Principal Engineer, Early Innovation R&D

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.

Johnson & Johnson MedTech Surgery is currently seeking a Principal Engineer to join our R&D Innovation & Partnerships team located onsite at our Raritan, NJ location.

#LI-Onsite
 

About Surgery

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 surgery? Ready to join a team that’s reimagining how we heal? Our Surgery team will give you the chance to deliver surgical technologies and solutions to surgeons and healthcare professionals around the world. Your contributions will help effectively treat some of the world’s most prevalent conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Patients are waiting.

Your unique talents will help patients on their journey to wellness.

Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/medtech
 

JOB SUMMARY

This role will help shape the next generation of surgical, wound closure, digitally enabled, and engineered system solutions by identifying and assessing external innovation, translating clinical and customer unmet needs into system-level requirements, and advancing high-potential technologies through structured due diligence, concept generation, feasibility planning and assessment, and early development. The Principal Engineer will partner across R&D, Global Strategic Marketing, Business Development, Clinical, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, Digital, and external partners to support portfolio decisions and accelerate meaningful innovation for patients and customers.
 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify, assess, and recommend external technologies, platforms, and partnership opportunities aligned to J&J MedTech Surgery’s Wound Closure & Healing strategy and innovation pipeline.
• Conduct technical due diligence on startups, academic innovations, licensing opportunities, and strategic collaborations, including evaluation of clinical need, technical feasibility, intellectual property, regulatory pathway, quality considerations, scalability, and strategic fit.
• Develop technology landscapes, target scans, competitive intelligence, and evidence summaries across priority surgical, wound closure, engineered systems, electromechanical, connected device, automation, sensing, software, and digital solution spaces.
• Translate customer, clinical, workflow, and technology insights into problem statements, user needs, system requirements, subsystem requirements, architecture considerations, risk profiles, and evidence-based recommendations.
• Engage clinicians, key opinion leaders, academic collaborators, suppliers, incubators, accelerators, and external innovation partners to maintain a robust innovation pipeline.
• Lead front-end innovation activities, including customer discovery, unmet need definition, opportunity framing, concept generation, system architecture exploration, feasibility planning, prototype evaluation, integration testing, and proof-of-concept execution.
• Partner cross-functionally to advance opportunities from assessment through technology de-risking, system integration, prototype builds, verification strategy, and transition to formal product development, as appropriate.
• Prepare and communicate technical assessments, business cases, risk profiles, and recommendations to senior leaders and governance forums to support portfolio prioritization and investment decisions.
• Follow all applicable laws and regulations, J&J policies and procedures, design control expectations, quality system requirements, health, safety, and environmental practices.
• Up to 20% travel may be required. 

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, Robotics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related technical discipline is required.
• A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in medical device R&D, systems engineering, electromechanical product development, connected devices, digital health, software-enabled products, advanced engineering, external innovation, or related technical roles is required.
• Experience leading front-end innovation activities, including customer discovery, unmet need definition, concept development, architecture definition, feasibility testing, prototype development, technical de-risking, and transition to development programs is required.
• Experience evaluating external technologies and partners, conducting technical due diligence, and making evidence-based recommendations is required.
• Working knowledge of medical device design controls, systems engineering, risk management, verification and validation, requirements management, quality systems, and regulated product development is required.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical, clinical, and business information clearly to senior leaders, clinicians, technical teams, and external partners is required.
   

• Advanced degree in systems engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, electromechanical engineering, robotics, biomedical engineering, or a related technical discipline is preferred.
• Experience with engineered medical systems, electromechanical platforms, connected medical devices, sensors, actuation, automation, software-driven products, data platforms, AI/ML-enabled solutions, digital health technologies, or clinical decision support tools is preferred.
• Experience integrating hardware, software, sensing, data, user interface, and disposable or device components into regulated medical device systems is preferred.
• Prior experience in strategic partnerships or external innovation is preferred
• Design Excellence, Six Sigma, TRIZ, Design Thinking, Stanford Biodesign, or other structured innovation and problem-solving methodology experience
• Active network within medical device engineering, digital health, connected device, software, automation, robotics, health technology, or relevant startup ecosystems.

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