Senior Manager, Biophysics, Higher-Order Structure & Separations

Johnson & Johnson•Spring House, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Johnson & Johnson is seeking an experienced scientific leader to build and lead the Biophysics, Higher-Order Structure & Separations team within Cell Engineering and Analytical Sciences (CEAS). The team will create and advance a scientific capability that informs the progression of biologic drug candidates from late Discovery through Cell Line Development and into process and product development. Working at the intersection of molecular characterization, cell line development, analytical sciences, and manufacturing, the team will investigate how molecular structure, stability, heterogeneity, and intermolecular interactions influence expression, product quality, process robustness, and manufacturability. Its mission is to support molecules actively advancing through development by generating mechanistic insights and actionable development strategies—not simply to characterize or select candidates. The successful candidate will establish a capability combining biophysical sciences, higher-order structure characterization, separation sciences, and complementary mass spectrometry approaches. The team will partner with Mass Spectrometry, Cell Line Development, Discovery, Protein Engineering, Process Development, and Analytical Sciences. Its work will inform cell line development strategies, process development decisions, product quality understanding, technical risk mitigation, and manufacturing readiness across a diverse biologics portfolio. The leader will recruit, mentor, and develop scientists; build organizational capabilities for future portfolio and technology needs; and establish the team as a recognized center of excellence in molecular characterization. The role is based in Spring House, Pennsylvania.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Structural Biology, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, or a related scientific discipline.
At least 6 years of experience in biologics discovery, development, analytical sciences, or related biopharmaceutical functions.
Demonstrated scientific and people leadership experience.
Deep expertise in protein biophysics, molecular characterization, and therapeutic protein analysis.
Strong understanding of higher-order structure, protein stability, aggregation mechanisms, and molecular characterization strategies.
Experience applying scientific insights to influence development decisions and resolve complex technical challenges.
Proven ability to lead collaborative, multidisciplinary scientific teams.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with higher-order structure characterization.
Experience with circular dichroism (CD).
Experience with FTIR spectroscopy.
Experience with fluorescence spectroscopy.
Experience with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
Experience with differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF).
Experience with dynamic, static, or multi-angle light scattering (DLS/SLS/MALS).
Experience with analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC).
Experience with hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS).
Experience with advanced protein separation sciences.
Experience with protein aggregation and stability assessments.
Experience characterizing monoclonal antibodies, multispecific antibodies, fusion proteins, or other advanced biologic modalities.
Experience with computational structural biology, molecular modeling, or AI-enabled characterization approaches.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the scientific strategy for biophysics, higher-order structure characterization, and separation sciences within CEAS.
Build a scientific capability focused on understanding relationships between molecular properties and development outcomes.
Serve as a scientific leader and partner across Discovery, Cell Line Development, Process Development, and Analytical Sciences.
Evaluate and implement emerging technologies that enhance molecular understanding and accelerate decision-making.
Partner with Cell Line Development teams to understand how molecular characteristics influence expression, clone selection, product quality, and development performance.
Apply biophysical characterization to identify molecule-specific liabilities and opportunities early in development.
Generate mechanistic insights that inform risk mitigation and improve the likelihood of successful scale-up and manufacturing.
Establish characterization frameworks linking molecular structure and behavior with development and manufacturing outcomes.
Support investigations explaining differences in development performance among candidate molecules in the same program.
Build and expand capabilities for higher-order structure characterization, conformational analysis, protein stability assessment, and aggregation investigations.
Develop orthogonal analytical approaches that complement structural and analytical mass spectrometry.
Apply spectroscopic, calorimetric, hydrodynamic, and separation-based techniques to understand molecular behavior.
Advance protein separations and biophysical characterization for a broad range of biologic modalities.
Characterize molecular heterogeneity, aggregation, fragmentation, charge variants, and other critical quality attributes.
Integrate data across biophysics, separation sciences, and mass spectrometry to assess molecular behavior and risk.
Provide scientific recommendations that support project teams and portfolio decisions.
Recruit, mentor, and develop scientists and foster a culture of scientific rigor, curiosity, innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence.
Develop organizational capabilities aligned with future portfolio and technology needs and establish the team as a center of excellence in molecular characterization.