Johnson & Johnson Posted November 11, 2026

Lead Manufacturing Operator

Athens, United States Full time
Notify me about similar jobs

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:

Supply Chain Manufacturing

Job Sub Function:

Manufacturing Assembly

Job Category:

Business Enablement/Support

All Job Posting Locations:

Athens, Georgia, 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 Lead Manufacturing Operator to be onsite in Athens, Georgia (USA)!

Are you interested in joining a team that is helping improve patient care and drive innovation? At Johnson & Johnson, we blend heart, science, and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity. Apply today for this exciting opening to support us at our pharmaceutical plant!

The Lead Manufacturing Operator performs duties related to the preparation and manufacture of intermediate or finished products for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), Narcotic products, or medical device raw material components, according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and as regulated by quality, environmental, and safety agencies (FDA, EPA, OSHA, DEA, etc.). In addition to conducting the duties of a Manufacturing Operator, the Lead will also assume responsibility for coordinating and prioritizing activities of operators on their shift on behalf of their supervisor and performing various support activities for assigned shift/plant. There are no direct reports; however, this position will assign specific tasks and responsibilities on a shift-by-shift basis based upon production schedule and priorities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Support shift's supervisor and coordinate and prioritize operator activities to effectively manage production schedule, and monitor operators' progress throughout shift as needed.

Independently operate all production processes within assigned area and optimally follows detailed instructions.

Follow and accurately complete batch records/logs, SAP transactions, and other documentation associated with all production processes to ensure efficient operations and compliance with cGMP and SOPs.

Independently and effectively demonstrate operation of dryers, centrifuges, mills, reactors, water systems, DCS, and PLC control systems and appropriately respond to alarms and interlocks.

Reconfigure the plant for next process and perform comprehensive troubleshooting on production processes and various ancillary support processes; perform troubleshooting on equipment such as dryers and centrifuges as well as troubleshoot DCS/PLC controls and failure issues; resolve recurring/common problems involving tangible variables; and recognize abnormal operation of instrumentation.

Complete process sampling requirements following applicable schedules and techniques, and follow process and utility flow diagrams.

Transport materials of varying weight according to established safety guidelines, using material handling equipment and additional assistance as required.

Perform all duties with attention to quality, safety, and environmental matters including: wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE); recognizing, reporting, and appropriately responding to hazards in the work area (spills/accidents/near misses); maintaining proper housekeeping at all times; and properly labeling and storing chemicals.

Demonstrate knowledge and use of process safety management (PSM) and participate in a PSM review or audit to identify and recommend areas in need to attention/improvement for process redesign.

Follow all applicable aspects of the site Environmental Management System as it pertains to normal job duties.

Handle controlled substance in compliance with applicable State and local laws and J&J requirements.

Continuously seek ways to simplify or improve products, services, systems, and processes to achieve business goals (e.g., improve yield, cycle time, quality, and efficiency).

Make a positive contribution through demonstration of ability to provide training to co-workers as needed and/or assigned; to improve upon current operations practices and systems; and to learn new skills, procedures, and processes.

As needed, support training and knowledge transfer of manufacturing equipment and chemical processing to operators across multiple production areas.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION:

Minimum of a High School or equivalent diploma is required; Vocational, Technical/Trade, or Associates certificate/degree preferred

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

Required:

Minimum 6 years of relevant work experience

Minimum 6 months’ work experience in similar chemical, pharmaceutical, or industry that adheres to cGMP environment

Ability to operate manufacturing equipment, tools, and hand/fork trucks

Knowledge of manufacturing equipment and chemical processing principles

Demonstrated knowledge of potential failure modes for process related equipment and ability to recommend remedial actions

Basic Math skills (i.e., Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals), the ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent, and to calculate figures and amounts (i.e., proportions, percentages, area, and volume), as well as the ability to perform conversions from metric units to English units and vice versa

Demonstrated basic computer navigation skills (e.g., ability to enter data into programs/software applications and use software applications for email, word processing, spreadsheets and other job-specific needs) and ability to run various reports

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists

Ability to communicate and effectively work as part of a team environment, influencing people in opinions and attitudes

Take initiative as problems or opportunities arise, as well as the ability to perform various tasks while paying attention to detail, without a loss of production

Preferred:

Knowledge of DCS (e.g., DeltaV) and SAP systems (preferably S/4 Hana)

Experience writing plant/operational status description, quality, and/or safety assessments and operating procedures

Experience with people leadership/supervision and/or training/development of other operators/personnel (direct or indirect reports)

OTHER:

Requires proficiency in English (to read, write, and understand) to effectively interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, government regulations, and procedure manuals

Must be willing and able to meet the physical demands of this job which include: standing, walking, climbing, bending, stooping, and reaching with hands and arms; frequently required to talk and listen; working from ladders or platforms up to 30 feet in the air; lifting, pushing, or pulling up to 40 lbs.; and observing through close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and adjusting focus

Must be able to qualify for respiratory protective equipment use

While working in this job the employee may be frequently exposed to outside weather conditions including extreme heat and cold

Requires ability to work onsite during rotating 12-hour shifts (e.g., 6:45 PM - 7:15 AM / 6:45 AM to 7:15 PM) which includes days and nights and alternating weekends, in support of continuous operations and work overtime / extra hours depending on business needs

May require up to 10% domestic & international travel based on the business needs

#LI-Onsite

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.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Agile Manufacturing, AI Judgement Integration, Assembly Operations, Communication, Data Savvy, Execution Focus, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Manufacturing Processes, Manufacturing Science and Technology (MSAT), Plant Operations, Predictive Analytics, Predictive Maintenance, Problem Solving, Process Oriented, Quality Auditing, Repair Management, Safety-Oriented, Technologically Savvy

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Athens, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 3432 comparable Manufacturing & CMC roles across 177 biopharma companies.

3432Comparable roles tracked
3080Currently active
177Companies hiring similar roles
61Countries represented

Salary context

816 of 3432 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Alarm Room Monitor - First Shift · Genz. Therap Product LP $2,300/yr – $3,067/yr
Highest disclosed · Head of Analytical Development · ModernaTX, Inc. $272,200/yr – $490,100/yr
Peer group range $2,684 – $381,150 (median $128,400)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 3432 comparable roles

United States1577
Germany209
India160
France151
Ireland128
China123

+ 55 more countries

Seniority mix

1535 of 3432 peers have a known seniority level

Senior402
Manager360
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc216
Associate146
Principal134
Associate Director110
Director105
Senior Director55
Executive/VP7

Therapeutic area mix

19 of 3432 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease12
Dermatology & Aesthetics2
Oncology2
Respiratory1
Immunology1
Rare 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.

40%similar
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Director
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Associate
Same function Same country
40%similar
Merck West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America Principal
Same function Same country
40%similar
Merck West Point, Pennsylvania, United States Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same country
40%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Associate Director
Same function 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.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Manufacturing & CMC job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

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.

40%
Director, Global Regulatory Affairs – Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), Platform Innovation – Synthetic Peptides and Oligonucleotides
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Associate Principal Scientist/Engineer, Medical Device and Combination Products, Analytical
Merck · West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Senior Scientist II - Biologics Drug Product Development
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Senior Scientist, II Biologics & Genetic Medicine - LCMS Characterization & Bioanalysis
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Senior
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.