Johnson & Johnson Posted May 20, 2026

[Innovative Medicine] R&D, Senior Principal Scientist, Pharmacology Group, Preclinical Science &Translational Safety Japan

Chiyoda, Japan Full time
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research Principal

Johnson & Johnson is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

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:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Nonclinical Safety

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan

Job Description:

As a Principal/Senior Principal Scientist responsible for nonclinical submissions within Preclinical Science and Translational Safety (PSTS), you will integrate nonclinical data, including toxicology, safety pharmacology, and DMPK, and lead the high‑quality and timely preparation and review of nonclinical sections for regulatory submission documents intended for global health authorities. You will collaborate with internal and external experts to develop clear scientific narratives and risk assessments, and work closely with the global dossier team to contribute to pipeline advancement across therapeutic areas

JOB SUMMARY:

1. Conduct 1) to 4) below in the non-clinical area with global mind set.

1) Ensure appropriate studies are conducted at appropriate times to support drug development in Japan

2) Ensure study results and their interpretation meet Japanese regulatory requirements.

3) Ensure resolution to all project-related problems that might affect development in Japan.

4) Ensure non-clinical submissions are of the highest scientific quality, and these are prepared within timelines by using modern approaches, including AI.

2. Focus on self-evaluation, self-management and self-development.

3. Scientific educate and coach the members.

4. Make close/tight relationships with Global team and plan/execute strategy of scientific/regulatory matters

5. Shape regulatory acceptance aligned with international standards through external/industry activities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Conduct 1) to 9) below in the non-clinical area with global mind set.

1) Research global documents and published papers and see whether or not the study items and/or results meet requirements by the Japanese regulatory authorities and see whether or not there is a critical issue against clinical studies and/or NDAs.

2) Make and discuss possible resolutions to a problem for clinical studies and/or NDAs with relevant colleagues and put the most appropriate resolution (e.g. additional studies and/or documentation) into practice.

3) Prepare high-quality non-clinical documents for clinical studies and/or NDAs by using modern approaches, including AI.

4) Prepare high-quality non-clinical responses to inquiries for clinical studies and/or NDA's in cooperation with Global, JPKK and/or external experts.

5) Provide support for preparing high-quality documents for marketing.

6) Discuss the requests for non-clinical studies from external investigators with relevant colleagues and perform joint studies if needed.

7) Provide relevant colleagues with suggestions from non-clinical perspectives.

8) Establish, maintain and improve relationships to relevant colleagues and external experts.

9) Support the members, and check the documents and/or responses prepared by the members in terms of science and quality

10) Use sound scientific and logical justifications to bring PMDA acceptance more aligned with ICH guidelines and other major Global HA (e.g. FDA, EMEA, CDE, etc.) to minimize the amount of work required specifically for Japan approvals.

2. Give scientific feedback and coaching to the members and support development of members.

REQUIREMENTS:

Experience/Knowledge

- Expert knowledge of the non-clinical area (strong background in biology, toxicology, pharmacology, DMPK), advanced knowledge of non-clinical

notifications/guidance/guidelines in Japan/EU/US, advanced knowledge of processes for IND/NDA, advanced knowledge of other non-clinical areas, and

intermediate knowledge of clinical areas.

- Experience in non-clinical areas for more than 15 years or equivalent to the experience.

- Experience with activities outside the company or department

Skills/Capabilities

- Advanced presentation and negotiation skills with global mindset.

- Advanced communication skills in English.

- Advanced scientific skills in managing and developing the group members, including coaching, feedback and mentoring.

Advance negotiation and influencing skills

Challenges the status quo and embraces new ways of doing things

For Internal Applicants

・ Based on your experience and interview evaluation, the position title and level may vary.

・ If you are a Japan employee, please read the “Internal Application Guideline” in Ask GS. Especially if you have been in your current role for less than 18 months, you are required to obtain application approval from your current manager as well as your respective BUHR. If you are a Japan employee, you are not able to apply for multiple positions at once.

・ For Employee Referral Program (ERP), please read and understand the details of the “Internal Referral Overview” on Ask GS and ensure you have made a compliant referral.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Clinical Data Management, Drug Discovery Development, EHS Compliance, Emergency Planning, Performance Measurement, Presentation Design, Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Process Optimization, Program Management, Regulatory Affairs Management, Research and Development, Risk Management, Safety Audits, Safety Investigations, Safety-Oriented, Scientific Research, Strategic Thinking, Tactical Planning, Technical Credibility

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Chiyoda, Japan
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 197 comparable Principal Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 32 biopharma companies.

197Comparable roles tracked
186Currently active
32Companies hiring similar roles
11Countries represented

Salary context

67 of 197 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Senior Research Associate, Analytical Operations · Gilead Sciences, Inc. $94,945/yr – $122,870/yr
Peer group range $108,908 – $322,000 (median $180,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 197 comparable roles

United States163
India9
United Kingdom5
Germany5
China4
Canada4

+ 5 more countries

Seniority mix

197 of 197 peers have a known seniority level

Senior103
Principal63
Director31

Therapeutic area mix

29 of 197 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology16
Cardiovascular / CVRM6
Immunology3
Neuroscience2
Respiratory1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

50%similar
Novartis 本社, Japan Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
45%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Lilly San Francisco, California, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

50%
Senior Scientist-Preclinical Safety
Novartis · 本社, Japan · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Sr Scientist/Principal Scientist, Discovery Oncology (in vivo Biology)
Lilly · San Francisco, California, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Principal Scientist, Respiratory Discovery
Roche · Basel, Basel-City, Switzerland · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Principal Research Scientist I, In Vivo Antibody Discovery
AbbVie · Worcester, MA · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.