Senior Principal Scientist, Aging and Metabolism

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Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine R&D is recruiting for a Senior Principal Scientist, Aging and Metabolism. This position is a hybrid role and can be located in Spring House, PA or Cambridge, MA.

Reporting to the Head of Aging and Metabolism within the Cardiopulmonary Therapeutic Area, the Senior Principal Scientist will provide scientific and strategic leadership for in vitro and translational pharmacology across a portfolio of innovative therapeutic programs targeting sarcopenia, muscle dysfunction, age-related diseases, metabolic disorders, and associated cardiovascular complications. This individual will drive translational research strategies that connect human disease biology, pharmacology, biomarkers, and clinical outcomes to support candidate selection, portfolio decisions, and clinical development strategies.

Principal Responsibilities:

Project and Portfolio Leadership:

• Lead translational pharmacology activities across multiple Aging and Metabolism programs from target validation through candidate selection and early clinical translation.
• Drive scientific strategy and critical decision-making through integration of disease biology, pharmacology, biomarkers, human genetics, and clinical data.
• Contribute to portfolio prioritization, governance reviews, and evaluation of external innovation opportunities.
• Establish and manage collaborations with academic institutions, Contract Research Organizations (CROs), biotechnology companies, and other external partners.
• Present scientific strategies and recommendations to senior leadership and governance committees.

In Vitro and Translational Pharmacology:

• Provide leadership for target validation, mechanism-of-action studies, assay development, candidate profiling, and translational pharmacology activities.
• Develop biomarker strategies, translational packages, and pharmacology plans supporting proof-of-mechanism and proof-of-concept studies.
• Guide the application of human disease models, pharmacodynamic biomarkers, and Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) frameworks to support dose selection and patient stratification.
• Integrate receptor pharmacology, G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) biology, cell signaling, and translational science to maximize probability of technical and clinical success.
• Serve as a subject matter expert, ensuring scientific rigor, quality, reproducibility, and translational relevance across programs.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Collaborate closely with Discovery, DPDS, Biomarkers, Clinical Pharmacology, Quantitative Sciences, Translational Medicine, Regulatory, and external partners.
• Provide scientific mentorship and leadership across matrix teams.
• Foster a culture of innovation, scientific excellence, accountability, collaboration, and patient-focused decision making.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of a Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Physiology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, or a related scientific discipline is required.
• A minimum 10 years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology experience is required.
• Demonstrated experience in the following is required: in vitro pharmacology; target validation; assay development; mechanism-of-action studies; translational research.
• Strong knowledge of the following is required: receptor pharmacology; GPCR biology; cell signaling; biomarkers; PK/PD; translational medicine.
• Experience in the following is preferred: muscle biology; aging biology; metabolism; obesity; cardiovascular disease; heart failure.
• Experience supporting the following is preferred: biologics; multi-specific antibodies; peptide therapeutics; RNA-based medicines; gene-silencing technologies; targeted delivery platforms.
• Experience evaluating external innovation and business development opportunities is preferred.
• Proven ability to provide leadership within multidisciplinary drug discovery teams is required.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be strategic with a strong scientific mindset.
• The ability to operate effectively within a highly coordinated, fast-paced matrix environment is required.

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