Associate Director, Laboratory Automation Systems

Purpose: The Associate Director, Laboratory Automation Systems will lead the laboratory automation platform organization that turns scientific workflow needs into deployed, adopted, and sustained automated capabilities. The role is accountable for team leadership, portfolio governance, standards, user adoption, system lifecycle, benefit realization, and the practical operating model required for multi-workcell automation.

This role bridges laboratory automation scientists, automation and robotics engineers, IT/data teams, AI teams, scientific users, facilities, EHS, quality, procurement, and external partners. It does not replace engineering ownership of physical systems; it ensures the scientific automation platform is fit for purpose, adopted by users, supported over time, and continuously improved.

You will be responsible for:

Portfolio and Operating Model

• Leading laboratory automation scientists and matrix contributors delivering integrated automation systems across discovery and analytical workflows.
• Owning portfolio prioritization, resource planning, demand intake, business case input, risk management, governance, stage gates, backlog management, change control, key performance indicators (KPIs), and lifecycle ownership.
• Establishing practical operating models for workflow intake, scientific readiness assessment, user acceptance, hyper-care, support critical issues, method updates, release management, documentation, training, and routine performance review.
• Defining and managing platform KPIs such as uptime, throughput, first-pass success, run completion, data completeness, sample traceability, user adoption, hands-on time reduction, and scientific impact.

Systems Delivery and Sustainment

• Overseeing design, implementation, qualification, optimization, hyper-care, and lifecycle support of automated workcells and orchestrated systems.
• Ensuring scientific workflows, automation designs, sample flows, consumable logistics, data flows, biosafety, user training, facilities needs, EHS constraints, support models, and sustainment plans are considered as one integrated system.
• Coordinating with engineering leadership to ensure physical workcell readiness, safety design, utilities, serviceability, maintainability, and machine-side reliability support scientific workflow needs.
• Driving standardization of requirements, UAT, method documentation, workflow handover, training, run readiness, exception management, and continuous improvement practices.

Partner and Vendor Governance

• Partnering with Discovery, Analytical Development, IT, Data Science, AI, Engineering, Facilities, Procurement, Quality, EHS, Operations, Legal, Finance, and external partners.
• Selecting, challenging, and managing automation vendors, Tier 1 integrators, Tier 2 equipment suppliers, software providers, consumable suppliers, and external engineering partners from the scientific workflow and lifecycle support perspective.
• Representing laboratory automation systems in governance forums, budget discussions, vendor reviews, facilities planning, BT/ISD architecture discussions, and strategic roadmap reviews.
• Developing talent, playbooks, knowledge management practices, communities of practice, and career pathways for laboratory automation scientists and adjacent automation roles.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Support technology evaluations, proof-of-concept studies, workflow readiness assessments, user demonstrations, and vendor evaluations for future automation capabilities.
• Contribute to laboratory automation standards, workflow templates, data handoff expectations, training materials, and playbooks.
• Support audit, inspection, or quality documentation requests where automated scientific workflows intersect with regulated or quality driven environments.
• Participate in lessons learned and continuous improvement activities to improve future automation delivery and adoption., * Travel may be required for vendor assessments, FAT/SAT activities, site visits, system builds, workshops, training, technology scouting, or cross-site deployment support.

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Life Science, Analytical Science, Laboratory Automation, Engineering, Computer Science or a related field is required. An advanced degree is preferred., * 10+ years of relevant laboratory automation, scientific automation, analytical automation, discovery automation, or workcell integration experience, including team or matrix leadership.
• Proven record leading integrated laboratory automation systems, high-throughput scientific workflows, or digital laboratory platforms.
• Experience leading scientists, automation specialists, engineers, vendors, or teams through complex programs.
• Strong understanding of scientific workflows, laboratory automation, sample management, data flow, user adoption, and lifecycle support.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, technical scope, requirements, testing, implementation, training, hyper-care, change control, and performance improvement.
• Strong executive communication, prioritization, partner management, change management, and operating model development skills.

Preferred:

• Experience building or leading a laboratory automation team or platform organization.
• Experience with multi-workcell orchestration, automated storage, sample logistics, AI-ready laboratory data strategy, support models for 24/7 operation, SDLs, digital twins, or closed-loop learning.
• Experience developing automation playbooks, governance models, stage gates, RACI matrices, standards, KPIs, and continuous improvement systems.

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 (https://www.jnj.com.) .

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.