Johnson & Johnson Posted September 16, 2026

Principal Automation Project Engineer

Geel, Belgium Full time
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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 Engineering

Job Sub Function:

Automation Engineering

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Geel, Antwerp, Belgium

Job Description:

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine is recruiting for a Principal Automation Project Engineer in Geel, Belgium.

The Geel site is the largest chemical production site for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) within the JnJ supply chain. We ensure that lifesaving medicines reach the patient safely, optimally, competitively, always. Besides production of API's, the site has a launch & grow mission for new pharmaceutical products. To accomplish this mission, we keep investing in new technologies, people, and partnerships. Our teams are working together in a dynamic environment where innovation and a 'can do' state of mind are common goods.

This is an exciting, high impact role with focus on project delivery within the GET (Global Engineering & Technology) organization. This is the perfect moment to join us!

Responsibilities

As a Principal Automation Project Engineer, you manage the design, development and validation of the process automation systems of the future, you

Develop specifications, strategies and roadmaps related to process automation systems, instrumentation and new technologies

Act as Project manager or core-team member for automation scope projects, driving successful project delivery for complex (automation) projects

Ensure that computerized systems are compliant and fit for the intended use, ensuring a smooth release for operational use.

Establish effective working relationships and partnerships with internal and external partners

Who we’re looking for

An enthusiastic, standout colleague with a “Can do” mentality.

You love working in a team, hearing different points of view and discussing them with your peers.

An individual who feels that safety and quality are of paramount importance.

An individual with strong social skills, who can communicate effectively with partners across different levels of our organization.

Experience in Automation, Process Control Systems and Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP) is strongly desired

Affinity with project engineering in a chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment is considered a key asset

A person with “digital” embedded in the DNA.

You acquired a master’s degree or equal trough experience. Preferred fields of study are Engineering or Science.

What you can expect from us

Employees are vital to our organization. You will be part of an enthusiastic team in an innovative environment that values personal and professional development. In this role, you will have the potential to transform both our business and your career. We encourage you to think big and go after your goals. Through job training, e-learning and various projects, we ensure personal growth by focusing on your talents and empower you to take control over your career and where it leads you.

#LI-MV2

#SCEngineer

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

The anticipated base pay range for this position is:

€79,800.00 - €137,770.00

Benefits:

In addition to base pay, we offer the following benefits*: an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and companies’ performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. Moreover, we offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well-being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees - and in some location’s eligible dependents - can participate in several insurance plans. For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well-being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.

*This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Geel, Belgium
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 489 comparable Principal Manufacturing & CMC roles across 83 biopharma companies.

489Comparable roles tracked
461Currently active
83Companies hiring similar roles
33Countries represented

Salary context

192 of 489 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 Technician Calibration - Maintenance · Mylan Technologies, Inc. $37,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Peer group range $58,500 – $288,000 (median $150,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 489 comparable roles

United States308
India40
Ireland22
Netherlands18
United Kingdom10
Singapore9

+ 27 more countries

Seniority mix

489 of 489 peers have a known seniority level

Senior323
Principal87
Director79

Therapeutic area mix

3 of 489 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology2
Dermatology & Aesthetics1

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
Merck KGaA Heverlee, Brabant, Belgium Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Johnson & Johnson Beerse, Belgium Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Johnson & Johnson Beerse, Belgium Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Johnson & Johnson Geel, Belgium Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
45%similar
Lilly Louisville, Colorado, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL 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 Proces Operator
Merck KGaA · Heverlee, Brabant, Belgium · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Senior Maintenance & Reliability Project Engineer
Johnson & Johnson · Geel, Belgium · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Principal Electrical Engineer, Connected Systems & Combination Product Development, R&D
AbbVie · Pleasanton, CA · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Principal Scientist, Formulation Development (DPDT)
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Tarrytown, 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.