Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer

Biopharma Careers; North Carolina; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson is seeking a Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer to own the engineering strategy for the physical layer of autonomous discovery platforms at Spring House, PA.

You will define robotics, controls, safety, and facility integration standards to enable scalable, AI-native laboratory automation across multiple platforms and workcells.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field is required or higher; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years in automation/robotics, or 8+ with Master’s, or 4+ with PhD, in related fields.
• Experience with robotics, automation, controls hardware, sensors, and instrumentation.

Responsibilities

• Define robotics and physical automation reference architecture for multi-workcell SDL platforms.
• Establish enterprise standards for interfaces, safety, and maintenance.
• Lead design reviews for multi-workcell automation and facility integration.
• Define modular, scalable, and future-proof automation strategies.
• Serve as senior technical authority for robotics, controls, safety, and lifecycle strategy.
• Drive cross-site scalability, vendor governance, and lifecycle support.

Skills

Robotics

Automation

Controls

Safety systems

Digital twin

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Automation, Robotics, Mechatronic, Computer Engineering or related

Advanced degree preferred

Experience in regulated/pharma environments

Tools

Simulation software

AI-enabled automation

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

Robotics

Job Category

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations

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

We are searching for the best talent for a Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer to be located in Spring House, PA.

Purpose: The Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer owns the engineering strategy for the physical layer of autonomous discovery platforms. The role establishes how robots, workcells, controls, sensors, safety systems, facilities, utilities, and vendor equipment should be designed and integrated so scientific workflows can scale across multiple automated platforms.

The Principal Engineer will serve as the senior engineering authority for the physical automation architecture of self-driving discovery laboratories. This role defines robotics, controls, safety, facility integration, technical standards, vendor governance, engineering simulation strategy, reliability, maintainability, serviceability, and industrialization approaches required for scalable AI-native laboratory automation.

This role is paired with the Principal Laboratory Automation Scientist. The engineer leads the physical automation architecture; the scientist leads the scientific workflow architecture. The two roles jointly define integrated readiness for self-driving laboratories.

You Will Be Responsible For

Physical Automation Reference Architecture

Defining robotics and physical automation reference architecture for multi-workcell SDL platforms, including robot cells, AMR or track routing, workcell interfaces, custom fixtures, transfer stations, sensor strategies, machine-state concepts, control boundaries, and safety patterns.

Establishing enterprise standards for equipment interfaces, serviceability, maintainability, safety systems, utilities, robot access, physical handoffs, labware transfer points, service envelopes, and technical acceptance criteria for lights-out readiness.

Leading design reviews for multi-workcell automation, facility integration, physical execution readiness, maintainability, reliability, and industrialization across discovery automation programs.

Defining principles for modular, reconfigurable, scalable, and future-proof physical automation so new workcells, assays, and equipment can be added without redesigning the full laboratory.

Engineering Strategy and Technical Governance

Acting as senior technical authority for robotics, controls, safety, physical integration, simulation, reliability, serviceability, maintainability, and engineering lifecycle strategy.

Challenging Tier 1 integrator architecture, Tier 2 vendor assumptions, custom equipment proposals, safety logic, maintainability concepts, control boundaries, utility assumptions, and technical risk positions.

Defining the engineering side of digital twin and simulation strategy, including layout, traffic, robot pathing, equipment utilization, service access, bottlenecks, intervention states, and recovery scenarios.

Setting technical governance expectations for design reviews, interface control, FAT/SAT/UAT scope, technical risk registers, acceptance readiness, and lifecycle support.

Scale, Sustain, and Influence

Driving cross-site scalability, standardization, engineering playbooks, vendor governance, support models, spare parts strategy, and lifecycle management for automated platforms.

Partnering with Principal Laboratory Automation Scientists, data/AI teams, IT/OT, EHS, facilities, quality, procurement, operations, and scientific leaders to ensure physical systems support scientific workflows and autonomous execution.

Mentoring senior and junior engineers, influence technical communities of practice, and represent engineering standards in governance forums and vendor negotiations.

Supporting strategic technology selection for robotics, mobile automation, collaborative robots, safety systems, machine vision, sensors, physical AI components, and facility automation interfaces.

Additional Responsibilities

Support technology evaluations, proof-of-concept studies, design reviews, and vendor demonstrations for future automation and robotics capabilities.

Contribute to engineering standards, interface templates, safety review practices, maintenance guidelines, and technical playbooks.

Support audit, inspection, or quality documentation requests where automated systems intersect with regulated or quality driven workflows.

Participate in lessons learned and continuous improvement activities to improve future automation delivery.

Qualifications/Requirements

Education: A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Automation, Robotics, Mechatronic, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related technical field is required. An advanced degree is highly preferred.

Experience and Skills:

Required: Bachelor's degree with 10+ years, Master's degree with 8+ years, or PhD with 4+ years of relevant automation, robotics, controls, equipment integration, or advanced engineering experience.

Demonstrated understanding of robotics, automation, electromechanical systems, controls hardware, sensors, actuators, and instrumentation appropriate to the level of the role.

Ability to work with laboratory automation scientists to translate scientific workflow constraints into safe, maintainable, and physically executable machinery, interfaces, and workcell layouts.

Working knowledge of technical documentation, drawings, equipment lists, interface notes, FAT/SAT/UAT records, FMEA inputs, punch lists, and change summaries.

Strong troubleshooting rigor across mechanical, electrical, robotic, control, safety, communication, and instrument interface issues.

Awareness of EHS, biosafety, contamination control, service access, guard/interlock concepts, and operational readiness expectations in a research laboratory or regulated environment.

Recognized subject matter expertise in robotics, automation, controls, safety systems, complex physical system integration, and technical architecture.

Demonstrated success leading technical architecture and execution for complex automated systems, robotic platforms, or integrated equipment programs.

Experience defining standards, interface models, technical acceptance criteria, vendor governance, engineering risk strategy, and lifecycle support models.

Ability to influence senior partners, challenge vendors, mentor engineers, and lead technical decision making under ambiguity.

Preferred: Experience with self-driving laboratory platforms, digital twins, AMRs, multi-workcell routing, machine vision, AI-enabled automation, simulation, predictive maintenance, and Tier 1/Tier 2 integrator models.

Experience in regulated or quality driven pharmaceutical, biotechnology, discovery, development, or manufacturing environments.

Record of technical innovation through patents, invention disclosures, publications, platform deployments, or industry recognition.

Other: Travel may be required for vendor assessments, FAT/SAT activities, site visits, system builds, workshops, training, technology scouting, or cross-site deployment support.

Why Join Us

This role supports the transition from isolated automation projects to integrated, reliable, AI-native, and ultimately self-driving discovery laboratory systems. The work helps connect scientific intent with robust physical execution, reproducible data, model feedback, and scalable operational capability.

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.

If you are under 18 years of age, you (the candidate) may need to obtain the necessary working papers or other documentation required by state law to start the assignment, as well as get a parent’s consent for the background check.