Principal Engineer, Early Innovation R&D - Cardiovascular

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine • Raritan, NJ

7d • $117,000 - $201,250 • Onsite

About The Position

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

Requirements

• 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

Nice To Haves

• 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

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

Benefits

• medical
• dental
• vision
• life insurance
• short- and long-term disability
• business accident insurance
• group legal insurance
• consolidated retirement plan (pension)
• savings plan (401(k))
• long-term incentive program
• Vacation – up to 120 hours per calendar year
• Sick time - up to 40 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal