Principal R&D Project Manager

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 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 Details

• Job Function: R&D Product Development
• Job Sub Function: Robotics
• Job Category: People Leader
• All Job Posting Locations: Gieres, Isere, France

Job Description

About Orthopaedics: 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 Orthopaedics? Ready to join a team that’s reimagining how we heal? Our Orthopaedics 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.

We are searching for the best talent for Principal R&D Project Manager to be based out of Boston, MA and Gieres, France.

Purpose

The Principal R&D Project Manager – Navigation Platform is responsible for planning and executing assigned projects within the Navigation platform in Digital R&D, ensuring delivery against scope, schedule, cost, and quality in a regulated medical device environment. Reporting to the Platform Program Manager – Navigation, this role owns the project-level integrated plan (WBS/IMS), project budget baseline and EVM tracking, project RAID management, change control, and stakeholder communications. The Project Manager coordinates cross-functional execution across software, systems, V&V, clinical, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing partners, and drives disciplined design controls and phase-gate readiness to enable predictable delivery outcomes.

Job Responsibilities

• Own project planning and baseline management for assigned Navigation projects, including project charter, scope baseline, WBS, and an integrated master schedule aligned to the platform program plan.
• Manage project schedule execution, critical path tracking, milestone readiness, and schedule recovery actions; maintain and communicate weekly status to the platform leadership team.
• Own the project budget baseline, track actuals and forecasts, and perform earned value management (EVM) tracking; provide inputs for program-level financial reviews and funding decisions.
• Maintain the project RAID log (risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies) with proactive mitigation actions; elevate cross-project or platform-level risks and decisions through the Platform Program Manager.
• Lead weekly project core team meetings, drive action/decision tracking, and ensure timely follow-through across cross-functional contributors.
• Drive disciplined design controls and Design & Development Planning (DDP) execution, ensuring required evidence packages and reviews support regulatory and quality expectations.
• Plan and drive phase-gate readiness activities and toll-gate submissions (schedule, documentation, V&V readiness, risk status, and stakeholder alignment).
• Manage project change requests (scope/schedule/cost) and ensure changes are reviewed, approved, and documented per governance and change control expectations.
• Drive project resource demand and capacity planning with functional leaders; surface and resolve resource conflicts and negotiate mitigation plans or escalations as needed.
• Support hybrid execution cadence (Agile sprints + hardware work packages) by coordinating sprint planning inputs, backlog readiness, and integration dependencies with the Scrum Master, Software Lead, and technical leads.
• Coordinate vendor/contractor deliverables and procurement tracking (SOW/PO/PCARD) in partnership with PM Operations and Finance; ensure supplier work aligns to schedule, quality, and deliverables.
• Execute assigned project(s) and provide data-driven recommendations and inputs.
• Lead project closure activities including lessons learned, final reporting, and transition to sustaining/operations as applicable.
• Provide transparent project dashboards and stakeholder communications (status, KPIs, risks, decisions, and next milestones), and initiate/manage project escalations through closure when required.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or related field.
• 5+ years of project management experience within regulated class II and product development environments (medical device, robotics, navigation, or software-enabled products preferred).
• Experience with phase-gate execution and design controls documentation in a QMS environment. Deep understanding of regulated medical device product development and phase-gate execution, including FDA 21 CFR 820.30 / ISO 13485 design controls.
• Experience managing complex, cross-functional programs across software, systems, and hardware, including integrated planning across requirements, architecture, V&V, clinical, quality, and regulatory deliverables.
• Demonstrated technical problem-solving leadership.
• Excellent knowledge of Agile, Lean, SAFe, or hybrid execution models.
• Strong project controls and financial acumen including budget baselining, forecasting, earned value management (EVM) concepts, and data-driven performance reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage integrated schedules (IMS/WBS), critical path, and dependency mapping across cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with project management tooling (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Planisware/Cadence PPM, Jira/Azure DevOps) and documentation practices.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills; ability to produce clear dashboards, executive updates, and decision briefs.
• Experience operating in Agile/SAFe or hybrid delivery models; ability to drive project resource and schedule planning.
• Strong in RAID management and structured escalation; ability to drive mitigation actions and decisions to closure.
• Strong in project controls including budget baselining, forecasting, and earned value management (EVM) concepts.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Class II or Class III medical devices, robotics, navigation, or software-enabled products.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Johnson & Johnson is an affirmative action and 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, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability.

Required Skills

• Computer Programming
• Consulting
• Critical Thinking
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Data Science
• Developing Others
• Inclusive Leadership
• Industry Analysis
• Innovation
• Leadership
• Manufacturing Technologies
• Product Knowledge
• Prototyping
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• Research and Development
• Robotic Automation
• SAP Product Lifecycle Management
• Team Management

Anticipated base pay range for this position is: €60,400.00 - €103,960.00.

Benefits

In addition to base pay, we offer an annual bonus with set target (percent of pay) depending on pay grade and location, which is based on the employees’ and company’s performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. We also offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well-being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical, and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and, subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees – and in some locations eligible dependents – can participate in several insurance plans. Additional information is available on our employee benefits page.

* This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.