Manager, Innovative Health Discovery Lead

Johnson & Johnson; High Wycombe; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare innovation leader based in High Wycombe is seeking a Manager, Innovative Health Discovery Lead to identify and prioritize business needs within clinical development. This hybrid role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, innovative solutions, and vendor management to improve clinical trial efficiency. The ideal candidate should possess at least 7 years of business experience and 5 years in clinical research, with strong communication and analytical skills. Join us in enhancing the clinical trial experience for patients and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of total business experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years in global clinical research.
• Understanding of the clinical trial process and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Identify and prioritize business needs within clinical development.
• Develop frameworks for ranking business needs by impact and urgency.
• Translate high-level needs into clear, actionable requirements.

Skills

Communication

Analytical skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Innovation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, technology, or life sciences

Master’s or Ph.D. in related fields (preferred)

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 https://www.jnj.com

Job Function:

Strategy & Corporate Development

Job Sub Function:

Business Innovation & Integration

Job Category:

Professional

All Job Posting Locations:

High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

Job Description:

About Innovative Medicine

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

Please note that this role is available across multiple countries and may be posted under different requisition numbers to comply with local requirements. While you are welcome to apply to any or all of the postings, we recommend focusing on the specific country(s) that align with your preferred location(s):

• United States - Requisition Number: R-047433
• United Kingdom - Requisition Number: R-048969
• Belgium - Requisition Number: R-048970
• Switzerland - Requisition Number: R-048971

Remember, whether you apply to one or all of these requisition numbers, your applications will be considered as a single submission.

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine R&D is recruiting for a Manager, Innovative Health Discovery Lead. This position is a hybrid role and will be located in High Wycombe, United Kingdom.

The Innovative Health (IH) Organization has been created to drive meaningful impact to participant health and wellbeing by reinventing the clinical trial experience. The IH organization connects teams across development to novel capabilities and solutions, unleashing the potential of innovation to drive broader access to innovative medicines, and enriching the healthcare experience for all.

The IH department reports into Global Development’s (GD) Business Growth, Innovation and Advocacy (BGIA) department and is dedicated to driving innovation into the clinical operating model to make clinical development faster and better for patients, investigators, Johnson & Johnson, and the industry at large. IH’s approach is to learn through doing. We design and conduct innovation projects that generate knowledge about novel operational models, methods and solutions. Once proven valuable and feasible, we embed new operational approaches and technologies into Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicines R&D with the goals of improving patient and site experiences, expediting drug development, and reducing overall costs. Our success comes by way of our entrepreneurial culture and teamwork.

The Manager, IH Discovery Lead will be responsible for identifying, assessing, and prioritizing business needs within clinical development, and scouting innovative solutions, both internal and external, that align with strategic objectives. This role will drive cross-functional collaboration, ensure structured intake processes, and foster a culture of innovation to accelerate clinical trial efficiency and impact.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Business Needs Assessment:
• Partner with stakeholders to uncover challenges, pain points, and opportunities across the clinical portfolio. Apply diverse techniques (interviews, surveys, data analysis, workshops) to extract actionable insights.
• Establish mechanisms for selecting the right approach to surface meaningful insights.

• Prioritization and Decision Support:
• Develop frameworks to rank business needs by impact, urgency, and strategic alignment.
• Facilitate stakeholder workshops to validate priorities.
• Support informed decisions considering feasibility, resources, and return on investment (ROI).

• Requirements Definition:
• Translate high-level needs into clear, actionable requirements.
• Ensure requirements are feasible and aligned with business objectives.
• Communicate requirements effectively to project and delivery teams for solutioning.

• Capability Building:
• Create and maintain processes, tools, and methodologies for intake, prioritization, competitive intelligence and scouting.
• Maintain awareness of the clinical portfolio to anticipate future needs.

• Internal Solution Scanning:
• Assess existing processes, systems, and tools for improvement opportunities.
• Recommend enhancements or alternatives based on business needs.

• External Market Research & Scouting:
• Track industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive landscapes.
• Explore and adapt scouting tactics to identify innovative solutions and partners.
• Build and maintain a comprehensive database of internal and external solutions.
• Develop professional networks to enhance scouting performance.

• Solution Assessment:
• Collaborate with relevant teams to assess integration requirements and adoption readiness.
• Evaluate technical feasibility, scalability, and sustainability of proposed solutions.

• Vendor Relationship Management:
• Build strong relationships with external vendors and partners.
• Support procurement in negotiating cost-effective contracts.
• Monitor vendor performance and alignment with organizational goals.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Work closely with innovation leads, solution leads, and business teams to ensure alignment.
• Promote transparency and shared understanding of business needs.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for intake and scouting effectiveness.
• Monitor and analyze performance data to identify trends and optimize processes.
• Provide regular reports to senior leadership on progress and impact.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in business, technology, or a life science discipline is required. Advanced degree (Master’s, Ph.D., PharmD) in business, technology, or a life science discipline is preferred.
• A minimum of 7 years of total business experience is required.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in global clinical research either in a Contract research Organization (CRO), Pharmaceutical or other clinical trial sponsor environment is required.
• Understanding of the clinical trial process, technologies, and relevant compliance, regulatory and legal considerations is required.
• Experience in solution scouting and technology assessments is preferred.
• Experience building strong vendor relationships is preferred.
• Familiarity with a variety of technologies, industries, and market trends linked to clinical trial operations is required.
• Must have excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Must have strong analytical skills.
• The ability to partner and influence decision-making without authority with leaders at all levels globally and locally is required.
• The ability to think strategically and align solutions with organizational goals is required.
• This position may have up to 25% domestic and international travel.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Alliance Formation, Benchmarking, Budget Management, Continuous Improvement, Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship, Execution Focus, Facilitation, Innovation, Market Research, Negotiation, Organizational Project Management, Process Improvements, Stakeholder Engagement, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Strategic Change, Technical Credibility