Principal R&D Project Manager

Johnson & Johnson is a leading healthcare company focused on innovation in medical technology. They are seeking a Principal R&D Project Manager to oversee projects within the Navigation platform in Digital R&D, ensuring successful delivery of projects in a regulated medical device environment.

Responsibilities:

• Own project planning and baseline management for assigned Navigation projects, including project charter, scope baseline, WBS, and an integrated master schedule aligned to the platform program plan
• Manage project schedule execution, critical path tracking, milestone readiness, and schedule recovery actions; maintain and communicate weekly status to the platform leadership team
• Own the project budget baseline, track actuals and forecasts, and perform earned value management (EVM) tracking; provide inputs for program-level financial reviews and funding decisions
• Maintain the project RAID log (risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies) with proactive mitigation actions; escalate cross-project or platform-level risks and decisions through the Platform Program Manager
• Lead weekly project core team meetings, drive action/decision tracking, and ensure timely follow-through across cross-functional contributors
• Drive disciplined design controls and Design & Development Planning (DDP) execution, ensuring required evidence packages and reviews support regulatory and quality expectations
• Plan and drives phase-gate readiness activities and toll-gate submissions (schedule, documentation, V&V readiness, risk status, and stakeholder alignment)
• Manage project change requests (scope/schedule/cost) and ensure changes are reviewed, approved, and documented per governance and change control expectations
• Drives project resource demand and capacity planning with functional leaders; surface and resolve resource conflicts and negotiate mitigation plans or escalations as needed
• Support hybrid execution cadence (Agile sprints + hardware work packages) by coordinating sprint planning inputs, backlog readiness, and integration dependencies with the Scrum Master, Software Lead, and technical leads
• Coordinate vendor/contractor deliverables and procurement tracking (SOW/PO/PCARD) in partnership with PM Operations and Finance; ensure supplier work aligns to schedule, quality, and deliverables
• Executes assigned project(s) and provides data-driven recommendations and inputs
• Leads project closure activities including lessons learned, final reporting, and transition to sustaining/operations as applicable
• Provide transparent project dashboards and stakeholder communications (status, KPIs, risks, decisions, and next milestones), and initiate/manage project escalations through closure when required

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or related field
• 5+ years of project management experience within regulated class II and product development environments (medical device, robotics, navigation, or software-enabled products preferred)
• Experience with phase-gate execution and design controls documentation in a QMS environment. Deep understanding of regulated medical device product development and phase-gate execution, including FDA 21 CFR 820.30 / ISO 13485 design controls
• Experience managing complex, cross-functional programs across software, systems, and hardware, including integrated planning across requirements, architecture, V&V, clinical, quality, and regulatory deliverables
• Demonstrated technical problem-solving leadership
• Excellent knowledge of Agile, Lean, SAFe, or hybrid execution models
• Strong project controls and financial acumen including budget baselining, forecasting, earned value management (EVM) concepts, and data-driven performance reporting
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage integrated schedules (IMS/WBS), critical path, and dependency mapping across cross-functional teams
• Proficiency with project management tooling (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Planisware/Cadence PPM, Jira/Azure DevOps) and documentation practices
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills; ability to produce clear dashboards, executive updates, and decision briefs
• Experience operating in Agile/SAFe or hybrid delivery models; ability to drive project resource and schedule planning
• Strong in RAID management and structured escalation; ability to drive mitigation actions and decisions to closure
• Strong in project controls including budget baselining, forecasting, and earned value management (EVM) concepts
• Experience with Class II or Class III medical devices, robotics, navigation, or software-enabled products