biomarkers, and will lead and coordinate cross-functional Measurement Development teams for clinical 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 Compound Development Teams convening the translational subteams, and will lead preparation for Measurement Development Forums 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. 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 clinical phase 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).
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 translational sciences or basic neuroscience is strongly preferred.
Subspecialty training in neuropsychiatry is preferred
Dynamic entrepreneurial mindset

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional teams of scientists to develop and execute clinical biomarker plans for clinical stage compounds, establishing evidence generation plan for novel measurements, analyze and interpret clinical data, driving decision making for clinical assets.
Lead and shape the design and on-time execution of program translational strategies integrating both disease and pathway approaches to address target engagement and expression, patient segmentation and indication potential.
Collaborate with Clinical Development, Precision Measures leadership, Data Science & Digital Health to establish strategies for the development and implementation of clinical biomarkers.
Partner with Compound 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