Director, Accelerated Innovation R&D

6045-Ethicon Inc. Legal Entity; Raritan (NJ); Hybrid; USD 164,000 - 283,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

401(k)

Vacation 120 hours per year

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson MedTech in New Jersey is seeking a Director of Accelerated Innovation to lead an R&D team focused on rapid product development and project execution in the wound closure & healing space. The role partners across Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Clinical to deliver high-value programs within tight timelines.

The ideal candidate will bring 10+ years of medical device R&D experience, strong leadership, and a track record of driving fast, compliant

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, biomedical engineering, or related fields.
• 10+ years of medical device R&D experience.
• Ability to lead teams to develop a wide variety of products and technologies.
• Experience partnering with external design, development and manufacturing partners.
• Knowledge of medical device regulations.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% (domestic & international).

Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities to leverage existing technologies to accelerate innovation delivery.
• Lead rapid project assessment and prioritization aligned to strategy and feasibility.
• Define project scope, success criteria, timelines, and resource needs.
• Establish business cases and decision frameworks to accelerate initiation.
• Lead accelerated development and commercialization of new products and platforms.
• Drive execution from concept through launch while maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Remove barriers to expedite delivery and improve cross-functional collaboration.
• Develop streamlined processes, tools, and governance for faster time-to-market.
• Provide executive reporting on progress, obstacles, and opportunities.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Agile methodologies

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Biomedical Engineering

Tools

DOE

Statistics

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.

Job Function: R&D Product Development

Job Sub Function: Biomedical Engineering

Job Category: People Leader

All Job Posting Locations: Raritan, New Jersey, United States of America

About Surgery Fueled by innovation at the intersection of biology and technology, we’re developing the next generation of smarter, less invasive, more personalized treatments. Are you passionate about improving and expanding the possibilities of surgery? Ready to join a team that’s reimagining how we heal? Our Surgery team will give you the chance to deliver surgical technologies and solutions to surgeons and healthcare professionals around the world. Your contributions will help effectively treat some of the world’s most prevalent conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Patients are waiting. Your unique talents will help patients on their journey to wellness. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/medtech

Johnson & Johnson MedTech is currently recruiting for a Director, Accelerated Innovation, R&D MedTech for our Wound Closure & Healing medical devices business. The position is in Raritan, NJ & will work a Flex/Hybrid schedule with 3 days per week on-site.

The Johnson & Johnson MedTech business offers a broad range of products, platforms and technologies including sutures, topical skin adhesives, hemostasis products, surgical staplers, trocars, energy devices, and synthetic mesh devices used in a wide variety of open and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Specialties include cardiovascular, orthopedics, support for treatment of colorectal and thoracic conditions, women's health conditions, hernias, cancer, and obesity. The portion of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Inc. based in Raritan, New Jersey, was founded more than 80 years ago as a pioneer in suture development and manufacturing, helping to transform the safety and effectiveness of surgery.

Purpose

The Director, Accelerated Innovation will be responsible for building and leading an R&D team focused on a core area of accelerated product development and project execution which complements, but works outside of, the existing NPD structure. This leader will be responsible for identification, prioritization and onboarding of high-value programs; focusing on resources where they move the needle. A key responsibility for this role is partnering across Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Clinical teams to deliver high-value programs while eliminating non-value-added work and bureaucracy. The ideal candidate is a decisive, bias‑for‑action leader with proven product development and program management experience who can translate strategy into prioritized roadmaps and measurable outcomes under tight timelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio Identification & Project Scoping Partner with Marketing, Commercial, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Clinical teams to identify high-value growth opportunities, customer needs, cost improvements, and supply continuity projects using a defined “Fast Engine” approach to define, scope and deliver programs to commercialization.
• Lead rapid project assessment and prioritization processes that align efforts to business strategy, customer value, technical feasibility, and resource availability.
• Define project scope, success criteria, risk profiles, timelines, resource requirements, and decision points.
• Establish clear business cases and decision‑making frameworks to accelerate project initiation.
• Rapid Product Development Execution Build and lead a high‑performing team focused on accelerated development and commercialization of new products, product improvements, and platform extensions.
• Drive rapid execution of development programs from concept through launch while maintaining compliance with quality and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure project teams remain focused on critical deliverables, decision velocity, milestone achievement, and launch readiness.
• Remove organizational barriers that slow development progress and proactively resolve cross‑functional conflicts.
• Develop new ways to work that remove unnecessary bureaucracy (internal barriers) from the delivery of NPD programs and create a “new norm” on NPD time to market.
• Development Process Innovation Challenge traditional product development paradigms and create new execution models that significantly reduce development cycle times, including driving this non‑traditional mindset across all partner functions.
• Develop and implement streamlined processes, tools, and governance structures that improve speed, efficiency, and predictability.
• Lead efforts to modernize product development through digital tools, AI‑enabled workflows, simulation, rapid prototyping, and data‑driven decision making.
• Benchmark internal and external best practices and continuously implement improvements.
• Elimination of Non‑Value‑Added Activities Conduct systematic reviews of development workflows to identify waste, redundancies, excessive documentation, unnecessary approvals, and low‑impact activities.
• Apply Lean, Agile, and Design Excellence principles to simplify processes and accelerate execution.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing cycle time, improving resource utilization, and increasing productivity.
• Establish metrics and dashboards to monitor efficiency gains and ensure sustained improvements.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership Serve as the primary R&D interface with Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Manufacturing, Clinical, Commercial, and Finance partners.
• Create and nurture strong cross-functional partnerships that enable rapid decision‑making and seamless project execution.
• Facilitate alignment among stakeholders regarding project priorities, resource allocation, technical tradeoffs, and development strategies.
• Lead cross‑functional governance forums to drive accountability and timely issue resolution.
• Strategic Innovation Delivery Identify opportunities to leverage existing technologies, platforms, products, and capabilities to accelerate innovation delivery.
• Create development strategies that balance speed, technical feasibility, customer value, compliance expectations, and business risk.
• Guide teams in evaluating emerging technologies, external partnerships, and new innovation opportunities.
• Lead incubation for disruptive product concepts and novel development approaches.
• Talent Leadership & Team Development Foster a culture of urgency, accountability, ownership, collaboration, empowerment, and continuous learning.
• Coach team members in agile project management, technical problem solving, decision making, stakeholder engagement, and innovation methodologies.
• Create development plans and succession strategies to ensure long‑term organizational capability.
• Operational Excellence & Governance Establish performance metrics focused on speed, project delivery, launch readiness, quality, resource productivity, and business impact.
• Ensure compliance with applicable design controls, regulatory requirements, and quality systems while minimizing unnecessary complexity.
• Monitor portfolio health, resource utilization, risk, and execution barriers across all programs.
• Provide executive leadership with clear reporting on project progress, obstacles, risks, and opportunities.
• Culture & Change Leadership Champion a mindset of experimentation, calculated risk-taking, rapid learning, and disciplined execution.
• Promote organizational behaviors that reward action, speed, customer‑focused innovation, and simplification while complying with quality and regulatory requirements.
• Lead transformational initiatives that reshape how product development is executed across the organization.
• Serve as a visible advocate for simplification, efficiency, continuous improvement, and cross‑functional accountability.

Success Measures

This role will be accountable for measurable improvements in speed, focus, productivity, and execution quality.

Qualifications and Requirements

Requires a bachelor’s degree in electrical, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related fields. An advanced degree is preferred. 10+ years of medical device R&D experience is required. Ability to lead teams to develop a wide variety of products and technologies is required. Experience partnering with and managing external design, development, and manufacturing partners is required. Experience in all stages of R&D, including design for manufacture and bringing products from concept through to launch and commercialization is required. Track record of innovation, developing new products and processes and/or improving existing products and processes is required. Ability to work in a team‑oriented environment embraces change, risk, and flexibility and challenges the status quo. Strong understanding of statistics and data analysis, in particular DOE and regression analysis is required. Demonstrated ability to drive tasks to completion and advance scientific knowledge. The ability to balance multiple projects/tasks at the same time. Proven problem‑solving skills, excellent oral and written communication skills, and ability to think strategically are highly desirable. Business acumen, in particular, the ability to understand basic financial models and marketing strategies.

Knowledge of medical device regulations is required. Will require up to 20% travel both domestically and internationally is required.

Company Culture & Inclusion

At Johnson & Johnson, we are on a mission to change the trajectory of health for humanity. That starts by creating the world’s healthiest workforce. Through cutting‑edge programs and policies, we empower the physical, mental, emotional, and financial health of our employees and the ones they love.

Johnson & Johnson is an affirmative action and 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, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability.

For more information on how we support the whole health of our employees throughout their wellness, career, and life journey, please visit www.careers.jnj.com.

Compensation and Benefits

• The anticipated base pay range for this position is: $164,000.00 - $282,900.00
• 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)).
• 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 period
• 10 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

At Johnson & Johnson,we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build aworld where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured,where treatments are smarter and less invasive, andsolutions 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/.