Senior Laboratory Data Automation Architect, R&D Therapeutics Discovery

Johnson & Johnson•Spring House, PA

28d•Onsite

About The Position

At Johnson & Johnson,â we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build aâ world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured,â where treatments are smarter and less invasive, andâ solutions are personal.â 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.â Learn more at https://www.jnj.com About Innovative Medicine Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow. Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine We are searching for the best talent for a Senior Laboratory Data Automation Architect, R&D Therapeutics Discovery to be located in Spring House, PA. Purpose: The Laboratory Data Automation Architect acts as the keystone of automation projects, ensuring that scientific workflows, hardware deployment, software development, and systems integration are all aligned, defined, and interoperable within Johnson & Johnson's laboratory infrastructures. This role combines scientific acumen with expert-level capabilities in automation design, platform management, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver integrated, scalable, and compliant automation solutions across modality agnostic Therapeutics Discovery.

Requirements

Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences or a closely related field is required.
10+ years of experience in automation and platform management is required.
Domain Expertise: Proven track record deploying and operating advanced automation platforms in laboratory or research environments; familiarity with laboratory instrumentation and analytical techniques is required.
Systems & Integration: Broad experience with robotics, high-throughput screening, LIMS/ELN, data management systems, and end-to-end system integration (scheduling software, APIs, middleware, data exchange) is required.
Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead global, matrixed teams and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously is required.
Communication: Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills; ability to translate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences is required.
Governance & Quality Familiarity with validation, change control, documentation, machine safety and regulatory considerations relevant to life sciences (IT/OT security) is required.

Nice To Haves

Industry Exposure: Experience in pharmaceutical research, biotech, or medical device environments is preferred.
Technical Breadth: Knowledge of LIMS/ELN systems, data visualization, and analytics toolsets; experience with programming languages such as Python, R, C#, or Java; scripting for automation is preferred.
Cloud & Data: Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and data orchestration/workflow tooling is a plus.
Data Governance: Strong understanding of data integrity, lineage, security frameworks, and scalable data architectures is preferred.
Soft Skills: Strong analytical mentality, problem-solving agility, and a collaborative leadership style is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Architectural leadership
Designing and governing scalable, robust automated scientific workflows that span hardware, software, data, and networking layers.
Defining critical data entities and data flows to enable seamless transitions between disparate components and future-ready extensions.
Establishing and promoting best methods for API/SDK usage, data models, and integration standards across internal and external tools.
Program and project execution
Leading end-to-end automation initiatives from concept through deployment, validation, and ongoing optimization.
Aligning projects with strategic objectives, timelines, budgets, and risk management in a global, matrixed environment.
Defining and maintaining platform roadmaps, governance, change control, and documentation.
Hardware and software integration
Identifying and selecting instrumentation and software solutions based on scientific merit and ease of integration.
Capably orchestrating the integration of lab instrumentation, high-throughput systems, robotics, ELN/LIMS, MES/OT, and data analytics platforms.
Overseeing system integration, including scheduling software, middleware, APIs, and data exchange protocols.
Data management, security, and compliance
Ensuring data quality, lineage, traceability, security, and compliance (IT/OT security and relevant standards).
Implementing proactive monitoring, diagnostic tools, and maintenance regimes to minimize downtime and risk.
Developing runbooks, validation plans, and documentation to support audits and inspections.
Vendor and ecosystem engagement
Engaging with hardware and software vendors to define standards, roadmaps, and interoperable solutions.
Communicating industry standards to drive external development toward aligning with J&J needs and the broader industry.
Leadership and collaboration
Leading and developing global, cross-functional teams (engineering, IT, data science, research, and operations) in a matrix setting.
Fostering an automation-centered culture, supporting internal & external staff, and promoting continuous learning.
Building positive relationships with internal collaborators and external partners to accelerate impact.
Innovation and capability building
Staying current with emerging automation technologies, data architectures, and analytics methods.
Exploring opportunities in cloud, edge, AI/ML, digital twin, and advanced analytics to enhance scientific workflows.
Documentation and knowledge management
Maintaining comprehensive architecture diagrams, specifications, standards, and training materials.
Ensuring available, accessible documentation for users, operators, and support teams.