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.

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Job Function:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Pharmaceutical Product R&D

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Beerse, Antwerp, Belgium

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 https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine

The Global Analytical Development (AD) organization, part of the Discovery, Product Development and Supply (DPDS) division of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (JJIM), is dedicated to developing advanced analytical development solutions to advance our Synthetic Modalities portfolio (small molecules, oligonucleotides, peptides, conjugates, etc.). Our development hubs span the US, Asia, and Europe, and comprise a network of vibrant teams including over 270 dedicated analytical professionals.

We are searching for a Senior Principal Scientist/Principal Scientist - Scientific Integration, based at our R&D facility in Beerse (greater area of Antwerp), Belgium.

Role Purpose

As the Scientific Integrator, represent Analytical Development as the single point of contact on CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls) new product development teams, acting as a leading scientific expert and individual contributor who independently owns and drives portfolio projects that directly impact R&D business results. Provide scientific and strategic leadership for the analytical project strategy by translating product and CMC needs into executable deliverables, ensuring scientific rigor, regulatory readiness, quality, timelines and budgets across the product lifecycle, from preclinical development through marketed brand support.

In this role, you will drive significant impact through

• Developing and maintaining integrated, fit-for-purpose analytical development and control strategies across the full product lifecycle, from feasibility through commercialization.
• Defining phase-appropriate analytical approaches for evolving product, platform and CMC needs, including method, characterization, specification, stability, technical transfer, regulatory strategy and budget planning for complex and emerging modalities.
• Providing strategic and scientific leadership across AD, CMC teams, sites and external partners, ensuring executable analytical deliverables, scientific rigor, regulatory readiness and risk-based decision-making.
• Leading and integrating multidisciplinary Analytical Development activities across method development/validation, clinical release and stability, characterization, dissolution sciences, pharmaceutical and material sciences within a matrix organization.
• Overseeing project execution and accelerating decisions, balancing cost, time and quality while resolving complex analytical challenges through stakeholder alignment, proactive collaboration, issue escalation and crisis coordination.
• Protecting patient and product quality while influencing broader portfolio and departmental strategy, applying current guidelines, SOPs, cGMP and regulatory requirements, and contributing to due diligence, cross-functional initiatives and continuous improvement.

You will be responsible for

• Owning and managing the Analytical Development project strategy, translating project and CMC needs into functional tasks, deliverables, resources, timelines, budgets and governance activities.
• Representing Analytical Development as a core CMC team member, acting as the primary AD contact and scientific leader for API, drug product, supply chain, Quality Assurance, CMC Regulatory Affairs, external consultants and development partners.
• Leading and connecting analytical development product teams across functions, ensuring effective collaboration with development, quality, regulatory and supply-chain partners.
• Maintaining deep product and analytical understanding, ensuring analytical deliverables are scientifically robust and aligned with functional strategic technical platforms, including dossier content, Health Authority responses, inspections and customer audits.
• Leveraging digital, AI-enabled and modelling approaches, where appropriate, to strengthen analytical strategy, enhance scientific understanding, support risk-based decision-making and improve development efficiency.
• Leading drug substance and drug product specification setting, justification and lifecycle management, including retest period and shelf-life assignments.
• Identifying, escalating and resolving analytical risks and issues, generating practical, scientifically sound options to accelerate programs and coordinating analytical strategy during crisis-management situations.
• Applying current guidelines, SOPs, cGMP and risk-based principles to ensure quality, compliance, effective change-control management and protection of patient and product quality.
• Driving broader organizational impact through due diligence support, process improvement, stakeholder engagement, cross-departmental opportunities, mentoring, coaching and scientific consultation.

Qualifications and experience

• A minimum of a master's degree in chemistry, pharmacy or an equivalent scientific discipline, with excellent knowledge of analytics, method development, stability and specifications. An advanced scientific degree, such as a PhD, is preferred.
• A minimum of 8 years pharmaceutical industry experience with strong demonstrated scientific acumen.
• Demonstrated experience supporting one or more synthetic modality platforms (small molecules, oligonucleotides, peptides, conjugates or related technologies).
• Strong analytical scientific and project-management capability, with an inquisitive mindset and the ability to independently address complex issues and manage multiple priorities and commitments.
• Comprehensive knowledge of global regulatory requirements and guidelines applicable to synthetic pharmaceuticals, including application of cGMP requirements and relevant FDA, ICH and international guidance.
• Experience leading cross-functional project teams and influencing team members, partners and senior management in a highly matrixed organization.
• Strong leadership, communication, collaboration, negotiation, coaching, problem-solving and networking capabilities, with the ability to think strategically and influence across a matrixed organization.
• Demonstrated customer focus, results orientation, sound judgement, and the ability to balance workload and priorities.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential; Dutch is an advantage.

What success looks like

• Clear, integrated analytical strategies that enable timely and high-quality CMC and commercial decisions.
• Robust analytical control strategies, specifications and dossier content supported by appropriate scientific understanding.
• Early identification and effective resolution of analytical risks, issues and change-control impacts.
• Committed cross-functional teams with clear ownership, deliverables, timelines and budget visibility.
• CMC and development partners view Analytical Development as a trusted, proactive and solution-oriented partner.
• Broader organizational impact is delivered through scientific leadership, mentoring, due diligence support and improved ways of working.

Our offer

• An exciting position in an international and dynamic environment with continuous learning and growth opportunities.
• Working on a site that brings together multiple aspects of the drug-discovery and development process, located close to the vibrant city of Antwerp.
• A competitive reward package and access to site health, wellbeing and other employee programs.
• An inclusive team environment where different perspectives are respected and valued, and work-life balance is recognized.
• Position based in Beerse, Belgium, with up to 15% domestic and international travel required?

 

 

Required Skills:

 

 

Preferred Skills:

Budget Management, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Clinical Trial Protocols, Drug Discovery Development, Industry Analysis, Interdisciplinary Work, Market Research, Pharmacokinetic Modeling, Process Improvements, Product Development, Product Licensing, Product Strategies, Risk Management, Scientific Research, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Tactical Planning, Technical Credibility

  

 

The anticipated base pay range for this position is:

€96,000.00 - €165,025.00

 

 

Benefits:

In addition to base pay, we offer the following benefits*: an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and companies’ performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. Moreover, we 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 location’s eligible dependents - can participate in several insurance plans. For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well-being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.

 

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