Distinguished Scientist. Nonclinical Safety Leader

Johnson Johnson; Spring House (PA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine R&D seeks a Distinguished Scientist, Nonclinical Safety Leader (PSTS) in a hybrid role based in Spring House, PA or Cambridge, MA. You will provide toxicology leadership across discovery and development, guiding projects from target identification to regulatory submission.

You will collaborate with diverse scientists, oversee risk assessments, and mentor teams while engaging with global stakeholders to drive safe, effective medicines to patients.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Toxicology or Pharmacology or related field is required.
• PhD/MD/DVM or equivalent in Toxicology/Pharmacology or related field is preferred.
• 15 years pharma/biotech experience with a Master's degree or 10+ years with a doctoral degree is required.
• Proven experience representing toxicology on multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Strong understanding of the drug discovery and development process is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead PSTS project teams of nonclinical safety and PK scientists, interfacing with senior management.
• Serve as NCS representative for global project teams, providing strategic leadership and regulatory awareness.
• Create target risk assessments and develop plans to mitigate safety risks.
• Contribute to issue-resolution with hypothesis-driven investigations.
• Ensure global regulatory nonclinical documents and health authority responses to support trials.
• Mentor within the PSTS organization and participate in strategic initiatives.

Skills

Toxicology expertise

Pharmacology knowledge

Multi-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Master's degree in Toxicology/Pharmacology or related

PhD/MD/DVM or equivalent in Toxicology/Pharmacology or related

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

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function

Nonclinical Safety

Job Category

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

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

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine R&D is recruiting for a Distinguished Scientist, Nonclinical Safety Leader within Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety (PSTS). This position is a hybrid role and can be located in Spring House, PA or Cambridge, MA.

As a Distinguished Scientist, Nonclinical Safety (NCS) Leader, you will collaborate with innovative and diverse scientists to support projects in our large and varied portfolio that spans multiple therapeutic areas and includes innovative modalities. In this vital role you will provide toxicology leadership for all aspects of discovery and development projects, with flexibility to specialize or work across stages of development, therapy areas, and modalities. You will also collaborate with discovery scientists to identify and nominate candidate molecules, and with development teams to bring these molecules to humans and ultimately through global registration.

Principal Responsibilities

• Lead PSTS project teams of nonclinical safety and Pharmacokinetic (PK) scientists, ensuring efficient information transfer within the team and interfacing with senior management.
• Serve as NCS representative for global project teams, providing strategic leadership, toxicology expertise, and matrix leadership to ensure high-quality, data-driven decisions that enable efficient progression of portfolio assets from target assessment through commercialization.
• Create target risk assessments and develop plans to screen for and mitigate potential risks; analyze toxicology and safety pharmacology studies, contextualizing results for human safety and preparing nonclinical safety assessments.
• Contribute to issue-resolution teams by generating hypotheses and investigative strategies.
• Accountable for global regulatory nonclinical documents and health authority responses to support clinical trials and compound registrations.
• Participate in medical safety teams, signal detection analyses, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Engage in nonclinical safety risk assessments for due diligence of potential Licensing and Acquisition (L&A) opportunities.
• Collaborate proactively with Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) functions to assure drug substance quality.
• Actively participate in external academic or industry societies and consortia to enhance toxicology strategies and capabilities.
• Maintain scientific depth and knowledge in competitive intelligence and regulatory landscapes for assigned projects.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders, including regulatory authorities, leveraging drug development experience.
• Provide leadership and mentorship within the PSTS organization.
• Lead strategic initiatives as required.
• This role may have future-facing people leadership responsibilities, as needed.

Qualifications

• A minimum of a Master's degree in Toxicology, Pharmacology or a related discipline is required.
• Doctoral level degree (PhD, DVM, MD or equivalent) in Toxicology, Pharmacology or related discipline is preferred.
• A minimum of 15 years of relevant pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience with a Master's degree or a minimum of 10 years of relevant pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience with a doctoral level degree (PhD, DVM, MD or equivalent) is required.
• Proven experience in representing toxicology/nonclinical safety on multi-disciplinary project teams is required.
• Strong understanding of the drug discovery and development process is