Principal Engineer

Description

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.

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Job Summary

We are seeking a motivated Principal Engineer to support and optimize our polymer powder production lines. The ideal candidate must have a process engineering background with hands‑on experience in pharmaceutical or synthetic polymer manufacturing, and proven experience in tech transfer or developing powder processing unit operations such as fluid bed, coating systems, milling and sieving and freeze‑drying processes. This role combines process optimization, scale‑up, quality and safety compliance, and cross‑functional troubleshooting.

This individual will provide technical support and leadership to support the advancement of innovations for NPIs; LCMs to enhance yield, reliability, compliance & efficiency of product value chains end-to-end, i.e., support to make manufacturing processes/cycles leaner; new capabilities and effectively collaborate across different JNJ functional areas.

Technology Development – This individual will partner with R&D and other GTO resources to perform technological scouting, develop, execute, and/or coordinate studies in laboratory, pilot, or commercial scale environments.

Technical and Scientific Leadership – This individual will provide technical and scientific expertise with the final aim of enabling process control, process understanding, scale-up / down predictions, and enhancing / streamlining process development.

Strategic Leadership – This individual will support the creation, maintenance, and advancement of an overall strategy for projects, or lead key elements of the strategic roadmap. Identify areas of highest impact for implementation of new technologies, focusing on broad applicability, cost-saving, and ease of introduction.

Knowledge Management – This individual will develop, manage, troubleshoot, and transfer advanced knowledge on new or marketed products manufacturing technologies development and deployment.

Investigations - This individual will support and independently develop complex technical investigations to resolve issues. The team member will need to effectively communicate the results and potential application of investigations in presentation, reports, or publications.

People Leadership - This individual may onboard, train, and lead a team of engineers, contractors to advance study execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day technical support for powder processing production equipments.

• Knowledge and execution of overall validation lifecycle

• Execute characterization and validation activities including design of experiments (DoE) to improve yield, throughput, and powder quality while maintaining regulatory and safety compliance.

• Scale up laboratory processes from pilot to commercial production, ensuring reproducibility and robustness.

• Implement and maintain process controls, statistical process control (SPC), and key performance indicators (KPIs) for production lines.

• Lead root‑cause investigations and corrective actions for process deviations and nonconformances.

• Work closely with Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Maintenance, and Production to deliver validated, GMP‑compliant processes where applicable.

• Develop and maintain process documentation: SOPs, batch records, validation protocols, risk assessments (e.g., HAZOP, FMEA).

• Ensure proper handling, storage, and disposal practices for flammable solvents (e.g., acetone) and other hazardous materials; specify ATEX/explosion‑proof equipment where required.

• Support continuous improvement initiatives (lean manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen) to reduce cycle time and cost.

• Train production staff on process requirements, safety protocols, and quality expectations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Chemical, Mechanical, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science, or related discipline.

• Minimum 8 - 10 years of experience in pharmaceutical or synthetic polymer manufacturing/process engineering.

• Hands‑on experience with pharmaceutical or synthetic polymer manufacturing unit operations.

• Strong understanding of solvent handling, flammability controls, ventilation, and explosion‑proof equipment requirements.

• Experience with process scale‑up, DoE, SPC, and root‑cause analysis tools (e.g., DMAIC, 8D).

• Familiarity with GMP and regulatory documentation practices if working in a pharmaceutical environment.

• Strong problem‑solving, data analysis, and technical communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MSc/PhD) in Chemistry, Chemical / Mechanical / Biomedical Engineering, or Materials Science.

• Experience with solvent recovery systems and environmental/waste treatment for organic solvents.

• Experience with powder characterization techniques (PSD, BET, SEM).

• Prior experience leading cross‑functional projects and driving continuous improvement programs.

Working Conditions & Safety

• Work is primarily plant‑based with regular collaboration across R&D, QA, and Production.

• Role requires adherence to strict safety protocols for handling solvents like acetone (flammability, static control, ignition source management).

• May require occasional support for off‑shift troubleshooting or scale‑up campaigns.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to lead process improvements on commercial polymer powder lines.

• Collaborative environment with emphasis on safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

• Professional development and potential leadership growth.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is 68.600 EUR to 119.600 EUR on an annual basis and includes 8% holiday allowance.

How to Apply

Please send your resume and a brief cover letter highlighting specific tech transfer / powder scale up projects and improvements you led to the hiring contact listed on our careers page.

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