Sr R&D Program Manager
About The Position
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. 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. Learn more at jnj.com As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit. Job Function: Project/Program Management Group Job Sub Function: R&D Project Management Job Category: People Leader All Job Posting Locations: Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States of America Job Description: About Orthopaedics Fueled by innovation at the intersection of biology and technology, we’re developing the next generation of smarter, less invasive, more personalized treatments. Are you passionate about improving and expanding the possibilities of Orthopaedics? Ready to join a team that’s reimagining how we heal? Our Orthopaedics teams help keep more than 6 million people moving each year while delivering clinical and economic value to surgeons and healthcare systems. Our teams build solutions for joint reconstruction; trauma and craniomaxillofacial; sports, extremities, and elective foot and ankle; spine; and robotics and digital surgery. Your unique talents will help patients on their journey to wellness. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/medtech We are searching for the best talent for Senior R&D Program Manager to be based out of Palm Beach Gardens, FL or Boston, MA. Purpose: Sr R&D Program Manager – Power Tools provides platform-level program leadership for the Power Tools portfolio within Digital R&D. Power Tools are electro-mechanical orthopaedic solutions used by surgeons. Unlike a Project Manager, who is accountable for execution of an individual project, this role aligns multiple product and technology initiatives, platform priorities, cross-functional dependencies, and governance mechanisms into a coherent delivery model. The role operates as a senior cross-functional leader across mechanical, electrical, firmware, systems, quality, regulatory, supply chain, operations, and commercial interfaces to drive prioritization, product roadmap decisions, release planning, tradeoff recommendations, integrated execution, and executive visibility in a regulated medical device environment.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 10+ years of increasing responsibility in program or project leadership within regulated product development environments.
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-project programs, portfolios, or platform-level delivery models across complex cross-functional organizations.
- Experience with Class II or III medical devices, orthopaedic power tools, electro-mechanical systems, robotics, or capital equipment preferred.
- Experience leading complex programs through phase-gate execution, design controls, verification and validation, and cross-functional decision processes.
- Strong technical background in electro-mechanical medical device development and orthopaedic power tools, with the ability to engage credibly across mechanical, electrical, firmware, systems, manufacturing, and clinical domains.
- Strong command of regulated medical device development, including phase-gate execution, design controls, risk management, and quality system requirements such as FDA 21 CFR 820.30 and ISO 13485.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional programs and influence senior stakeholders across technical, functional, and business domains.
- Strong strategic and operational judgment, with the ability to frame tradeoffs, recommend priorities, and guide decisions under uncertainty.
- Ability to integrate multiple project plans, risks, dependencies, engineering changes, and release commitments into a platform-level view that supports governance and executive decision-making.
- Proficiency in hybrid product development delivery models; ability to translate technical scope into executable plans, manage dependencies, and drive execution to milestones.
- Proficiency with program and engineering execution tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Planisware/Cadence PPM, Jira/Azure DevOps) and disciplined documentation practices.
- Ability to establish operating mechanisms, governance routines, and escalation pathways that improve delivery predictability and accountability across multiple electro-mechanical product projects.
- Strong financial and program controls acumen, including forecasting, scenario planning, budget management, and performance reporting at the platform or portfolio level.
- Excellent executive communication skills, with the ability to translate technical and operational complexity into clear decision-ready narratives.
- Experience working with external development partners and assessing the downstream impact of changes on mechanical, electrical, firmware, manufacturing, verification, and regulatory deliverables.
Nice To Haves
- Agility Jumps
- Analytics Dashboards
- Business Alignment
- Developing Others
- Inclusive Leadership
- Leadership
- Operational Excellence
- Performance Measurement
- Process Control
- Project Management Methodology (PMM)
- Project Management Office (PMO)
- Project Reporting
- Project Schedule
- Quality Control (QC)
- Research and Development
- Tactical Thinking
- Team Management
Responsibilities
- Lead the Power Tools platform program, integrating strategy, priorities, product roadmap, and execution across multiple projects and workstreams.
- Own platform-level governance, including prioritization, sequencing, escalation pathways, and decision forums that span the Power Tools portfolio.
- Establish and drive the platform operating cadence, including product development planning, phase-gate reviews, quarterly reviews, executive program reviews, and cross-functional governance routines.
- Own integrated program plans, milestones, release objectives, critical path, and interdependencies across projects to ensure execution remains aligned to strategic objectives and delivery commitments.
- Partner with Project Managers and technical leads to ensure project-level plans, RAID items, engineering changes, and design impacts are integrated into a platform-level view for leadership decision-making.
- Resolve cross-project resource, timeline, design, manufacturing, and scope conflicts that cannot be solved within a single project or team.
- Develop platform-level recommendations on investment tradeoffs, resource allocation, release sequencing, and roadmap adjustments to support leadership decisions.
- Lead financial planning and performance reviews for the platform in partnership with PMO Operations, including forecasts, funding needs, and execution transparency.
- Oversee external development partners and contractor execution at the platform level, ensuring scope clarity, performance management, and alignment to business and technical objectives.
- Ensure platform readiness for design reviews, phase-gates, product releases, and major investment decisions through clear evidence, cross-functional alignment, and proactive risk management.
- Drive electro-mechanical product readiness, including management of hardware, electronics, firmware, usability, reliability, and verification activities, with clear assessment of downstream impact on requirements, traceability, V&V evidence, manufacturing readiness, and regulatory deliverables.
- Provide concise executive communications, dashboards, and scenario-based recommendations that synthesize project-level inputs into a clear platform-level view.
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
- 10 days Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
- Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year
- Consolidated retirement plan (pension)
- Savings plan (401(k))
- Long-term incentive program
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
