Scientific Director, Discovery Pharmaceutics

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson · Pharma · Spring House, PA +1

This role is for a Scientific Director in Discovery Pharmaceutics at Johnson & Johnson. The primary focus is on leading a scientific team to support drug discovery programs, with an emphasis on synthetic modalities. Responsibilities include physical characterization, biopharmaceutical evaluation, preclinical formulation support, and influencing molecule design. The role also involves enhancing digital tools, data analytics, and computational approaches to support developability assessments and decision-making in discovery programs. While computational approaches are mentioned, the core of the role is in pharmaceutical sciences and drug development, not AI/ML model building.

What you'd actually do

  1. Leading and developing a multidisciplinary scientific team, building technical depth, mentoring talent, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
  2. Developing innovative screening tools and formulation approaches, with the capability of meeting rapid cycle times and miniaturization, to influence and enable early discovery. Collaborating with academia and industry experts.
  3. Enhancing digital tools, data analytics and computational approaches to support developability assessments and improve the quality and speed of decision making in discovery programs.
  4. Enabling and overcoming exposure challenges for critical tool compounds or non-optimized leads with enabling formulations in support of PK, PK/PD, translational pharmacology and tolerability studies.
  5. Influencing compound design early to ensure lead candidates have the desired properties for specific drug delivery platforms and technologies to ensure patient convenience and compliance.

Skills

Required

  • PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related field with 12+ years of relevant experience OR a Master's degree with 18+ years of relevant experience
  • Demonstrated people leadership and talent development, including technical and non-technical coaching and mentoring
  • Ability to drive and get results through leading others
  • Strong understanding of Discovery and Pharmaceutical Development including ADME, Preclinical Safety evaluation and Drug Development
  • Proven experience in developability assessments for synthetic modalities in the area of molecular design, interpretation of pharmaceutical properties in relation to exposure and toxicology data, setting formulation strategies
  • Track record of scientific contributions
  • Excellent communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills
  • Strong collaboration and networking capabilities
  • Willingness to take informed risks or leave appropriate knowledge gaps, as needed to maintain speed and program progression

What the JD emphasized

  • demonstrated people leadership and talent development
  • Ability to drive and get results through leading others
  • Strong understanding of Discovery and Pharmaceutical Development
  • Proven experience in developability assessments
  • Track record of scientific contributions
  • Excellent communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills
  • Strong collaboration and networking capabilities