Senior Principal Engineer - R&D Digital

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine•Boston, MA

2d•$140,000 - $241,500•Remote

About The Position

Johnson & Johnson is seeking a Senior Principal Engineer to join its Orthopaedics team in R&D Digital. This remote role has a preference for candidates located in Boston, Massachusetts. The engineer will guide technical direction, architecture, scope, and execution for complex, multidisciplinary robotics projects, serving as the technical owner for robotic-enabled joint solutions and bridging engineering teams with cross-functional business stakeholders. The role drives system-level design decisions, cross-discipline alignment, and successful commercialization. The position involves defining system architecture and project scope, making core engineering decisions, leading technical execution in partnership with Project Management, addressing technical roadblocks, and promoting engineering best practices. The engineer translates business goals into technical requirements and coordinates across commercial, quality, regulatory, supply chain, education, and service care teams, while ensuring continuity across mechanical, electrical, and software design. The role also communicates project status and technical decisions to leadership, leads customer voice-of-customer activities, and supports commercial launch readiness. Responsibilities include robotic subsystem integration for joint-replacement workflows; design-for-excellence and design-for-manufacturing activities; DFMEA contributions; verification and validation planning and execution; mentoring engineering staff; and supporting regulatory submissions and clinical evaluations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, such as Mechanical, Biomedical, Mechatronics, Electrical, Robotics, or a related engineering discipline, from an accredited institution or foreign equivalent.
Familiarity with medical device design controls, verification and validation, and relevant regulations and standards, including FDA 510(k)/PMA processes, ISO 13485, ISO 14971, and IEC 60601 where applicable.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in engineering or a related technical field.
10 or more years of relevant product development experience, with progressive responsibility in robotics, electromechanical systems, or medical devices.
Prior experience in orthopedic joints, surgical robotics, or related implant or robotics systems.
Experience defining system architecture and making high-impact engineering trade-offs for multidisciplinary programs.
Hands-on experience with mechanism design, actuation, sensors, embedded controls, and system-level integration.
Strong software and controls familiarity, such as ROS, real-time control frameworks, C/C++, Python, or MATLAB/Simulink.
Experience with model-based design, system simulation, motion planning, and/or kinematics and dynamics analysis.
Track record of leading cross-functional teams and managing third-party engineering partners or contract manufacturers.
Experience with DFMEA, tolerance analysis, GD&T, and supplier quality management.
Strong communication skills and experience presenting technical strategy and status to senior leadership and business stakeholders.
Customer-facing experience, including voice-of-customer work, clinical stakeholder engagement, or technical support for launches.
Patent filings, publications, or recognized technical contributions in robotics or medical devices.

Responsibilities

Define system architecture and project scope with others, make core engineering decisions, and evaluate and manage third-party involvement where applicable.
Lead technical project execution in collaboration with Project Management, remove technical roadblocks, resolve design conflicts, and promote engineering best practices.
Translate business goals into technical requirements and coordinate collaboration among commercial, quality, regulatory, supply chain, education, and service care teams.
Ensure continuity between mechanical, electrical, and software design efforts.
Communicate project status and key technical decisions to leadership and business stakeholders.
Lead technical voice-of-customer activities, identify unmet needs, and pressure-test design solutions.
Support commercial launch by ensuring stakeholders have the resources needed to sell, train, and service the product.
Support system-level design and integration of robotic subsystems, including motion and actuation, sensors, end-effectors, and controls for joint-replacement workflows.
Lead and support design-for-excellence and design-for-manufacturing activities, contribute to DFMEA, and partner with suppliers and contract manufacturers on manufacturability and scalability.
Drive and support verification and validation planning and execution with Quality and Test teams to meet clinical and regulatory expectations.
Mentor and coach engineering staff, foster a collaborative engineering culture, and uphold design control best practices.
Provide technical inputs for regulatory submissions, clinical evaluations, and launch readiness activities.

Benefits

Eligibility to participate in the consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)), subject to plan terms.
Vacation: 120 hours per calendar year, subject to policy and date of hire.
Sick time: 40 hours per calendar year, with different stated amounts for employees residing in Colorado or Washington.
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, or foster care of a child.
Bereavement leave: 240 hours for an immediate family member and 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.