Sr. Principal Scientist, Oncology Translational Research, Prostate Full-time

Principal or Senior Principal Scientist in Translational Research and Biomarker Strategy

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.

We are seeking a highly motivated Principal or Senior Principal Scientist in Translational Research and Biomarker Strategy to lead biomarker and translational science efforts across clinical development programs in prostate cancer.

This role will drive the design, implementation, and interpretation of biomarker strategies supporting early and late-stage clinical trials, including both registrational and exploratory studies. The successful candidate will work within a highly matrixed development environment to integrate translational science with clinical development, ensuring that biomarker data informs patient selection, pharmacodynamic assessment, and mechanisms of response and resistance.

The candidate will partner closely with clinical development, biostatistics, diagnostics, regulatory, discovery research, and external academic collaborators to translate biological insights into actionable clinical strategies.

This role will open the opportunity for the fitting candidate to gain experience in the novel first in class, pan-tumor potential, heterobifunctional small molecules called RIPTACs that induce tumor cell apoptosis distinct from PROTACs.

This position requires deep scientific expertise, strong organizational and project leadership skills, and the ability to communicate complex scientific findings effectively to diverse audiences and influence across a team matrix. Details of the role include but are not limited to:

• Lead development and execution of integrated translational research internal and external scientific endeavors and biomarker strategies for prostate cancer drug development programs.
• Design biomarker plans aligned with therapeutic mechanism of action and clinical development objectives pharmacodynamic (PD), target engagement (TE), response and resistance
• Guide selection and prioritization of biomarkers across multiple platforms including:
• Genomics and transcriptomics
• Circulating biomarkers (ctDNA, plasma proteins)
• Tissue-based molecular and spatial biomarkers
• Immunologic and tumor microenvironment profiling
• Digital pathology and computational biomarker approaches
• Ensure biomarker strategies address key clinical questions including:
• Patient stratification and enrichment
• Pharmacodynamic biomarkers
• Target engagement
• Mechanisms of response and resistance
• Design and project manage in vitro experiments to reveal novel combination strategies, response and resistance patterns with other pipeline assets.

• Partner with clinical development teams to integrate biomarker hypotheses into clinical trial protocols, biomarker analysis plans, and statistical analysis frameworks.
• Design biomarker sample collection and analysis strategies for Phase I–III clinical trials.
• Ensure biomarker analyses support key decision points in development programs.
• Collaborate with clinical operations and laboratory partners to ensure effective biomarker implementation.

• Represent Translational Research in cross-functional governance discussions and program team meetings.
• Coordinate biomarker activities across internal laboratories, CRO partners, and external collaborators.
• Ensure biomarker assays are fit-for-purpose and analytically robust for clinical trial use.
• Support documentation of biomarker strategies relevant to regulatory interactions and submissions.

• Evaluate and prioritize external translational research proposals and collaborations aligned with program strategy.
• Partner with academic investigators and technology providers to advance biomarker discovery and validation.
• Identify emerging technologies and scientific approaches relevant to prostate cancer translational biology.

• Translate complex data into actionable insights that inform clinical development strategy.
• Lead multidisciplinary interpretation of translational datasets integrating:
• Clinical outcomes
• Genomic and molecular data
• Pathology and tissue-based biomarkers
• Circulating biomarker data

• Prepare and present translational and biomarker findings to internal governance committees and cross-functional teams.
• Represent the company at major scientific conferences (e.g., ASCO, AACR, ESMO) with key opinion leaders and cross-functional team members.
• Contribute to peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations and adhere to processes for best practices and oversight

Qualifications

• PhD in biomedical sciences (e.g., immunology, computational biology, cancer biology, molecular biology, pathology, or related discipline)
• Postdoctoral training in a relevant biomedical field
• Minimum 3 years after postdoc of biopharmaceutical drug development experience
• Experience designing and implementing biomarker strategies in clinical trials
• Strong background in translational oncology and biomarker science
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in matrixed cross-functional teams
• Excellent scientific communication, writing, and presentation skills
• Strong organizational and project management capabilities

Preferred Qualifications

• Applied knowledge in data science: computational biology, statistics, report generation, basic and advanced visualization of data using R and/or python tools and related skills
• Experience in prostate cancer biology and therapeutic development
• Experience with PROTACs, RIPTACs and other novel cell modulating therapies
• Expertise in immunology, tumor microenvironment biology, or precision oncology
• Experience working with circulating biomarkers such as ctDNA or CTCs
• Familiarity with tissue-based biomarkers, spatial biology, or digital pathology
• Experience supporting registrational clinical trials

The anticipated base pay range for this position is: $137,000 – $235,750