Principal Scientist, Cell Therapy Vector Engineering

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 Med Tech, 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

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.

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Biotherapeutics R&D

Scientific/Technology

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

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

Purpose The Principal Scientist, Vector Engineering position in the Cell Therapy Platform & Discovery group of Therapeutics Discovery offers an exciting opportunity to help develop novel Cell & Gene Therapies for unmet medical needs. We are investigating the use of engineered viral vectors for ex vivo and in vivo gene delivery to T cells to treat cancer. We are seeking a highly motivated scientist to own the design and screening of complex payloads to enable next‑generation CAR‑T cell products.

Do you have industry experience building molecular engineering workflows and the ability to thrive in a cross‑functional team? Come join us in our mission to build the next generation of Cell & Gene Therapies for Oncology.

• Lead the design and experimental selection of genetic payloads with complex architectures (e.g. multiple expression cassettes and regulatory elements)
• Build rigorous experimental workflows to establish design rules and methods for delivering complex payloads to primary T cells
• Mentor junior colleagues to grow their experimental and analytical skills while establishing best practices within the team
• Maintain detailed records and clearly communicate designs and results to enable efficient data‑driven decisions in partnership with stakeholders
• Contribute to a collaborative, creative, and rigorous culture of scientific discovery

• PhD in Biological Engineering, Synthetic Biology, Immunology, Chemical Engineering, Virology, Biology, or related field with at least 2 years of post‑PhD industry experience; or BS/MS in the above fields with 6‑8 years of related experience is required
• Industry experience with evidence of scientific project leadership is strongly preferred
• Experience designing and evaluating multicomponent genetic elements in primary cells is strongly preferred
• Required skills:
  
  flow cytometry, familiarity with molecular design software (Geneious, Snapgene, Benchling)
• Desired skills include: primary T cell culture, molecular biology assays (such as qPCR or ddPCR, Western blot, ELISA), high‑throughput screening, familiarity with DNA/RNA sequencing
• Experience with lentiviral vector payload design is preferred
• Strong critical, scientific, and strategic thinking skills are required
• Strong communication and organizational skills, with the ability to independently manage multiple projects in parallel, are required
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in cross‑functional teams is required
• This role may require up to 10% travel.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin,…