Executive Director, Discovery Oncology

Biopharma Careers; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 300,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson is hiring an Executive Director, Discovery Oncology to lead the oncology discovery program, defining strategy and managing a portfolio of assets from concept to clinical candidacy. You will oversee a global team and partner with senior leadership to drive innovation and results across solid tumor indications.

Ideal candidates bring a PhD in Oncology with 15+ years in drug discovery leadership, with experience across modalities including cell therapy and immune therapies, and a

Qualifications

• PhD in Oncology with deep content knowledge.
• 15+ years of demonstrated leadership and drug discovery experience in Oncology, preferably solid malignancies.
• Experience across modalities (small/large molecules, cell therapy), including immune therapies.

Responsibilities

• Leads a global group of 20–40 people, guiding science with quality and rigor.
• Defines scientific strategy for Oncology discovery and portfolio development.
• Manages resources across programs and labs; drives collaborations with external partners.
• Maintains compliant, high-performance lab practices and data integrity.

Education

PhD with deep content knowledge in Oncology

Job description

Job Function

Discovery & Pre‑Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function

Biological Research

Job Category

People Leader

All Job Posting Locations

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description

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 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.

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

About Oncology

Our oncology team is focused on the elimination of cancer by discovering new pathways and modalities to finding treatments and cures. We lead where medicine is going and need innovators with an unwavering commitment to results.

We are searching for the best talent for an Executive Director, Discovery Oncology position. You will be responsible for leading and guiding the Oncology discovery research in selected cancer indications. The Executive Director, Discovery Oncology defines and executes on the strategy for Oncology Discovery. This individual will develop a portfolio of therapeutics addressing core pathways in Oncology from project concept through to entrance into clinical trials.

Key Responsibilities

• Leads a global group of approximately 20‑40 people (including regular FTEs, temporary contractors and postdoctoral fellows), guiding their science with an emphasis on scientific quality and rigor.
• In partnership with Oncology leadership, including TA head, clinical, strategic and functional leaders, defines the scientific strategy for the TA and develops a portfolio of assets for solid cancer indications.
• As a Disease Area Stronghold discovery leader executes on the strategy for the end‑to‑end Oncology portfolio.
• Creates an environment that values innovation, leadership, scientific excellence, urgency, and personal accountability.
• Manages resource allocations across programs, included shared resources across labs.
• Proactively influences across functional areas and external partners to align project activities with strategic goals.
• Establishes internal and external collaborations to facilitate execution of Discovery strategy.
• Partners with external collaborators and innovation centers to evaluate and discover new approaches, technologies, and targets in support of the Oncology portfolio.
• Partners with business development to evaluate external assets and bring new molecules into the pipeline.
• Runs collaborations with both academic and industry partners.
• Provides management oversight including personal talent development, training, coaching and guidance to discovery scientists.
• Ensures compliance with all J&J training, while ensuring safe laboratory working practices for self and reports.
• Ensures consistent experiments/data generation for target validation and progression through discovery stages.

Leadership Priorities

• Oversee and influence the initiation and the progression of multiple small and large molecules as well as cell therapy discovery research programs that result in the identification of Clinical Candidates.
• Set and execute the scientific strategy for solid tumor indication(s).
• Act as an ambassador for the respective Discovery Portfolio with frequent interactions with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrate excellent managerial skills to enable his/her global team to deliver on their objectives and to develop their careers.
• Provide input on hiring, promotions, resources and budget allocations within the department.
• Direct the proper use and implementation for new technology to establish long‑term research plans.
• Identify novel scenarios and nascent scientific/technical opportunities in a specific scientific area.
• Communicate overall strategy of the projects to others including senior leadership.
• Build collaborative relationships with and influence key stakeholders; internally and externally.
• Create a high‑performance work environment that values innovation, leadership, scientific excellence, urgency, and personal accountability.
• Attract and cultivate talent.

• PhD with deep content knowledge in Oncology.
• 15+ years of demonstrated leadership and drug discovery experience in the area of Oncology, preferably in solid malignancies.
• Experience: Solid background in drug discovery across modalities (small, large molecules, cell therapy), including immune therapies.
• Background in cellular, molecular and/or immune tumor biology with a good understanding of the therapeutic landscape in Oncology.
• Strong record of leading programs to the identification of Clinical Candidates.
• Strong track record of publications in the field.
• Broad scope of impact beyond individual projects, eg leading research platforms, target classes, etc.
• Strong external network and recognized as an expert in the field by peers.
• Demonstrated competence for team leadership and/or people skills to manage a team with members in different continents.
• Leading or being part of a significant organization change.
• Heavy influencing across organization boundaries and without direct authority.
• Enterprise thinking.
• Detail‑oriented as well as being able to see the big picture.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; able to effectively present scientific data and concepts to international standards.
• Shaping and articulating a vision that inspires, engages, and brings others along a change journey.
• Ability to attract and develop talent.

Johnson & Johnson is an 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, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers , internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

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Preferred Skills

Big Data Management, Data Reporting, Data Savvy, Developing Others, Drug Discovery Development, Inclusive Leadership, Leadership, Molecular Diagnostics, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Product Knowledge, Project Reporting, Regulatory Affairs Management, Risk Management, Scientific Research, Stakeholder Engagement, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Strategic Thinking, Sustainability