Associate Director, Research & Development Data Governance

Who are we?

At Johnson & Johnson MedTech, 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 https://www.jnj.com

The MedTech Regulatory Affairs and R&D Data Office (RADO), is responsible for establishing the data governance process and applying consistent data governance standards across Regulatory Affairs and R&D, as part of a unified MedTech data strategy under the MedTech Data Office (MTDO). The aim is to ensure consistent data governance and standards across functions and enable trusted, well governed data to sustain our competitive edge.

Purpose of the role

• As Associate Director, Research & Development Data Governance, you will be responsible for leading the strategy, development, and execution of R&D data governance initiatives across MedTech. This role ensures the integrity, consistency, and usability of data within R&D systems. The position collaborates with cross functional stakeholders, including Business Unit and Regional R&D teams, PLM teams, Data Analytics, and Quality teams, to establish standardized data definitions, processes, and controls that support regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and data driven decision making across the enterprise

What to expect:

R&D Data Governance Strategy & Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end development, implementation, and maintenance of the R&D Data Dictionary, including data elements ownership, critical data attributes definition, and alignment across global stakeholders.

• Drive alignment among Data Stewards and functional partners to standardize R&D data constructs and reduce interpretational variability.

• Chair and manage Data Governance forums, workshops, and cross functional working sessions to support decision‑functional working sessions to support decision making‑making and process alignment.

Data Quality Management

• Oversee the remediation, alignment, and rationalization of R&D Data, including mandatory and optional data elements.

• Lead data cleansing initiatives.

• Develop and deploy dashboards (e.g., Power BI) to monitor remediation volume, data accuracy, and quality improvements.

Data Contracts & Cross Functional‑Functional Data Usage Governance

• Provide expert guidance on the creation, review, and standardization of data contracts for MedTech teams.

• Support triage and evaluation of data usage requests to ensure appropriate R&D data governance and compliance.

• Develop standard templates and frameworks to enable consistent cross functional‑functional usage of MT R&D data.

Continuous Improvement, Training & Change Management

• Deliver training programs on R&D data foundations (data quality, data governance, data management, etc.) for internal stakeholders and career development cohorts.

• Facilitate feedback sessions with Data Stewards to strengthen collaboration, refine processes, and improve data governance practices.

• Promote a culture of high data quality, transparency, and operational excellence within the regulatory environment.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Mentor regulatory professionals through formal programs such as J&J Learn.

• Demonstrate and model J&J Leadership Imperatives (Live Our Credo, Connect, Shape, Grow) through daily actions, cross functional‑functional influence, and capability building.

• Lead by example to foster a collaborative, inclusive, and learning oriented‑oriented R&D community.

Who are we looking for?

• Degree or Master’s preferred within either Engineering, Life Sciences, Research & Development, Information Management, or related fields

• Preferred Related Industry Experience, Research & Development, Supply Chain, Quality

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in Research & Development, quality, regulatory, or related fields, with at least 5 years of experience in regulated industry

• Strong understanding of MedTech global markets (e.g., US, EU, China, Brazil).

• Proven leadership in data governance, R&D systems, and master data management

• Demonstrated strong leadership, organizational, and planning skills with the ability to work cross-functionally with global teams and a diverse work force and customer base.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, to build and maintain relationships, and to quickly build credibility at all levels in the organization.

• Highly skilled in establishing partnerships within function, successfully influence senior leaders and able to work collaboratively in a highly matrixed environment.

• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and resolve complex data management and analytics issues.

• Strategic thinking and ability to partner with internal stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

• Ability to achieve results under demanding time constraints with expansive and changing priorities.

• Experience with Research & Development digital systems

• Ability to analyse complex datasets and develop actionable insights

• Experience designing and delivering training programs

What type of mark will YOU make?

By joining Johnson & Johnson MedTech you will find boundless opportunities to craft your path & amplify your impact inside & outside our walls. And with our commitment to be the world’s healthiest workforce you can strengthen your body as well and your mind. When you work at Johnson & Johnson you can touch over a Billion lives worldwide every day.  And when you apply your talent to our collective purpose there’s no end to the lasting impact we can make together. And that changes everything.

What’s in it for YOU? 

It’s important to us that you feel you can bring your whole self to work; at Johnson & Johnson we provide an environment for you to fulfil your career aspirations as well as promoting your physical and mental wellbeing. As part of our offering, you will receive a competitive compensation and benefits package as well as benefits that can be tailored to what is valuable to you throughout different stages of your life. 

Johnson & Johnson: Changing health for humanity

We’re building a world where complex diseases are prevented and cured, treatments are smarter and less invasive—and solutions are personal