Plant Microbiologist

7266-Janssen Biologics B.V. Legal Entity; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 69,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Vacation days

Parental leave

Bereavement leave

Well-being reimbursement

Insurance plans

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson seeks a Senior Contamination Control Specialist to strengthen CCP programs at the Leiden site. You will drive investigations, CAPA actions, and translate microbiological risk into practical operational controls.

Responsibilities include EM program design, data trend analysis, and training for aseptic practices. Strong English communication is essential; Dutch preferred; GMP experience required. Competitive pay and benefits apply.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in a life sciences field or engineering; MSc preferred.
• Several years’ GMP manufacturing experience in microbiology or aseptic operations.
• Experience with EM programs, sampling strategies, and EM qualification.

Responsibilities

• Support CCP program design and readiness for inspections.
• Lead contamination investigations, root-cause analysis and CAPA.
• Translate microbiological risk into practical shop-floor controls.
• Trend contamination and performance metrics; report insights.
• Deliver training in aseptic practices and microbiological hygiene.
• Act as SME for contamination control and cross-site sharing.

Skills

GMP manufacturing

Environmental Monitoring

Root Cause Analysis

Data interpretation

Stakeholder communication

Education

BSc in Microbiology/Biotechnology/Biology/Chemical Engineering

MSc preferred

Equivalent experience

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 Manufacturing Job Sub Function: Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Process Operations Job Category: Professional All Job Posting Locations: Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands

Key Responsibility Areas

A. Contamination Control Program (CCP) support for Operations

Assesses procedure effectiveness, drives improvements, and ensures inspection readiness.

B. Leads contamination investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA

Ensures scientifically sound interpretation and investigation rigor, including:

• Leads or supports deep-dive analysis of contamination events (protocol review, sample/data assessment, interpretation, and validity of conclusions).
• Leads or supports remediation of relevant inspection observations.
• Performs contamination impact assessments for change controls and provides the Operations recommendation.
• Drives root cause identification and CAPA definition, implementation follow-up, and closure.
• Validates investigation outcomes and ensures appropriate scientific justification.
• Ensures effectiveness checks are completed to prevent recurrence and strengthen contamination control.

C. Translator of microbiological risk into operational controls

supports microbiological risk assessment (facility and process), translates risks into practical controls, and supports practical execution of environmental monitoring (EM) and microbiological control strategies, including:

• EM program qualification (e.g., EMPQ), periodic review of alert/action limits, and investigation of EM deviations.
• Effectiveness of cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization strategy in Operations.
• Oversight of sterilization and filtration validation and routine execution monitoring.

D. Data trending, performance management, and continuous improvement

Reports and trends contamination and leakage rates and other performance indicators; communicates insights and priorities to stakeholders; and drives risk‑reduction improvements by identifying opportunities, challenging the status quo, and supporting implementation of sustainable microbiological controls.

E. Enabler of culture, qualification, and training in aseptic practices

Executes the training curriculum for microbiological hygiene and contamination prevention.

F. Subject matter expert (SME) for contamination control

Advises on facility and process design from a microbiological perspective and shares expertise with other sites and global stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications and Drivers

BSc in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biology, Chemical Engineering, or similar (MSc preferred), or equivalent experience.

Several years’ experience in GMP‑regulated manufacturing (biopharmaceutical/sterile/aseptic preferred) in Microbiology, Manufacturing Science & Technology, QA, or Operations support.

Demonstrated experience with contamination control concepts and environmental monitoring (EM program design/optimization, EM qualification such as EMPQ, sampling strategies, and trending).

Working knowledge of relevant GMP expectations and guidance (e.g., EU GMP/EudraLex Annex1; FDA aseptic processing guidance) and how to translate them into practical shop‑floor controls.

Proven investigation and problem‑solving capability (root cause analysis, CAPA definition/follow‑up; handling deviations/inspection observations with scientific rigor).

Ability to interpret microbiological and process data, build meaningful metrics/KPIs, and communicate insights to stakeholders.

Strong written and verbal communication skills in English; Dutch preferred.

Pay and Benefits

The anticipated pay range for this position, in the primary posting location, is: €68600,00-€119600,00

The anticipated pay ranges for additional locations are: Netherlands– The anticipated base pay range for this position is82900,00-166000,00

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.
• For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well‑being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.
• *This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.