Principal Scientist - R&D DSDH Ontology Developer TDS Therapeutics Development & Supply (TDS)

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine • Ambler, PA

1d • $117,000 - $201,250

About The Position

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine is recruiting for Principal Scientist - R&D DSDH Ontology Developer TDS Therapeutics Development & Supply (TDS) The primary location for this position is open to Spring House, PA; Cambridge, MA; Beerse, Belgium; Madrid, Spain; or Barcelona, Spain. Candidate Interested in our EMEA based locations, please apply to: R-069218 J&J Innovative Medicine develops treatments that improve the health of people worldwide. Research and development areas encompass oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiopulmonary and specialty ophthalmology. Our goal is to help people live longer, healthier lives. We have produced and marketed many first-in-class prescription medications and are poised to serve the broad needs of the healthcare market – from patients to practitioners and from clinics to hospitals. To learn more about Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine visit https://innovativemedicine.jnj.com/
POSITION SUMMARY The R&D Data Science organization is recruiting for a Principal Data Scientist – Ontology Developer TDS to design, build, and govern the semantic frameworks that unify data across the development‑to‑delivery lifecycle for Therapeutics Development & Supply (TDS). You will translate scientific, technical, and operational concepts into well‑structured ontologies, controlled vocabularies, and semantic models that enable interoperability, analytics, automation, and AI/ML applications across TDS. This role combines hands‑on ontology engineering with product-oriented thinking, partnering closely with domain experts in Process Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Data Science teams. You will serve as a key technical contributor and creative problem solver with a strong understanding of semantic technologies and data modeling in life sciences or manufacturing domains.
Why This Role Is Unique This is a rare opportunity to grow in one of the world’s most ambitious and fastest-growing Pharma R&D Data Science organizations, shaping how TDS data powers next‑generation therapies in the largest biomedical company on the planet. Your work will directly accelerate Johnson & Johnson’s scientific discovery, fuel AI innovation, and impact patients globally.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Life Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or related field.
• 3–5+ years of hands‑on experience in ontology engineering, knowledge modeling, semantic standards, or knowledge graph development, consistent with expectations in semantic technology roles.
• Proficiency with OWL, RDF(S), SKOS, SHACL, SPARQL, ontology design patterns, and reasoning workflows.
• Experience with graph databases (e.g., Neo4j, GraphDB, etc).
• Strong skills in analytical problem solving, requirements gathering, and translating discussions with SMEs into semantic structures.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and deliver high‑quality outcomes.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with biopharmaceutical development, GMP manufacturing, quality systems, or supply chain data.
• Familiarity with standards such as ISA‑88/95, GS1, HL7/FHIR, or manufacturing‑oriented ontologies.
• Familiarity with ML/NLP techniques for metadata extraction, classification, or ontology enrichment.
• Understanding of enterprise data platforms, metadata systems, and knowledge graph architectures.

Responsibilities

• Ontology Design, Development & Release Model, code, test, and publish ontology modules and controlled vocabularies supporting our TDS data ecosystems (e.g., process development, material attributes, equipment hierarchies, batch and product genealogy, quality signals, supply chain flows).
• Translate domain knowledge from SMEs into OWL/RDF classes and properties, SKOS vocabularies, and SHACL constraints, following patterns from established ontology engineering practices.
• Produce validated, versioned semantic models and API‑ready outputs for integration into enterprise platforms.
• Build mappings to enterprise canonical models, regulatory standards, and cross‑functional ontologies.
• Governance, Standards & Quality Maintain accountability for components of the TDS ontology roadmap—setting scope, priority, use cases, and success metrics.
• Define and enforce modeling guidelines, naming and versioning conventions, change control processes, and release/deprecation rules, similar to R&D ontology governance frameworks.
• Implement data quality checks including coverage, conformance, identifier normalization, and provenance capture.
• Produce automated validation reports and maintain SPARQL queries/tests.
• Integration with Data Products, Analytics & AI/ML Ensure TDS ontologies serve as foundational assets enabling knowledge graphs, data products, advanced analytics, and AI/ML workflows—mirroring the AI‑readiness focus in technical roles.
• Partner with Data Engineering and Data Architecture teams to embed semantic layers into data pipelines and metadata systems.
• Support automation of classification, normalization, and entity linking using ML/NLP techniques.
• Collaboration & Cross‑Functional Engagement Work with SMEs across Process Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Digital/Data Science to capture domain semantics and validate ontology structures.
• Participate in broader enterprise communities of practice advancing data standardization, interoperability, and ontology reuse.
• Engage stakeholders to understand business needs, communicate semantic designs, and ensure fit‑for‑purpose delivery—reflecting cross‑functional expectations in data strategy roles.

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees