Principal Scientist Global Platform, R&D

Johnson & Johnson•Jacksonville, FL

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Johnson & Johnson is currently seeking a Principal Scientist R&D Platform, to join our Vision Team located in Jacksonville, FL. 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 https://www.jnj.com/ Purpose: As a Principal Scientist you will lead the end-to-end scientific and technical strategy for contact lens platforms, driving research, development, regulatory readiness, and successful product launches. You will be a technical authority and program leader who translates scientific insight into robust product designs, scalable processes, and measurable patient outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Vision Science, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, or a closely related field required.
8-10 years of R&D/product development experience with a Bachelor’s degree, 6+ years of R&D/product development experience with a Master’s degree, or 4+ years (with a PhD/OD/MD) of R&D/product development roles.
Knowledge of ocular physiology, clinical science, and contact lens technologies.
Strong business acumen and knowledge of contact lens products and competitive landscape
Experience with the application of principles, concepts and practices of the research & development of novel contact lens materials, designs and processes.
Proven experience with end-to-end product development and program management in regulated environments.
Strong skills in statistical analysis and design of experiments.
Demonstrated ability to make risk-based, strategic decisions and drive complex programs to delivery.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
Commitment to Credo-based decision-making and sustainability/environmental policies.
Language requirements – proficiency in spoken and written English

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MS/PhD/OD/MD) preferred.
Prior leadership of multi-functional teams and demonstrated mentorship experience.
Experience translating scientific concepts into design controls and scalable manufacturing processes.
Track record of scientific publications and conference presentations.
Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders across Project Teams, Process Development, Regulatory, Clinical, Quality, Supply Chain, and Commercial groups.

Responsibilities

Lead complex R&D programs from discovery through commercial launch, managing cross-functional governance, milestones, and deliverables.
Define platform strategy and execute product roadmaps that balance innovation, feasibility, clinical validation, quality, and manufacturability.
Design and oversee experiments and analyses of high complexity; apply independent judgment to develop new methods, evaluation criteria, and risk-based solutions.
Drive continuous improvement of materials, processes, and scientific procedures across product lifecycles to improve safety, performance, and manufacturability.
Act as a subject-matter expert and mentor, providing technical direction to project teams and collaborators across functions.
Ensure strong linkage between product attributes, manufacturing processes, and patient experience to establish robust design controls and lifecycle metrics.
Partner closely with Regulatory, Clinical, Quality, Supply Chain, Process Development, and Commercial teams to align objectives, prepare regulatory submissions, and enable successful market introduction.
Lead IP strategy and champion generation of novel intellectual property to protect platform innovations.
Contribute to the scientific community through publications and conference participation to strengthen platform leadership.
Support portfolio-level decisions including technology investments, licensing, and acquisition assessments where applicable.
Promote Credo-based decision-making and adherence to environmental and corporate policies.
Serve as an authority in the technical field.