Johnson & Johnson Posted August 21, 2026

Principal Engineer - Smart Manufacturing & Automation

Raritan, United States Full time
Manufacturing & CMC 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:

Supply Chain Engineering

Job Sub Function:

Manufacturing Engineering

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, Cornelia, Georgia, United States of America, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, Norderstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Raritan, New Jersey, United States of America, San Angelo, Texas, United States of America, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, United States of America, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Job Description:

Johnson & Johnson MedTech Surgery is currently recruiting for a   Principal Engineer - Smart Manufacturing & Automation   to join the Global Engineering & Technology team within Wound Closure & Healing Global Technical Operations!

Ethicon,   part of the   Johnson & Johnson MedTech Surgery   business, is the worldwide leader in wound closure devices with products that help improve patient outcomes, optimize healing, and enhance operating room efficiency. Johnson & Johnson has made significant contributions to surgery for more than 60 years from creating the first sutures to revolutionizing surgery with technologies such as Plus Antibacterial Sutures, STRATAFIX Knotless Tissue Control Devices, DERMABOND Topical Skin Adhesives and Skin Closure Systems, and EVERPOINT Cardiovascular Needles. Our continuing dedication to Shape the Future of Surgery is built on our commitment to help address the world's most pressing health care issues and improve and save more lives. For more information, visit   www.ethicon.com .

Are you interested in joining a diverse team delivering outstanding results to our customers? Apply now for this exciting opportunity!

The   Principal Engineer - Smart Manufacturing & Automation   will act as the technical expert and drive platform strategy for controls and automation, AI-enabled vision systems, machine learning, and Industry 4.0 initiatives across multiple manufacturing sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, India, and China.

This role may be based at a WCH manufacturing site or the Raritan, NJ home office and will involve approximately 20% travel.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead and implement the smart manufacturing strategy for the WCH Supply Chain, ensuring alignment with business and digital program objectives.

Develop and maintain roadmap for integration of cutting-edge automation and control system technologies to drive improvements to manufacturing efficiency, cost, reliability, and quality.

Serve as business product manager (BPM) for WCH MES applications, providing guidance on global standards for system functionality and features

Work collaboratively across manufacturing sites and functions to ensure alignment, benchmarking, and harmonization of platform initiatives.

Provide technology insights for business planning, cultivate external partnerships, and foster internal collaboration across all levels.

Mentor and develop digital/automation team members through coaching and career planning.

Follow regulatory and company guidelines related to Quality, Compliance, EH&S, and Financial reporting

Qualifications

Education:

A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in the Engineering or Computer Science field is required. Advanced degree (MS or MBA) is preferable.

Experience and Skills:

Required:

Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in a technical role that includes development of short- and long-term business strategies.

Direct experience in development of business cases and funding/resource requests.

Depth of knowledge in conventional and emerging technologies related to industrial automation, control systems, industrial networking, vision systems, robotics, servomotors, IIoT, data architectures, machine learning, AI/analytics, and OT cybersecurity

Familiarity with Industry 4.0 frameworks and the application of smart manufacturing technologies

Proven leadership, stakeholder communication, change management, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and inspire diverse teams.

Preferred:

Certifications such as Six Sigma/Process Excellence and/or Project Management (PMP/FPX)

Familiarity with common programming languages (e.g. Rockwell/Siemens PLC and HMI, TP, SQL, Python, C++)

Track record of innovation

For more information on how we support the whole health of our employees throughout their wellness, career and life journey, please visit   www.careers.jnj.com .]

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:

Benchmarking, Coaching, Critical Thinking, Facility Management, Leading Change, Lean Manufacturing Principles, Lean Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing Flow Management, Organizing, Performance Measurement, Predictive Maintenance, Product Design, Program Management, Project Schedule, Safety-Oriented, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Application, Strategic Thinking

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$102,000.00 - $177,100.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Raritan, 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 490 comparable Principal Manufacturing & CMC roles across 65 biopharma companies.

490Comparable roles tracked
457Currently active
65Companies hiring similar roles
26Countries represented

Salary context

220 of 490 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 $102,000/yr – $177,100/yr
Lowest disclosed · Senior Scientist II – CMC Developmental Sciences · AbbVie $0/hr – $0/hr (≈ $0–$0/yr)
Highest disclosed · Director, Global Automation Engineering · AbbVie $182,000/yr – $346,000/yr
Peer group range $0 – $264,000 (median $147,735)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 490 comparable roles

United States342
India46
Ireland14
Netherlands12
Switzerland8
Singapore7

+ 20 more countries

Seniority mix

490 of 490 peers have a known seniority level

Senior315
Principal102
Director73

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 490 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology1
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 Louisville, Colorado, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Watertown, Massachusetts, 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 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
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America 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%
Senior Principal Scientist - Bioanalytical Research
Lilly · Louisville, Colorado, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr. Principal or Engineering Advisor - Agentic Lab Automation Integration
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist, Downstream Process Development
Merck · Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist, Pharmaceutical Analytical Sciences
Merck · Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America · 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.