Senior Laboratory Data Automation Architect, R&D Therapeutics Discovery

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions 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 ;br>
Job Function:
R&D Operations

Job Sub Function:
Laboratory Operations

Job Category:
Professional

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

We are searching for the best talent for a Senior Laboratory Data Automation Architect, R&D Therapeutics Discovery to be located in Spring House, PA.

Purpose: The Laboratory Data Automation Architect acts as the keystone of automation projects, ensuring that scientific workflows, hardware deployment, software development, and systems integration are all aligned, defined, and interoperable within Johnson & Johnson's laboratory infrastructures. This role combines scientific acumen with expert-level capabilities in automation design, platform management, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver integrated, scalable, and compliant automation solutions across modality agnostic Therapeutics Discovery.

You will be responsible for:

• Architectural leadership
  • Designing and governing scalable, robust automated scientific workflows that span hardware, software, data, and networking layers.
  • Defining critical data entities and data flows to enable seamless transitions between disparate components and future-ready extensions.
  • Establishing and promoting best methods for API/SDK usage, data models, and integration standards across internal and external tools.
• Program and project execution
  • Leading end-to-end automation initiatives from concept through deployment, validation, and ongoing optimization.
  • Aligning projects with strategic objectives, timelines, budgets, and risk management in a global, matrixed environment.
  • Defining and maintaining platform roadmaps, governance, change control, and documentation.
• Hardware and software integration
  • Identifying and selecting instrumentation and software solutions based on scientific merit and ease of integration.
  • Capably orchestrating the integration of lab instrumentation, high-throughput systems, robotics, ELN/LIMS, MES/OT, and data analytics platforms.
  • Overseeing system integration, including scheduling software, middleware, APIs, and data exchange protocols.
• Data management, security, and compliance
  • Ensuring data quality, lineage, traceability, security, and compliance (IT/OT security and relevant standards).
  • Implementing proactive monitoring, diagnostic tools, and maintenance regimes to minimize downtime and risk.
  • Developing runbooks, validation plans, and documentation to support audits and inspections.
• Vendor and ecosystem engagement
  • Engaging with hardware and software vendors to define standards, roadmaps, and interoperable solutions.
  • Communicating industry standards to drive external development toward aligning with J&J needs and the broader industry.
• Leadership and collaboration
  • Leading and developing global, cross-functional teams (engineering, IT, data science, research, and operations) in a matrix setting.
  • Fostering an automation-centered culture, supporting internal & external staff, and promoting continuous learning.
  • Building positive relationships with internal collaborators and external partners to accelerate impact.
• Innovation and capability building
  • Staying current with emerging automation technologies, data architectures, and analytics methods.
  • Exploring opportunities in cloud, edge, AI/ML, digital twin, and advanced analytics to enhance scientific workflows.
• Documentation and knowledge management
  
  • Maintaining comprehensive architecture diagrams, specifications, standards, and training materials.
  • Ensuring available, accessible documentation for users, operators, and support teams.

Qualifications / Requirements:

Education:

• Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences or a closely related field is required.

Experience and Skills:
Required:

• 10+ years of experience in automation and platform management is required.
• Domain Expertise: Proven track record deploying and operating advanced automation platforms in laboratory or research environments; familiarity with laboratory instrumentation and analytical techniques is required.
• Systems & Integration: Broad experience with robotics, high-throughput screening, LIMS/ELN, data management systems, and end-to-end system integration (scheduling software, APIs, middleware, data exchange) is required.
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead global, matrixed teams and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously is required.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills; ability to translate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences is required.
• Governance & Quality Familiarity with validation, change control, documentation, machine safety and regulatory considerations relevant to life sciences (IT/OT security) is required.

Preferred:

• Industry Exposure: Experience in pharmaceutical research, biotech, or medical device environments is preferred.
• Technical Breadth: Knowledge of LIMS/ELN systems, data visualization, and analytics toolsets; experience with programming languages such as Python, R, C#, or Java; scripting for automation is preferred.
• Cloud & Data: Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and data orchestration/workflow tooling is a plus.
• Data Governance: Strong understanding of data integrity, lineage, security frameworks, and scalable data architectures is preferred.
• Soft Skills: Strong analytical mentality, problem-solving agility, and a collaborative leadership style is highly preferred.

What Success Looks Like:

• High-availability, scalable automation platforms with measurable improvements in throughput and data quality.
• Clear, standardized data models and workflows that enable seamless collaboration across sites.
• Reduced integration friction, lower maintenance costs, and faster time-to-delivery for scientific programs.
• Strong vendor relationships and an active pipeline of external developments aligned with J&J needs.
• A thriving, skilled team with clear career progression and a culture of continuous improvement.

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 , internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

#LI-Onsite

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:
Critical Thinking, Data Management and Informatics, Epidemiology, Ethical and Participant Safety Considerations, Inventory Management, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Safety, Mental Agility, Preclinical Research, Problem Solving, Process Improvements, Research and Development, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Strategic Thinking, Technical Credibility, Vendor Management