Johnson & Johnson Posted August 12, 2026

Principal Scientist, Biologics Discovery

Spring House, United States 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:

Biotherapeutics R&D

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description:

About Innovative Medicine

Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.

Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.

Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine

We are searching for the best talent for a Principal Scientist, Biologics Discovery in Spring House, PA.

Job Description

Position Summary:

This position is dedicated to advancing the discovery and development of innovative biotherapeutics targeting unmet medical needs through immune-mediated approaches. As a key contributor, you will leverage your expertise in Immunobiology and T-cell biology to support portfolio programs and drive the success of discovery initiatives.

You will be responsible for:

Leading or actively participating in project teams to progress discovery portfolio projects.

Driving technology development efforts for multispecific antibody platforms and validating readiness for portfolio inclusion.

Designing, conducting, and interpreting in vitro immune cell functional assays and related experimental studies.

Presenting and defending scientific findings independently within multidisciplinary teams and initiatives.

Authoring patent applications, manuscripts, study protocols, SOPs, and technical reports.

Managing and mentoring scientific staff.

Qualifications / Requirements:

Education:

Ph.D. degree in life sciences (molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, or a related discipline) with 4+ years post-doctoral experience OR Master’s Degree in life sciences with at least 6+ years of experience is required.

Required:

Extensive understanding of immunology, including in vitro and in vivo models relevant to immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease.

Demonstrated experience with immune cell based assays such as multi-color flow cytometry, cytotoxicity, and multiplex cytokine assays.

Experience developing novel, complex, and high-throughput immune assays for functional characterization and MOA studies.

Ability to work effectively in a matrixed environment, both within the group and across the broader organization.

Strong dedication, motivation, and a collaborative approach to advancing therapeutic innovation.

Commitment to continuous learning and scientific excellence.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills for experimental design and data interpretation.

Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to present complex data clearly and concisely is required.

Preferred:

Experience in end-to-end drug development processes is highly preferred.

Industry experience is highly preferred.

This job posting is anticipated to close on March 6, 2026. The Company may however extend this time-period, in which case the posting will remain available on https://www.careers.jnj.com to accept additional applications.

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 & 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 , internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

#LI-Onsite

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Analytical Reasoning, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Clinical Research and Regulations, Clinical Trial Designs, Coaching, Critical Thinking, Drug Discovery Development, Emerging Technologies, Molecular Diagnostics, Organizing, Pharmacovigilance, Presentation Design, Process Improvements, Productivity Planning, Scientific Research

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Spring House, United States
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 States162
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
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Respiratory1

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.

60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly San Francisco, California, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country

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.

60%
Advisor / Senior Advisor, CNS/PNS NAMs – Investigative Toxicology
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Advisor / Senior Advisor, Cardiovascular NAMs – Investigative Toxicology
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Research Scientist I, In Vivo Antibody Discovery
AbbVie · Worcester, MA · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist II - Pharmacology
Novartis · Cambridge (USA), United States · 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.