Pr Eng RD Elec Eng

6149-DePuy Synthes Products Inc. Legal Entity; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 117,000 - 201,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer, Robotics for DePuy Synthes in Boston, MA. You will lead the electrical system architecture for advanced knee robotic hardware, guide cross-functional teams, and ensure regulatory compliance across the product lifecycle.

The role requires a strong background in electrical design, DFMA, and risk management, with travel up to 25% and a hybrid work arrangement in Boston.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field required.
• Master’s degree preferred for advanced roles.
• Experience leading complex electrical/electromechanical product development in a regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Define electrical architecture for robotic medical devices and drive design decisions.
• Provide technical leadership and risk management across programs.
• Lead system-level trade studies balancing performance, safety, cost, and manufacturability.
• Oversee design reviews, V&V, and ensure IEC 60601 and ISO 13485 compliance.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with cross-functional teams and suppliers.

Skills

Electrical architecture

PCB design

DFMA

Regulatory knowledge

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Altium Designer

SPICE

Multisim

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.

Job Function: R&D Product Development

Job Sub Function: R&D Electrical/Mechatronic Engineering

Job Category: Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations: Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Job Description

Principal Electrical Engineer Job Description About Orthopedics 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 Orthopedics? Ready to join a team that’s reimagining how we heal? Our Orthopedics teams help keep more than 6 million people moving each year while delivering clinical and economic value to surgeons and healthcare systems. Our teams build solutions for joint reconstruction; trauma and craniomaxillofacial; sports, extremities, and elective foot and ankle; spine; and robotics and digital surgery. Your unique talents will help patients on their journey to wellness. Learn more at Johnson & Johnson MedTech. We are searching for the best talent for a Principal Electrical Engineer, Robotics to join DePuy Synthes located in Boston, MA.

Purpose

The Principal Electrical Engineer will serve as a senior technical leader within the Joints Robotics Hardware organization, providing technical direction and engineering leadership for the existing VELYS Knee Robotic Hardware platform and future New Product Development (NPD) programs. This individual will provide system-level electrical engineering leadership across complex robotic medical devices, establishing electrical architecture and technical strategy while driving resolution of the organization’s most complex hardware and electromechanical challenges. The Principal Electrical Engineer will operate across engineering disciplines and throughout the product lifecycle, from early technology exploration and architecture development through design, verification, regulatory certification, manufacturing transfer, and sustaining engineering. They will serve as a technical authority and mentor, influencing engineering practices, design decisions, risk management, and technology strategy across programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead electrical system and subsystem architecture for complex robotic medical devices, establishing technical requirements, interfaces, design strategies, and technology choices across the product lifecycle.
• Serve as a technical authority for electrical engineering, providing technical direction and engineering judgment for high-risk or highly complex design decisions affecting system performance, safety, reliability, manufacturability, and product lifecycle.
• Lead system-level technical trade studies and architectural decisions, balancing performance, safety, reliability, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, scalability, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead cross-functional resolution of complex system problems spanning Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Software/Firmware, Controls, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supplier Engineering.
• Provide technical leadership for IEC 60601 compliance, including electrical safety, EMC, essential performance, and risk management, coordinating internal engineering teams, external test laboratories, and design activities required to achieve certification.
• Partner with Systems Engineering, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Clinical Affairs to ensure applicable regulatory, safety, cybersecurity, usability, and product requirements are translated into robust engineering design inputs.
• Lead complex root cause investigations involving electrical, firmware, software, electromechanical, EMC, power, communication, signal integrity, or system interaction issues arising during development, verification, manufacturing, and field use.
• Provide technical leadership through Design Verification and Validation (V&V), including test strategy, design readiness, investigation of failures, evaluation of results, and implementation of corrective actions.
• Lead and participate in design reviews and architecture reviews, challenging technical assumptions and ensuring appropriate engineering rigor, risk management, and documentation.
• Approve design specifications, drawings, test methods, protocols, reports, and other technical documentation as defined within the applicable signature matrix.
• Provide technical leadership during discovery, concept development, technology evaluation, feasibility, and prototyping, identifying technical risks and establishing appropriate engineering strategies before detailed development.
• Identify and mature enabling technologies for future robotic platforms, including sensing, motor control, power electronics, computing, communication, safety architectures, and electromechanical systems.
• Partner with internal and external manufacturing organizations to develop robust production test strategies for complex capital equipment.
• Provide senior technical leadership to manufacturing partners and suppliers covering component development, device builds, production testing, assembly processes, PFMEAs, supplier technical issues, design transfer, and manufacturing readiness.
• Apply Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), Design for Reliability, Lean Six Sigma principles, FMEA, and engineering risk analysis to optimize product architecture and designs.
• Champion continuous improvement of electrical architectures, design methodologies, engineering standards, simulation practices, design reviews, verification strategies, and laboratory capabilities.
• Drive reuse, standardization, and platform thinking across electrical designs where appropriate to improve development efficiency, reliability, and maintainability.
• Mentor and develop engineers, strengthening technical capabilities and promoting rigorous engineering practices across the organization.
• Provide technical direction, prioritization, and guidance to engineers working across development programs, while influencing technical execution beyond immediate project boundaries.
• Represent Electrical Engineering in discussions with senior technical leaders, program leadership, suppliers, manufacturing partners, external design organizations, and regulatory/test organizations.
• Utilize advanced laboratory equipment, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power analyzers, signal generators, electronic loads, spectrum analyzers, and EMI pre‑compliance equipment, to characterize and resolve complex system issues.

Required Skills/Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline required. Master’s Degree preferred. 10+ years of relevant engineering experience, with demonstrated technical leadership of increasingly complex electrical or electromechanical product development.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a technical leader or subject‑matter expert on complex product development programs.
• Experience in a regulated product development environment required; medical device experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to define electrical architectures and make system-level engineering decisions involving complex trade-offs.
• Extensive experience with analog and digital circuit design, board‑level electronics, power distribution, communications interfaces, signal integrity, and electromechanical integration.
• Extensive experience designing PCBAs, including schematic development, component selection, analysis, layout oversight, design verification, manufacturing, and troubleshooting.
• Strong understanding of electrical system architecture, grounding, shielding, EMC, power integrity, signal integrity, and electrical safety.
• Experience developing complex electromechanical systems incorporating sensors, actuators, motors, embedded computing, communication interfaces, and power electronics.
• Experience with Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), Design for Reliability, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and engineering risk management.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical investigations using structured root cause methodologies and engineering analysis.
• Demonstrated capability to influence cross‑functional technical decisions without relying on direct organizational authority.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts and technical risk clearly to engineering teams, program leadership, senior management, suppliers, and external partners.
• Strong ability to operate independently in ambiguous technical environments, prioritize competing needs, and lead complex engineering activities across multiple workstreams.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and raise the technical capability of an engineering organization.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience serving as a technical lead or electrical architect for capital medical robotics, surgical navigation, or other highly complex safety‑critical electromechanical systems.
• Significant experience with robotics and motion‑control systems.
• Hands‑on expertise with motor control, servo systems, high‑power electronics, motion systems, sensing, embedded systems, or real‑time control architectures.
• Experience developing architectures incorporating industrial communication technologies such as EtherCAT, CAN, Ethernet, USB, PCIe, or similar high‑performance interfaces.
• Strong experience with industry‑standard ECAD and simulation environments such as Altium Designer, SPICE, Multisim, or equivalent engineering tools.
• Demonstrated success working with external engineering partners, strategic suppliers, contract manufacturers, and test laboratories to develop and scale complex electromechanical systems.
• Strong working knowledge of IEC 60601, including electrical safety, EMC, and essential performance considerations.
• Experience applying ISO 14971 risk management and ISO 13485 design control principles within medical device development.
• Experience supporting regulatory submissions and responding to technical questions from regulatory, notified‑body, or certification organizations.
• Experience developing platform‑level architectures or reusable technologies across multiple products or product generations.
• Demonstrated ability to identify emerging technologies and translate them into practical product architectures and development strategies.

This is a hybrid position located in Boston, MA and requires up to 25% domestic/international travel.

Johnson & Johnson announced plans to separate our Orthopedics business to establish a standalone Orthopedics company, operating as DePuy Synthes. The process of the planned separation is anticipated to be completed within 18 to 24 months, subject to legal requirements, including consultation with works councils and other employee representative bodies, as may be required, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions and approvals. Should you accept this position, it is anticipated that, following conclusion of the transaction, you would be an employee of DePuy Synthes and your employment would be governed by DePuy Synthes employment processes, programs, policies, and benefit plans. In that case, details of any planned changes would be provided to you by DePuy Synthes at an appropriate time and subject to any necessary consultation processes.

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.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs.

Accommodation information is available through Johnson & Johnson Careers.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is : $117,000.00 - $201,250.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency

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/. Our Credo calls on us to respect the dignity of every individual and create an environment for all people to thrive. Throughout the recruitment process - from application through hiring - we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations/adjustments for qualified candidates with disabilities. If you need support at any stage of the recruitment process, please complete our candidate accommodation request form so we can assist you.