Experienced Automation and Robotics Engineer

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 .

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.

Job Function:

R&D Product Development

Job Sub Function:

Robotics

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description:

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 an Experienced Automation and Robotics Engineer to be located in Spring House, PA.

Purpose: The Experienced Automation and Robotics Engineer provides hands-on engineering depth for integrated workcells. The role connects instruments, robots, sensors, transfer mechanisms, guarding, utilities, and basic control interfaces so scientific workflows can run reliably in automated form.

The Engineer will design, configure, test, troubleshoot, and improve the physical automation and robotics components of integrated discovery workcells. This role complements laboratory automation scientists by owning physical feasibility, robot motion, equipment integrations, controls handshakes, safety behavior, serviceability, layout constraints, and technical vendor follow-up for assigned systems.

At this level the engineer begins to own defined physical integration packages, rather than simply supporting assigned tasks. The role contributes to interface definitions, FAT/SAT execution, safety and serviceability reviews, and remediation of physical, mechanical, and controls-related failure modes.

You will be responsible for:

Physical System Design and Integration

Contributing to the design and deployment of robotic workcells, transfer stations, labware nests, custom fixtures, grippers, guards, sensors, actuators, label/barcode presentation points, and automated peripherals.

Supporting robot reach studies, equipment layouts, service envelope reviews, deck access assessments, operator intervention points, and physical interface testing between instruments and workcells.

Supporting integration between orchestration software, device drivers, robot controllers, PLCs or safety controllers, sensors, instrument PCs, and IT/OT infrastructure.

Authoring or contributing to URS, FDS, SDS review comments, interface control notes, FMEA inputs, FAT/SAT protocols, safety test scripts, commissioning records, and punch-list documentation.

Troubleshooting, Reliability, and Recovery

Troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, robotic, control, sensor, barcode, utility, and device communication issues in collaboration with laboratory automation scientists, vendors, IT/OT, and operations.

Supporting root cause analysis for equipment faults, transfer failures, safety trips, barcode or sensor issues, lost labware position, service access problems, and physical workflow interruptions.

Recommending and implementing improvements that increase reliability, maintainability, serviceability, physical workflow robustness, and recovery from machine-side exceptions.

Supporting development of practical recovery instructions for physical jams, robot faults, device alarms, and safe re-start after operator or maintenance intervention.

Simulation, Safety, and Vendor Support

Contributing to layout, throughput, traffic, robot path, and service access simulation to identify bottlenecks, facility constraints, and unsafe or impractical physical designs before installation.

Supporting vendor FAT/SAT activities for physical, control, safety, and recovery behavior, not only nominal workflow execution.

Working with Tier 1 and Tier 2 vendors to clarify assumptions, interfaces, installation readiness, utility needs, access constraints, and remediation actions.

Collaborating with EHS, facilities, laboratory operations, and lab automation scientists to ensure safety, biosafety, waste handling, serviceability, and contamination-control expectations are reflected in system design.

Additional Responsibilities

Support technology evaluations, proof-of-concept studies, design reviews, and vendor demonstrations for future automation and robotics capabilities.

Contribute to engineering standards, interface templates, safety review practices, maintenance guidelines, and technical playbooks.

Support audit, inspection, or quality documentation requests where automated systems intersect with regulated or quality driven workflows.

Participate in lessons learned and continuous improvement activities to improve future automation delivery.

Qualifications/Requirements

Education:

A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Automation, Robotics, Mechatronic, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field is required. An advanced degree is preferred.

Experience and Skills:

Required:

Bachelor’s degree with 3+ years, Master’s degree with 2+ years, or a PhD with 1+ years of relevant automation, robotics, controls, or equipment integration experience.

Demonstrated understanding of robotics, automation, electromechanical systems, controls hardware, sensors, actuators, and instrumentation appropriate to the level of the role.

Ability to work with laboratory automation scientists to translate scientific workflow constraints into safe, maintainable, and physically executable machinery, interfaces, and workcell layouts.

Working knowledge of technical documentation, drawings, equipment lists, interface notes, FAT/SAT/UAT records, FMEA inputs, punch lists, and change summaries.

Strong troubleshooting discipline across mechanical, electrical, robotic, control, safety, communication, and instrument interface issues.

Awareness of EHS, biosafety, contamination control, service access, guard/interlock concepts, and operational readiness expectations in a research laboratory or regulated environment.

Ability to contribute independently to physical interface design, integration testing, troubleshooting, documentation, and vendor follow-up.

Preferred:

Experience with PLCs, robot controllers, AMRs, cobots, machine vision, industrial networks, OPC UA, Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, safety PLCs, or device drivers.

Experience with simulation, CAD, digital twin, throughput modeling, robot path modeling, or layout planning tools.

Experience supporting outsourced technical projects and vendor deliverables such as URS, FDS, SDS, FAT, SAT, FMEA, risk assessments, and punch-list closure.

Other:

Travel may be required for vendor assessments, FAT/SAT activities, site visits, system builds, workshops, training, technology scouting, or cross-site deployment support.

Why Join Us

This role supports the transition from isolated automation projects to integrated, reliable, AI-native, and ultimately self-driving discovery laboratory systems. The work helps connect scientific intent with robust physical execution, reproducible data, model feedback, and scalable oper