Lab Equipment Lead

7555-Janssen Pharmaceutica NV Legal Entity; Zwijnaarde; On-site; EUR 73,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Vacation days

Well-being reimbursement

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson in Zwijnaarde is seeking an AIQ Lead to guide the Analytical Instrument Qualification team within the CAR‑T Ghent organization. You will drive resource planning, ensure instrument qualification across QC and manufacturing, and align delivery with GMP standards while advancing continuous improvement.

This role combines people leadership, project portfolio oversight, and technical expertise to deliver compliant, inspection-ready AIQ services, with strong stakeholder engagement

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's or equivalent degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related technical field.
• 7-10 years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, manufacturing, laboratory, validation, or engineering environments.
• Experience leading technical teams and managing complex projects.
• Experience with qualification and lifecycle management of analytical laboratory equipment and computerized systems.
• Strong GMP knowledge and validation principles.
• Preferred experience in Cell & Gene Therapy or Advanced Therapies.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering project portfolios.
• Knowledge of AIQ lifecycle management, data integrity, computerized systems, and laboratory operations.

Responsibilities

• Leads, coaches, and develops AIQ engineers and specialists with performance management and succession planning.
• Oversees instrument qualification, lifecycle management, and compliance activities with QC and manufacturing.
• Manages multiple projects with planning, risk assessment, and portfolio reporting.
• Builds strong partnerships with stakeholders and communicates project status and risks.
• Ensures compliance with GMP, regulatory expectations, and inspection readiness.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

GMP knowledge

Analytical instruments qualification

Computerized systems qualification

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in Engineering/Life Sciences/Pharma

Job 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.

Job Function: Supply Chain Engineering Job Sub Function: Manufacturing Engineering Job Category: People Leader All Job Posting Locations: Zwijnaarde, Belgium

Job Description: The AIQ Lead is responsible for the day-to-day leadership, resource management, and strategic direction of the Analytical Instrument Qualification (AIQ) team within the CAR‑T Ghent organization. The team supports both operational laboratories and project-related activities by ensuring analytical instruments remain compliant, qualified, and fit for intended use throughout their lifecycle. The AIQ Lead drives operational excellence, project execution, stakeholder engagement, and team development while ensuring compliance with Johnson & Johnson quality standards, regulatory requirements, and engineering best practices. The role combines people leadership, operational support, project portfolio management, and technical expertise to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of AIQ services across CAR‑T Ghent.

Duties & Responsibilities

• People Leadership Leads, coaches, and develops a team of AIQ engineers and specialists. Conducts effective performance management, talent development, succession planning, and employee engagement activities. Establishes clear priorities, objectives, and performance expectations aligned with organizational goals. Supports recruitment, onboarding, and training of new team members. Promotes a culture of safety, quality, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. Ensures adequate resource allocation and workload balancing across operational and project activities.
• Operational Support Provides leadership for AIQ activities supporting QC and manufacturing support functions. Ensures timely execution of instrument qualification, periodic reviews, lifecycle management, and compliance activities. Acts as escalation point for complex operational issues and quality-related concerns. Collaborates closely with Operations, QC, QA, Engineering, and other stakeholders to prioritize and execute AIQ activities. Drives continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, standardization, compliance, and customer satisfaction. Supports audit readiness and inspection preparedness for all AIQ-related activities.
• Project Portfolio Management Oversees project planning, prioritization, resource forecasting, and execution of multiple concurrent projects. Ensures project deliverables are completed on scope, schedule, budget, and quality expectations. Provides strategic direction for critical and complex AIQ projects. Reviews project risks and develops mitigation plans together with project teams and stakeholders. Tracks and reports project performance, resource utilization, and portfolio metrics.
• Stakeholder Management Builds strong partnerships with customers, project teams, quality organizations, and management. Conducts regular customer alignment meetings to understand business needs and ensure AIQ activities remain aligned with operational priorities. Serves as primary AIQ representative within cross‑functional initiatives. Communicates project statuses, risks, opportunities, and strategic recommendations to leadership.
• Compliance & Quality Ensures compliance with Johnson & Johnson standards, GMP requirements, corporate procedures, and regulatory expectations. Ensures AIQ processes, qualification documentation, and engineering practices are inspection‑ready. Supports investigations, CAPAs, change controls, and quality improvement initiatives. Champions data integrity and quality culture within the organization.

Qualifications

• Education Bachelor's, Master's, or equivalent degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related technical field.
• Experience Minimum 7-10 years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, manufacturing, laboratory, validation, or engineering environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical teams and managing complex projects.
• Experience with qualification and lifecycle management of analytical laboratory equipment and computerized systems.
• Strong knowledge of GMP, qualification and validation principles.
• Preferred Experience within Cell & Gene Therapy or Advanced Therapies.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering project portfolios.
• Knowledge of AIQ lifecycle management, data integrity, computerized systems, and laboratory operations.

Leadership Competencies

• Strong people leadership and coaching skills.
• Strategic thinking and decision‑making capability.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic operational environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is: €72,500.00 - €115,230.00.

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

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 https://www.jnj.com/.