Expression Sciences Lead - Protein Expression & HTS

6084-Janssen Research & Development, LLC Legal Entity; Spring House (PA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson is seeking an Associate Director, Expression Sciences in Spring House, PA to lead high-throughput recombinant protein expression across bacterial, insect, and mammalian systems, driving automation, data quality, and cross-functional collaboration with Protein Chemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology teams. The role requires a Ph.D.

with 10+ years of industry experience and a track record in leading scientific teams, managing CROs, and advancing expression screening

Qualifications

• Hands-on recombinant protein expression across multiple heterologous systems (E. coli, insect, mammalian, and/or cell-free).
• HT expression screening campaigns designed/executed with automation/liquid-handling platforms (e.g., Tecan, Hamilton).
• Prior people-management experience including supervision and performance reviews.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with Structural Biology, Protein Chemistry, Biophysics, and Therapeutic Area discovery teams.
• Excellent written and oral communication of complex data to scientific and management audiences.
• Experience managing external vendor/CRO relationships for recombinant protein production.
• Membrane protein expression experience (preferred).
• Familiarity with AI/ML-driven construct design or protein engineering tools (preferred).
• Experience contributing to LIMS/database implementation for data management (preferred).
• Publications/patents in protein science (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of scientists and associate scientists for high-throughput expression screening across bacterial, insect, and mammalian systems.
• Define and execute the strategic vision for the HT expression screening platform, aligning capacity, automation, and roadmap with priorities.
• Design and implement HT construct and expression screening strategies to identify optimal conditions for challenging targets.
• Drive automation of expression screening workflows to increase throughput and data quality.
• Partner with discovery teams to translate program needs into plans, timelines, and risk mitigation.
• Evaluate and implement new technologies to improve throughput and success rates.
• Oversee data analysis, interpretation, and reporting of screening results to inform decisions.
• Manage vendor/CRO relationships, including tech transfer and quality oversight.
• Ensure compliance with EHS, ELN, and regulatory/documentation standards.
• Represent the platform in cross-functional forums and contribute to budget planning.
• Integrate Credo and leadership imperatives into team goals and day-to-day interactions.

Skills

Protein expression

High-throughput screening

People management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Vendor/CRO management

Membrane protein experience

AI/ML in protein design

LIMS/data management

Publications/patents

Education

Ph.D. in Biochemistry or related field

Tools

Tecan automation

Hamilton automation

Job description

Johnson & Johnson is seeking an Associate Director, Expression Sciences in Spring House, PA to lead high-throughput recombinant protein expression across bacterial, insect, and mammalian systems, driving automation, data quality, and cross-functional collaboration with Protein Chemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology teams. The role requires a Ph.D.

with 10+ years of industry experience and a track record in leading scientific teams, managing CROs, and advancing expression screening