Head of Joints Robotics, R&D Digital

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:

R&D Product Development

Job Sub Function:

Robotics

Job Category:

People Leader

All Job Posting Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States of America, Raynham, Massachusetts, United States of America, Warsaw, Indiana, United States of America

Job Description:

Head ofJoints Robotics, R&D

Location: Boston, MA, Raynham, MA, Palm Beach Gardens, FL or Warsaw, IN.  Other DPS locations to be considered.

Fueled by innovation at the intersection of science, technology, and surgical workflow, Johnson & Johnson Orthopaedics is advancing the next generation of solutions to keep patients moving. We are focused on delivering smarter, less invasive, and more personalized orthopedic care, grounded in clinical evidence and enabled by biologics, implants, instruments, enabling technologies, and data‑driven insights.

Our Orthopaedics teams help more than 6 million patients move each year, partnering with surgeons and healthcare systems worldwide to deliver meaningful clinical outcomes, operational efficiency & reproducibility combined with sustainable economic value. Across joint reconstruction; trauma and craniomaxillofacial; sports, extremities, and elective foot and ankle; spine; and robotics and digital surgery, we bring together deep domain expertise and scalable platforms to redefine standards of care.

If you are passionate about expanding what’s possible in orthopedics, your talents can help shape the future of musculoskeletal health and support patients throughout their journey to recovery and renewed mobility. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/medtech.

Johnson & Johnson announced plans to separate our Orthopaedics business to establish a standalone orthopaedics company, operating as DePuy Synthes. The process of the planned separation is anticipated to be completed within 18 to 24 months, subject to legal requirements, including consultation with works councils and other employee representative bodies, as may be required, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions and approvals.

Should you accept this position, it is anticipated that, following conclusion of the transaction, you would be an employee of DePuy Synthes and your employment would be governed by DePuy Synthes employment processes, programs, policies, and benefit plans. In that case, details of any planned changes would be provided to you by DePuy Synthes at an appropriate time and subject to any necessary consultation processes. 

We are searching for the best talent to join our Orthopedic team as Head of Joints Robotics, R&D, located in Boston, MA, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Warsaw, IN, or Raynham, MA.  Other DPS locations will be considered.  The Head, Robotics, R&D will report to the VP Digital R&D Orthopedics.

Position Summary:

The Head of Joints Robotics, R&D is accountable for leading a cross-disciplinary Robotics R&D organization responsible for system engineering, software, and hardware development of next‑generation orthopedic robotic systems. Own the technical roadmap, delivery, team development, and alignment with clinical, regulatory and manufacturing stakeholders to bring safe, differentiated robotic products to market.

You will be responsible for: 

• Set technical vision and roadmap for robotics platforms (mechatronics, embedded systems, perception, control, autonomy, and cloud/edge software) in collaboration with product, clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing teams.
• Manage end‑to‑end R&D delivery for full product lifecycle: requirements, architecture, prototyping, verification, validation, and transfer to production.
• Lead, coach, and recruit a multidisciplinary team: firmware engineers, controls/mechatronics, electrical/mechanical design engineers, robotics perception/ML, embedded & application software, and systems engineers.
• Establish robust engineering processes (requirements management, design control, risk management, software lifecycle, CI/CD, component obsolescence management).
• Drive systems‑level tradeoffs between performance, safety, cost, and manufacturability for medical devices.
• Ensure alignment with regulatory standards and support technical inputs for submission considerations.
• Partner with human factors for clinical validation, and iterative improvements informed by surgeon feedback.
• Own technical risk register, milestones, budgets, and resource allocation; report program status to senior leadership.
• Define and track key metrics for product quality, development velocity, reliability, and time‑to‑market.

Qualifications / Requirements:

Required

• MS or PhD in Robotics, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science.
• 10+ years leading engineering teams with combined software and hardware responsibility
• 3 years in medical device, surgical robotics, or similarly regulated industry.
• Proven track record delivering complex electromechanical multi-disciplinary systems from concept to production.
• Strong systems engineering mindset: requirements decomposition, architecture, verification/validation.
• Deep experience in embedded systems, real‑time control, motion planning, perception (vision/force/encoders), and relevant SW stacks (C/C++, RTOS, ROS or robotics frameworks).
• Demonstrated knowledge of medical device regulations, design controls, and risk management practices.
• Excellent stakeholder management, cross‑functional leadership, and communication skills.
• Strong Clinical workflow understanding through the patient pathway
• Hands on technical credibility and ability to mentor senior engineers.
• Customer and clinician empathy; data driven decision maker.
• Skilled at prioritizing scope in constrained timelines and budgets.
• Builds high trust teams and fosters psychological safety for innovation.
• Results driven leadership with strong execution focus

Preferred

• Prior experience with surgical systems, orthopedics, or other implantable device ecosystems.
• Exposure to cloud/edge analytics, cybersecurity for medical devices, and machine learning for perception or decision support.
• MBA or demonstrated P&L/program ownership experience.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson and Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers and internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Computer Programming, Critical Thinking, Data Science, Developing Others, Give Feedback, Inclusive Leadership, Industry Analysis, Innovation, Leadership, Manufacturing Technologies, Prototyping, Quality Assurance (QA), Research and Development, Robotic Automation, SAP Product Lifecycle Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Change

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$196,000.00 - $342,700.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).
For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: - https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits
This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.
Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, employees are eligible for the following time off 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 period10 days
Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year