Senior Director, Immunology- AI Systems

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:

Data Analytics & Computational Sciences

Job Sub Function:

Data Science Portfolio Management

Job Category:

Professional

All Job Posting Locations:

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America, Raritan, New Jersey, United States of America, San Diego, California, United States of America, Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Titusville, New Jersey, United States of America

Job Description:

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

Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine is recruiting for a Senior Director, Immunology - AI Systems. This role will shape and drive the enterprise-aligned AI strategy for Immunology R&D and translate that strategy into an executable, value-focused portfolio of AI capabilities, data products, and AI solutions. This position can be located in either New Brunswick, NJ; Raritan, NJ; Titusville, NJ; Spring House, PA; San Diego, CA; or Cambridge, MA.  Remote work options in the US may be considered on a case-by-case basis and if approved by the Company.

An internal pre-identified candidate for consideration has been identified. However, all applications will be considered.

This is a senior executive leadership role at the intersection of Immunology discovery & clinical science, data, AI, product strategy, and organizational execution in a complex multistakeholder setting. The leader will establish the strategic direction for AI aligned with the evolving Immunology Therapeutic Area priorities, identify and prioritize the highest-value opportunities across the R&D pipeline, and orchestrate delivery in partnership with functional partners across the organization.

The role reports through Research & Development Data, Data Science and AI (DDSAI) to the Vice President, Immunology and Cardiopulmonary, DDSAI. The successful candidate will serve as the integrator between Immunology business priorities and the technical capabilities required to deliver against them. They will provide the technical judgment, portfolio leadership, governance, and operating discipline needed to move priority AI opportunities from concept through scaled adoption and measurable impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and maintain the Immunology AI strategy, translating therapeutic-area priorities and pipeline needs into a clear multi-year roadmap of AI-enabled capabilities, data products, and solutions.
• Lead strategic portfolio planning for Immunology AI, including opportunity identification, value framing, prioritization, sequencing, investment choices, dependencies, and resource alignment.
• Create an integrated execution model across Immunology and enabling functions, with clear decision rights, accountable owners, milestones, risks, and measures of value.
• Partner with Immunology scientific and development leaders to identify high-impact solutions across discovery, translational research, clinical development, biomarkers, evidence generation, and portfolio decision-making.
• Provide technical leadership and informed challenges on AI solution design, data readiness, model suitability, validation, scalability, interoperability, and responsible use.
• Orchestrate alignment and delivery across a complex multistakeholder ecosystem including both DDSAI (incl. Data Solutions & Platforms, Data Products & Governance, Master Data Governance, Knowledge Management, AI/ML Digital Health, RWE, Population Analytics & Insights, External Innovation) and other functional parties (incl., J&J Technology, Immunology TA, Global Development, Global Regulatory Affairs) ; resolve cross-functional dependencies that could limit delivery or adoption.
• Ensure AI initiatives are supported by fit-for-purpose data foundations, including standardized and reusable Immunology data products, metadata, ontologies, knowledge graphs, catalogs, and appropriate access pathways.
• Establish portfolio governance and stage-gate decision processes that support rapid experimentation while creating a disciplined path to production, scale, operations, and lifecycle management.
• Define success measures for the AI portfolio, including scientific and business outcomes, user adoption, time or quality improvements, scalability, reuse, and return on investment.
• Drive adoption and organizational change by engaging end users early, embedding AI capabilities into scientific and development workflows, and championing AI and data literacy across Immunology by developing and implementing a robust change management strategy.
• Build strong internal and external partnerships to monitor emerging AI capabilities and determine where to build, buy, partner, or reuse enterprise solutions.
• Lead, develop, and retain a high-performing team with strengths spanning AI strategy, technical product leadership, data products, program execution, and stakeholder engagement.
• Represent the Immunology AI strategy with senior R&D and enterprise stakeholders, communicating progress, choices, risks, and value in a clear and decision-oriented manner.

Key Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, MS, or equivalent experience) in computer science, AI/ML, engineering, biomedical sciences, computational biology, applied mathematics, data science, or a related scientific or technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of post-academic industry or equivalent experience, including leadership of complex data, digital, AI, or technology-enabled life sciences initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience defining strategy and translating it into a prioritized roadmap and coordinated execution plan across complex multistakeholder ecosystems.
• Strong technical fluency in AI/ML, data engineering, data products, analytics platforms, knowledge representation, and the lifecycle required to move solutions from prototype to scaled use.
• Experience working with complex, high-dimensional biomedical data, such as omics, imaging, translational, clinical trial, biomarker, competitive intelligence, and real-world data.
• Proven ability to lead through influence in a matrixed organization in the pharmaceutical industry, align senior stakeholders, resolve ambiguity, and drive decisions across organizational boundaries.
• Experience establishing governance, operating models, portfolio management practices, and value-tracking mechanisms for AI, data, digital, or technology portfolios in the pharmaceutical R&D setting.
• Strong people leadership and talent-development experience.
• Excellent executive communication, strategic thinking, synthesis, and decision-framing skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or medical technology; Immunology R&D experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience leading enterprise or therapeutic-area AI strategy and execution across discovery and development workflows.
• Experience with technical product management, agile delivery, change management, and scaled adoption of AI-enabled products.
• Understanding responsible AI, model validation, data privacy, security, regulatory expectations, and risk management in a biomedical environment.
• Familiarity with enterprise data and metadata standards and frameworks, such as CDISC, GA4GH, FHIR, and NCI Thesaurus, and with ontologies, knowledge graphs, and data catalogs.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate build-versus-buy-versus-partner decisions and manage strategic technology or external innovation partnerships.

Leadership Profile:
The successful candidate combines a strategic range with execution discipline who can lead through influence in a matrixed organization. They can move comfortably between Immunology portfolio priorities, scientific workflows, technical architecture, operating-model choices, and delivery detail. They create clarity across functions, make trade-offs visible, and maintain accountability for outcomes - ensuring that AI is not a collection of disconnected pilots, but a coherent capability that advances the Immunology R&D pipeline.

This position can be located in either New Brunswick, NJ; Raritan, NJ; Titusville, NJ; Spring House, PA; San Diego, CA; or Cambridge, MA.  Remote work options in the US may be considered on a case-by-case basis and if approved by the Company.

An internal pre-identified candidate for consideration has been identified. However, all applications will be considered.

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. 

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Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Advanced Analytics, AI Judgement Integration, Business Storytelling, Consulting, Critical Thinking, Data Modeling, Data Privacy Standards, Data Science, Data Structures, Digital Fluency, Digital Strategy, End to End Implementation, Global Market, Negotiation, Product Portfolio Management, Program Management, Quality Control (QC), Strategic Thinking

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$204,000.00 - $351,900.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).

This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.

Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:

Vacation –120 hours per calendar year
Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado –48 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington –56 hours per calendar year
Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year
Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year
Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child
Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member: 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year
Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period10 days
Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year

For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits