Head of Joints Robotics, R&D Digital

Johnson & Johnson•Boston, MA

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

Fueled by innovation at the intersection of science, technology, and surgical workflow, Johnson & Johnson Orthopaedics is advancing the next generation of solutions to keep patients moving. We are focused on delivering smarter, less invasive, and more personalized orthopedic care, grounded in clinical evidence and enabled by biologics, implants, instruments, enabling technologies, and data‑driven insights. Our Orthopaedics teams help more than 6 million patients move each year, partnering with surgeons and healthcare systems worldwide to deliver meaningful clinical outcomes, operational efficiency & reproducibility combined with sustainable economic value. Across joint reconstruction; trauma and craniomaxillofacial; sports, extremities, and elective foot and ankle; spine; and robotics and digital surgery, we bring together deep domain expertise and scalable platforms to redefine standards of care. If you are passionate about expanding what’s possible in orthopedics, your talents can help shape the future of musculoskeletal health and support patients throughout their journey to recovery and renewed mobility. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/medtech . Johnson & Johnson announced plans to separate our Orthopaedics business to establish a standalone orthopaedics company, operating as DePuy Synthes. The process of the planned separation is anticipated to be completed within 18 to 24 months, subject to legal requirements, including consultation with works councils and other employee representative bodies, as may be required, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions and approvals. Should you accept this position, it is anticipated that, following conclusion of the transaction, you would be an employee of DePuy Synthes and your employment would be governed by DePuy Synthes employment processes, programs, policies, and benefit plans. In that case, details of any planned changes would be provided to you by DePuy Synthes at an appropriate time and subject to any necessary consultation processes. We are searching for the best talent to join our Orthopedic team as Head of Joints Robotics, R&D, located in Boston, MA, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Warsaw, IN, or Raynham, MA. Other DPS locations will be considered. The Head, Robotics, R&D will report to the VP Digital R&D Orthopedics. Position Summary: The Head of Joints Robotics, R&D is accountable for leading a cross-disciplinary Robotics R&D organization responsible for system engineering, software, and hardware development of next‑generation orthopedic robotic systems. Own the technical roadmap, delivery, team development, and alignment with clinical, regulatory and manufacturing stakeholders to bring safe, differentiated robotic products to market.

Requirements

MS or PhD in Robotics, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science.
10+ years leading engineering teams with combined software and hardware responsibility
3 years in medical device, surgical robotics, or similarly regulated industry.
Proven track record delivering complex electromechanical multi-disciplinary systems from concept to production.
Strong systems engineering mindset: requirements decomposition, architecture, verification/validation.
Deep experience in embedded systems, real‑time control, motion planning, perception (vision/force/encoders), and relevant SW stacks (C/C++, RTOS, ROS or robotics frameworks).
Demonstrated knowledge of medical device regulations, design controls, and risk management practices.
Excellent stakeholder management, cross‑functional leadership, and communication skills.
Strong Clinical workflow understanding through the patient pathway
Hands on technical credibility and ability to mentor senior engineers.
Customer and clinician empathy; data driven decision maker.
Skilled at prioritizing scope in constrained timelines and budgets.
Builds high trust teams and fosters psychological safety for innovation.
Results driven leadership with strong execution focus

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with surgical systems, orthopedics, or other implantable device ecosystems.
Exposure to cloud/edge analytics, cybersecurity for medical devices, and machine learning for perception or decision support.
MBA or demonstrated P&L/program ownership experience.

Responsibilities

Set technical vision and roadmap for robotics platforms (mechatronics, embedded systems, perception, control, autonomy, and cloud/edge software) in collaboration with product, clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing teams.
Manage end‑to‑end R&D delivery for full product lifecycle: requirements, architecture, prototyping, verification, validation, and transfer to production.
Lead, coach, and recruit a multidisciplinary team: firmware engineers, controls/mechatronics, electrical/mechanical design engineers, robotics perception/ML, embedded & application software, and systems engineers.
Establish robust engineering processes (requirements management, design control, risk management, software lifecycle, CI/CD, component obsolescence management).
Drive systems‑level tradeoffs between performance, safety, cost, and manufacturability for medical devices.
Ensure alignment with regulatory standards and support technical inputs for submission considerations.
Partner with human factors for clinical validation, and iterative improvements informed by surgeon feedback.
Own technical risk register, milestones, budgets, and resource allocation; report program status to senior leadership.
Define and track key metrics for product quality, development velocity, reliability, and time‑to‑market.

Benefits

Eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).
Eligible for the Company’s long-term incentive program.
Vacation –120 hours per calendar year
Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado –48 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
Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member: 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year
Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period
Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year