Senior Director, Bioethics

Biopharma Careers; New Brunswick (NJ); On-site; USD 178,000 - 307,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson is recruiting for a Senior Director, Bioethics, located in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Join Innovative Medicine and help guide ethical decisions across research, development, data, and patient engagement while collaborating with the Head of Bioethics, Policy & Partnerships to advance the function’s strategy.

The role emphasizes senior advisory capabilities to deliver high-quality, consistent guidance and strengthen enterprise-wide ethics standards.

Qualifications

• Masters or PhD degree in Bioethics required.
• 10+ years in pharmaceutical or medical device R&D with product development knowledge.
• Proven bioethics advisory experience in industry settings.
• Strong understanding of regulatory and operational realities in pharma/medical device R&D.
• Expertise in data, AI, digital health, and technology governance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; high emotional intelligence and diplomacy.
• Ability to manage multiple complex issues simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Lead selected bioethics consultations and delegated workstreams with sound judgment.
• Support policy development, governance, decision frameworks translating ethics into guidance.
• Advance thought leadership in bioethics including data/AI ethics, digital health, governance.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders across the enterprise and external partners.
• Strengthen operational excellence by improving workflows, documentation, mentorship, and coordination.

Skills

Bioethics expertise

Communication skills

Technology ethics (AI, data)

Leadership

Emotional intelligence

Education

Masters or PhD in Bioethics

10+ years in pharma R&D

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

Customer Management

Job Sub Function

Patient Advocacy

Job Category

People Leader

All Job Posting Locations

Horsham, Pennsylvania, United States of America, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America, Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Titusville, New Jersey, United States of America

Job Description

Johnson & Johnson is recruiting for a Senior Director, Bioethics, located in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Johnson & Johnson: 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

As ethical questions across research, development, data, technology, and patient engagement become more complex and enterprise-wide, the Bioethics function requires additional senior advisory capacity to deliver timely, high-quality, and consistent guidance. This role is intended to strengthen and scale the function by adding a senior bioethics partner who can lead selected consultations and workstreams, contribute expert judgment, and collaborate closely with the Head of Bioethics, Policy & Partnerships in advancing the function’s strategy, standards, and impact.

The Head of Bioethics will retain overall leadership of the bioethics consultation function, including consultation strategy, standards for bioethics advice, escalation expectations, decision rights, and final decision-making authority for significant, novel, or precedent-setting bioethics positions. Within that framework, the Senior Director will exercise sound independent judgment, lead agreed areas of work, and serve as a trusted collaborator and advisor to the Head of Bioethics and internal/external partners.

The preferred candidate is an expert pharmaceutical industry bioethicist who combines deep expertise with judgment, emotional intelligence, and diplomacy. This individual will be expected to work collaboratively, bring forward emerging issues and opportunities, and help translate ethical analysis into guidance that supports responsible decision-making across the enterprise.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead selected bioethics consultations and delegated workstreams, developing practical recommendations while demonstrating judgment in escalating significant, critical, novel, or precedent-setting matters.
• Support policy development, governance, and decision frameworks that translate ethical principles into guidance.
• Advance thought leadership and initiatives in bioethics, including emerging areas such as data ethics, AI ethics, digital health, and technology governance.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders, cross-functional and external partners, representing the Bioethics function within agreed scope and in alignment with the Head of Bioethics.
• Strengthen operational excellence by improving workflows, documentation, tools, mentorship, and coordination across the Bioethics function.

Qualifications

• Masters or PhD degree in Bioethics required.
• Significant experience, 10+ years, in pharmaceutical or medical device R&D environments with a strong understanding of R&D and product development.
• Proven hands-on experience providing bioethics advice and consultation in an industry setting, including the ability to challenge constructively and know when to raise, align, or partner on critical matters.
• Strong understanding of the ethical, regulatory, and operational realities of pharmaceutical or medical device research and development.
• Strong expertise in technology ethics, including data ethics, AI ethics, digital health, and emerging technology governance, with demonstrated ability to help build organizational capability, advisory models, and guidance in these areas.
• Outstanding organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex issues simultaneously.
• High emotional intelligence, excellent judgment, and diplomacy in navigating ethical and organizational dynamics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient in incorporating AI/GenAI into ways of working

Preferred Skills

• Alliance Formation
• Care Planning
• Case Management
• Confidentiality
• Customer Support Operations
• Customer Support Trends
• Developing Others
• Fact-Based Decision Making
• Health-Medical Programs
• Inclusive Leadership
• Leadership
• Operations Management
• Patient Advocacy
• Patient Care
• Performance Measurement
• Provider Environment
• Risk Management
• Tactical Planning

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.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is : $178,000.00 - $307,050.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.

Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:

• Vacation –120 hours per calendar year
• Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado –48 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington –56 hours per calendar year
• Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year
• Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year
• Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child
• Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member: 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year
• Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period10 days
• Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
• Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year

For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: - https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits