Research Operations Lead

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine • Cincinnati, OH

5d • $109,000 - $174,800 • Hybrid

About The Position

DePuy Synthes is recruiting for a HEMA Research Operations Lead to drive the research operations for the Health Economics, Market Access & Epidemiology (HEMA) organization. This role is central to ensuring that HEMA's research portfolio spanning health economics studies, epidemiological analyses, and market access evidence generation is executed with rigor, efficiency, and strategic alignment. The Research Operations Lead will own the systems, processes, and cross-functional coordination that enable the HEMA team to produce high-quality evidence and insights on time and within budget. This role is to be located in West Chester, Pennsylvania; Raynham, Massachusetts; Raritan, New Jersey; Warsaw, Indiana; or Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Health Administration, Life Sciences, or related field
• Three to five years of experience in research operations, project management, or administrative leadership, preferably within a healthcare, MedTech, or pharmaceutical environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams); experience with project management tools
• Experience managing budgets, purchase orders, and vendor contracts
• Exceptional attention to detail, multitasking ability, and organizational skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work effectively with diverse teams and external partners

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end operational management of the HEMA research portfolio, including study tracking, timeline governance, milestone monitoring, and resource allocation across all active health economics, epidemiology, and market access studies
• Drive study start-up and activation activities, including protocol finalization support, data use agreement execution, and site/vendor readiness
• Manage research compliance documentation across all HEMA-sponsored studies, ensuring adherence to internal policies and SOPs
• Design and maintain standardized research operations frameworks, including project management templates, study workflows, and stage-gate processes to ensure consistency and quality across the portfolio
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting mechanisms to track research deliverables, study milestones, and key performance indicators across the HEMA portfolio
• Deliver regular portfolio status reports to HEMA leadership, proactively identifying risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities to accelerate study timelines
• Own the HEMA research budget lifecycle — from forecasting and allocation to spend tracking and variance analysis, in partnership with HEMA lead and finance
• Manage purchase orders, contracts, and invoicing tied to research activities, ensuring fiscal discipline and compliance with procurement policies
• Support resource planning to optimize allocation of internal and external research capacity
• Manage relationships with external research partners, data providers, and consultants, including contract negotiation support, statements of work, and performance oversight
• Serve as the primary operational liaison with Procurement, Legal, and Compliance for all HEMA vendor engagements and physician collaborations
• Evaluate and onboard new vendors and data sources to expand HEMA's research capabilities as the organization evolves
• Own and continuously optimize the research operations technology stack, including project management platforms, study trackers, shared repositories, and collaboration tools (e.g., SharePoint, Smartsheet, Teams)
• Identify and implement process improvements that reduce cycle times, eliminate inefficiencies, and elevate the quality of research operations
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for core HEMA research operations processes
• Serve as the central operational point of contact for cross-functional teams engaging with HEMA research activities

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