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 https://www.jnj.com

Job Function

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function

Chemical Research

Job Category

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Beerse, Antwerp, Belgium

Job Description

ohnson & Johnson is the world's most comprehensive and broadly-based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical, and medical devices markets. Growing on a diverse company culture, celebrating the uniqueness of our employees, committed to inclusion and proud to be an equal opportunity employer, our over 125,000 employees in 60 countries are united in a common mission: To help people everywhere live longer, healthier, happier lives.

At Janssen, the Pharmaceutica Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we focus on treating, curing and preventing some of the most devastating and complex diseases of our time. We discover and develop innovative medical solutions to address unmet medical needs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and vaccines, and metabolic diseases.

Synthetics Development, the CMC organisation (chemistry, manufacturing and control) within Johnson&Johnson Innovative Medicine, employs hundreds of researchers and specialized technicians. The Chemical Process Research & Development (CPRD) is responsible for designing processes to supply large quantities of new chemical entities for R&D and commercial purposes. CPRD develops practical, efficient, safe, and green chemical processes for drug candidates at all stages of development.

The Chemical Technology & Engineering group (T&E), a unit within CPRD, is growing and looking for a Principal Scientist chemical process engineer.

Job Description

Responsibilities and duties

You will contribute to the development, scale up, and optimization of our API manufacturing processes.

In this role, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams including organic chemists, experts in high-throughput experimentation (HTE) and bio-catalysis, analysts, process safety engineers, pilot plant engineers. Your active participation in process design, optimization, and scale-up efforts will ensure the safe and efficient synthesis of products using high-throughput experimentation, scale-down equipment, process analytical technology (PAT) tools, and both first-principle and statistical models.

Your primary responsibility will be to cultivate a comprehensive understanding of our manufacturing processes, guaranteeing the production of the highest quality products within our API facilities. This encompasses new product introductions, late-stage development and technology transfer.

As part of this role, fostering innovation and enhancing departmental knowledge will be essential. This includes technology scouting (such as membrane and flow chemistry), supporting the digitalization and data analysis of our R&D organizations, and applying ground breaking tools like Bayesian optimization algorithms associated with automation. These objectives will be pursued through internal investments, the development of new technologies, and collaborations with external networks—such as academic institutions and contract research organizations—while ensuring alignment with our strategic goals.

Qualifications

• Education: A PhD Degree or equivalent experience in Chemical Engineering or a related field, complemented by a minimum of 4 years of industrial experience in API development or manufacturing.
• Technical Expertise:
• Extensive knowledge of chemical unit operations such as reaction, distillation, crystallization, solid separation, and drying.
• Proficiency in downscale principles and reaction engineering, including kinetics, mixing, and heat transfer.
• Innovation and Technology:
• Experience with PAT tools, simulation, and modeling software, alongside an enthusiasm for emerging chemical technologies.
• Data-Driven Attitude:
• A solid interest in handling large data sets, using artificial intelligence, programming languages, and machine learning techniques.
• Automation Experience:
• Familiarity with automation technologies is a plus, including cobots, flow systems, and high-throughput experiment (HTE) platforms.
• Passion for Scientific Advancements:
• A strong interest in scientific advancements related to API manufacturing and new modalities that can contribute to industry progress.
• Team Collaboration:
• Demonstrated experience in collaborating within multi-functional teams, encouraging an inclusive environment. Excellent social and communication skills are important, with proficiency in English.
  
  

Our offer

Contributing to our mission to continue to bring transformational new medicines to patients.

Being part of a motivated and experienced research team in an innovative working environment through mentoring programs, e-university and on the job training, we ensure your personal development in a global company.

A competitive salary, on-site sport accommodations, health/energy programs and other benefits for you and your family are also available.

Flexible working hours (40 h/week), no fixed holiday planning with 39 holidays and possibility to work at home for non-laboratory related tasks.