Principal Scientist, Protein Purification, Team Lead

jj; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson Biologics Discovery in Spring House, PA seeks a Principal Scientist, Protein Purification, Team Lead to guide a team delivering purified antibodies and other proteins for preclinical studies.

You will set purification strategy, drive project decisions, and collaborate across discovery and development to advance therapeutic leads while fostering an inclusive, high-performance culture.

Qualifications

• PhD in biochemistry/related field with 5+ years in biotech/pharma biologics.
• Experience leading scientists and building inclusive, high-accountability teams.
• Drug-discovery orientation; data-driven decisions for molecules/lead candidates.
• Deep purification/characterization expertise for proteins/biologics; hands-on chromatography (FPLC, HPLC) and analytics.
• Experience originating or optimizing purification processes and transferring scalable approaches.
• Influence across functions; clear scientific communication and timely decisions with diverse perspectives.

Responsibilities

• Build and develop the team; coach scientists and set expectations.
• Drive lead-selection decisions with cross-functional teams.
• Set purification strategy for antibodies and other proteins; enable handoff to development.
• Apply technical judgment in chromatography, purification, and analytics.
• Advance automation, data workflows, and digital tools.
• Deliver through partnership across discovery, engineering, and process development.

Skills

Biochemistry

Protein purification

Chromatography

Analytical methods

Leadership

Team management

Data-driven decisions

Biologics

Education

PhD in biochemistry/related field

Tools

FPLC

HPLC

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:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Biotherapeutics R&D

Job Category:

People Leader

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 Principal Scientist, Protein Purification, Team Lead in Spring House, PA.

Purpose:

At Johnson & Johnson Biologics Discovery, we work in a fast-paced R&D environment applying rigorous scientific principles towards advancing groundbreaking protein therapeutics. In support of this mission, you will lead a team of scientists who deliver purified antibodies, multispecifics, and other therapeutic proteins for characterization and in vivo studies. Your group will combine purification science, process development, automation, and protein biochemistry to generate preclinical candidates and drive decision-ready data.

As a partner across Discovery and Development, you will connect biological activity, manufacturability, and program strategy. You will set direction, build an inclusive and accountable culture, and guide technical decisions that advance the strongest leads. You will lead and develop a protein purification team at the center of biologics discovery. We are seeking an exceptional scientific ideator and empathetic people leader who can identify bold, practical solutions to discovery challenges, turn large and complex datasets into insight, and apply strong protein biochemistry expertise to advance therapeutic leads.

You will be responsible for:

• Build and develop the team. Coach scientists, set clear expectations, provide useful feedback, and create an environment where people can grow, raise risks, and ideate.
• Drive lead-selection decisions. Partner with multidisciplinary project teams to define molecule-quality strategies, interpret integrated data, manage trade-offs, and advance therapeutic leads.
• Set purification strategy. Guide fit-for-purpose purification and process development for antibodies, multispecifics, and other recombinant proteins, including scalable handoff to development partners.
• Apply technical judgment. Use deep knowledge of chromatography, FPLC, HPLC, protein quality, and analytical methods to balance purity, recovery, speed, scalability, and downstream needs.
• Improve how the work is done. Advance automation, digital tools, and data workflows that strengthen throughput, reproducibility, and scientist experience.
• Deliver through partnership. Align priorities and communicate progress, decisions, and risks across expression, protein engineering, biophysics, pharmacology, and process development.

Qualifications/Requirements:

Required:

• PhD in biochemistry, biochemical engineering, chemical engineering, protein science, or a related discipline, plus 5+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology experience in biologics or drug discovery.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing scientists and creating an inclusive, collaborative, high-accountability team.
• A drug-discovery orientation, including sound judgment under uncertainty and experience using data to guide molecule or lead-candidate decisions.
• Deep expertise in purification and characterization of proteins, antibodies, or other biologics, with hands-on experience in chromatography, FPLC, HPLC, and relevant analytical methods.
• Experience originating or optimizing purification processes and transferring scalable approaches to development partners.
• Ability to influence across functions, communicate complex science clearly, and make timely decisions while inviting diverse perspectives.

Preferred:

• Bispecific or multispecific antibodies, novel protein therapeutics, complex molecular formats, or antibody mechanisms of action.
• Discovery-to-development process transfer, developability assessment, early CMC partnership, or manufacturability strategy.
• Laboratory automation, high-throughput purification, integrated data systems, advanced analytics, or responsible use of AI-enabled tools.
• Scientific publications, patents, external collaborations, or other evidence of scientific curiosity, initiative, and impact.

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.

#LI-Onsite

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Analytical Reasoning, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Clinical Data Management, Clinical Research and Regulations, Clinical Trial Designs, Developing Others, Drug Discovery Development, Inclusive Leadership, Leadership, Molecular Diagnostics, Pharmacovigilance, Process Improvements, Productivity Planning, Quality Assurance (QA), Scientific Research, Team Management, Technical Credibility