Senior Scientist Early Discovery Nonclinical Safety Lead

• Job title Senior Scientist Early Discovery Nonclinical Safety Lead
• Function Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development
• Sub function Nonclinical Safety
• Category Senior Scientist, Nonclinical Safety (ST6)
• Location San Diego / United States of America
• Date posted Aug 19 2025
• Requisition number R-028546
• Work pattern Hybrid Work

This job posting is anticipated to close on Aug 27 2025. We may however extend this time period, in which case the posting will remain available on www.careers.jnj.com to accept additional applications.

Description

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

Job Function:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Nonclinical Safety

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

San Diego, California, United States of America

Job Description:

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

At Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, a division of Johnson & Johnson's Family of Companies is recruiting for a Senior Scientist Early Discovery Nonclinical Safety Lead within Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety (PSTS). Do you enjoy working on complex biological problems? Are you ready to combine your drive, scientific curiosity, enthusiasm, and target validation expertise to make a lasting impact on the world? As a Senior Scientist, Nonclinical Safety Lead (NCSL) in early discovery, you will collaborate with innovative and diverse scientists to support projects in our large and varied portfolio that spans multiple therapeutic areas and includes innovative modalities. In this vital role you will provide early toxicology leadership for all aspects of discovery projects. In time you will have the flexibility to specialize or work across further stages of development, therapy areas, and modalities. As an early NCSL will collaborate with discovery scientists to identify and nominate targets, candidate molecules, and prepare for the transition to development teams who will bring these molecules to humans and ultimately through global registration. Opportunities (hybrid at least 3 days on-site) are available at our La Jolla, CA site.

You will:

• Assist in the application and design of Ai/ML based platform technologies to assess biology and molecule-based risk working with colleagues in Therapeutic discovery, Data Science and IT.

• Analyze results of in silico, in vitro and in vivo toxicology as well as of safety pharmacology studies and literature data, apply strategic perspective to results, and compile nonclinical safety assessments.

• Represent NCS on global discovery project teams, serving as the single point of contact within NCSS to the project team for safety, toxicology expertise and guidance, and as the interface between the project team and senior management.

• Lead the early team of nonclinical safety and PK scientists (PSTS team) working on a project. Ensure the smooth transfer of necessary information to functional areas within PSTS in conjunction with the PSTS team.

• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary project teams to validate, prioritize and de-risk drug targets and early candidate molecules. Provide nonclinical findings, target expression and target risk input to the clinical protocols, informed consent forms, and monitoring protocols.

• Perform target risk assessments and develop fit-for-purpose plans to screen for and manage potential liabilities of novel targets and therapeutics.

• Assist in development of nonclinical safety strategies for different modalities and/or routes of administration based on an integration of literature, regulatory guidance, and involvement with professional organizations to inform project advancement decisions.

• In issue-resolution teams, provide key contribution to hypotheses generation.

• Develop drug development experience to effectively communicate across all levels with internal and external partners, including with global regulatory authorities. This requires excellent communication and negotiation skills.

• Participate in due diligence activities on potential L&A opportunities.

Qualifications

• A Doctoral level degree (PhD, DVM, MD or equivalent) with concentration in, pharmacology or related field and at least 1 years of pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience in discovery or pre-clinical safety assessment supporting discovery level projects and demonstrating progressively increasing responsibilities, or a Masters level degree and at least 6 years of pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience.

• Experience in target discovery, validation and early safety risk assessment.

• Experience with different therapeutic modalities such as small molecules, peptides, bi-specific antibodies, RNA-targeting therapeutics, cell-based therapy, and/or gene therapy is preferred.

• Experience representing toxicology/nonclinical safety on project teams is preferred.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills is required.

• Broad understanding of the drug discovery / development process is required.

• The ability to critically evaluate, interpret and integrate large datasets and literature is required.

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, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson and Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants' needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, please email the Employee Health Support Center (...) or contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$105,000-$169,050

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees and/or eligible dependents are eligible to participate in the following Company sponsored employee benefit programs: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, business accident insurance, and group legal insurance. Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company's consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)). This position is eligible to participate in the Company's long-term incentive program. Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, Employees are eligible for the following time off benefits: Vacation -120 hours per calendar year Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington -56 hours per calendar year Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays -13 days per calendar year Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year Parental Leave - 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child Condolence Leave - 30 days for an immediate family member: 5 days for an extended family member Caregiver Leave - 10 days Volunteer Leave - 4 days Military Spouse Time-Off - 80 hours Additional information can be found through the link below.