VP, Head of Cell & Genetic Medicines, 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 jnj.com

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Job Function:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Biological Research

Job Category:

People Leader

All Job Posting Locations:

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description:

Johnson & Johnson -- 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

We are searching for the best talent for VP, Head of Cell & Genetic Medicines, Discovery.

Position Summary:

The VP, Head of Cell & Genetic Medicines, Discovery will define and build the next generation of cell and genetic medicines capabilities, with a focus on advancing in vivo approaches and overcoming delivery and targeting challenges that limit today’s therapies. In this highly competitive field, this leader will build and sustain Innovative Medicine’s state-of-the-art discovery platform, delivering differentiated clinical candidates each year. This role will report into the Global Head of Therapeutics Discovery within Innovative Medicine Research and Development and serve on the Therapeutics Discovery leadership team, helping to formulate and execute the strategic direction and priorities for discovery within Innovative Medicine.

The Global Head will be responsible for building and maintaining a differentiated set of capabilities across engineered cell therapies and RNA-based medicines, driving technical and intellectual leadership across programs. This leader will partner across Therapeutic Areas (Immunology, Oncology, and Neuroscience) and Discovery Product Development and Supply (DPDS) to ensure end-to-end sustainability and viability of current and future programs, including the development and deployment of RNA-based therapeutic approaches (e.g., siRNA and emerging programmable RNA modalities).

Key Responsibilities:

• Set the vision, strategy, and scientific agenda for Cell & Genetic Medicines Discovery, leading a world-class organization delivering differentiated therapeutic candidates and platform innovations.
• Lead the discovery portfolio from target identification and validation through preclinical proof-of-concept and candidate nomination, with clear achievements, decision criteria, and success metrics.
• Build and scale next-generation discovery platforms spanning engineered cell therapies (autologous and emerging in vivo approaches), nucleic acid therapeutics (RNA modulation and targeted delivery systems), delivery platforms enabling tissue- and cell-specific targeting and controlled or repeat dosing strategies.
• Drive innovation across modalities where delivery, durability, and manufacturability are the primary constraints, including in vivo cell therapy approaches and programmable RNA-based medicines.
• Embed translational science and human biology into discovery decision-making, ensuring programs are supported by relevant disease models, biomarkers, pharmacodynamic strategies, and evidence that increases probability of clinical success.
• Establish differentiated capabilities in delivery science, recognizing delivery as a central determinant of clinical su