Johnson & Johnson

Senior R&D Project Manager | Boston, MA - DePuy Synthes

Johnson & Johnson$92K — $148K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or a related field required.
  • Minimum of 3 years project management experience required, preferably in regulated medical devices or robotics.
  • Experience in phase-gate execution and design controls documentation preferred.
  • Background in planning and supporting product launches internationally is an advantage.
  • Knowledge of FDA 21 CFR 820.30 and ISO 13485 design controls preferred.

Responsibilities

  • Own project planning and baseline management for Kidney Robotics projects including project charters and schedules.
  • Manage execution of project schedules, critical path tracking, and provide weekly status updates.
  • Oversee project budget tracking and earned value management (EVM) for financial reviews.
  • Maintain the project RAID log and escalate risks and issues as necessary.
  • Lead project core team meetings to ensure timely follow-through on actions and decisions.
  • Drive disciplined design controls and execution according to regulatory and quality expectations.
  • Plan for product launch readiness considering various market entry dependencies.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage.
  • Short and long-term disability insurance provided.
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching contributions.
  • Generous vacation and sick leave policies, plus additional personal and family time off.
  • Parental leave and bereavement leave included.
Full Job Description
Job Function:
R&D Product Development

Job Sub Function:
Robotics

Job Category:
Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

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.

Your unique talents will help patients on their journey to wellness. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/medtech.

We are searching for the best talent for a Senior R&D Project Manager to join our J&J Orthopaedics team (DePuy Synthes). This position is based in Boston, MA.

Johnson & Johnson announced plans to separate our Orthopaedics business to establish a standalone orthopaedics company, operating as DePuy Synthes. The process of the planned separation is anticipated to be completed within 18 to 24 months, subject to legal requirements, including consultation with works councils and other employee representative bodies, as may be required, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions and approvals.

Should you accept this position, it is anticipated that, following conclusion of the transaction, you would be an employee of DePuy Synthes and your employment would be governed by DePuy Synthes employment processes, programs, policies, and benefit plans. In that case, details of any planned changes would be provided to you by DePuy Synthes at an appropriate time and subject to any necessary consultation processes.

Purpose:

The Senior R&D Project Manager is responsible for planning and executing assigned projects within the robotics 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 - Knee Robotics, 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.

You will be responsible for:

In accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws/regulations and Corporate DePuy Synthes, procedures and guidelines, this position is responsible to:

  • Own project planning and baseline management for assigned Knee Robotics 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; escalate 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 coordinate product launch readiness for international markets, ensuring project plans account for regional regulatory, quality, commercial, supply chain, labeling, training, and market-entry dependencies.
  • 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/Hardware 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 provides data-driven recommendations and inputs.
  • Leads 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.


EXTERNAL INTERACTIONS

  • This position will require significant interactions with customers of Depuy Synthes, field sales leaders and external development partners.
  • Work closely with Health Care Professionals (Surgeons), to conduct preclinical, formative, summative, and validation studies throughout the design process.
  • Interactions with Health Care Professionals (Surgeons, Clinical Staff) Field Sales, Commercial Education, and Professional Education, administering field-based complaint characterization, risk assessments and onsite remediation.
  • Collaborate with third-party development partners to transform proofs of concept into fully functional, high-level prototypes, by providing clear specifications, design inputs, and feedback throughout the design process to ensure alignment on technical and business requirements.


Qualifications:

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or related field is required.
  • Minimum of 3 years project management experience is required. Experience in a regulated Class II and/or product development environments (medical device, robotics, Knee Robotics, or software-enabled products) is highly preferred.
  • Experience with phase-gate execution and design controls documentation in a QMS environment is preferred.
  • Demonstrated evidence of planning and supporting product launches in international markets, including familiarity with regional medical device regulatory requirements and market-entry expectations such as EU MDR, TGA, and other applicable international regulatory frameworks is preferred.


KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES and AFFILIATIONS

  • Deep understanding of regulated medical device product development and phase-gate execution, including FDA 21 CFR 820.30 / ISO 13485 design controls is preferred.
  • 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.
  • 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.


LOCATION & TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

  • Primary location: Boston, MA, US.
  • Hybrid work model with minimum 3 days per week onsite.
  • Estimated travel up to 15%, domestic and international.


The Company maintains highly competitive, performance-based compensation programs. Under current guidelines, this position is eligible for an annual performance bonus in accordance with the terms of the applicable plan. The annual performance bonus is a cash bonus intended to provide an incentive to achieve annual targeted results by rewarding for individual and the corporation's performance over a calendar/performance year. Bonuses are awarded at the Company's discretion on an individual basis.

Employees and/or eligible dependents may be eligible to participate in the following Company sponsored employee benefit programs: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, business accident insurance, and group legal insurance.

Employees may be eligible to participate in the Company's consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).

Employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:

  • Vacation - up to 120 hours per calendar year.
  • Sick time - up to 40 hours per calendar year.
  • Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays - up to 13 days per calendar year.
  • Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year.


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

This job posting is anticipated to close on 8/18/26. The Company may however extend this time-period, in which case the posting will remain available on https://www.careers.jnj.com to accept additional applications.

Required Skills:
Project Management

Preferred Skills:
Design Controls, Problem Solving, Product Development

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :
$92,000.00 - $148,350.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:
Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company's consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).

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

About Johnson & Johnson

Scio Diamond creates single-crystal Type IIa diamonds for the jewelry market and for industrial applications. It employs a patent-protected chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process in a precisely controlled laboratory setting to produce diamonds. It was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.

Johnson & Johnson Careers

Joining Johnson & Johnson provides an unparalleled opportunity to be a part of a global team of professionals dedicated to blending care, science, and innovation to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity.

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At Johnson & Johnson, you will engage in work that matters. Join our community of professionals in health care to drive significant and impactful changes across the globe. Our team at Johnson & Johnson leads with science and heart in sectors from pharmaceuticals to medical devices and consumer health products.

Transform Health Care

Leverage Johnson & Johnson’s culture of innovation to transform health care and improve the lives of people around the world. Our collaborative environment encourages leadership and growth, allowing you to pioneer new strategies for health care solutions with a diverse team of experts.

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Engage in groundbreaking work that enhances how care is delivered on a global scale. Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to innovative health solutions results in dynamic career paths filled with opportunities for professional growth and development.

Be Part of a Great Team

Our team at Johnson & Johnson thrives on collaboration and diversity. You will work alongside over 130,000 employees globally who are committed to making a lasting impact. With a culture that values diversity training and leadership, you are supported in both personal and professional growth.

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Johnson & Johnson offers a myriad of job opportunities and employment benefits designed to help you meet your career and personal goals. Our employees enjoy comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and family-friendly policies that pave the way for a fulfilling career and life balance.

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Learn more about Johnson & Johnson
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