[Skip to main content](#main-content)

[ OpenNash ](https://opennash.com/) / [Jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/) [ 01 Search jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/search/)[ 02 Companies](https://jobs.opennash.com/explore/)[ 03 Hiring report](https://jobs.opennash.com/reports/hiring/)[ 04 AI assistants](https://jobs.opennash.com/connect/)[ 05 How it works](https://jobs.opennash.com/methodology/)

Johnson & Johnson · Spring House, PA

# Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America Full-time Senior individual contributor Operations 

Listed on Johnson & Johnson’s official careers site. Posted October 24, 2026. Check that it is still open and apply there.
[Apply on Johnson & Johnson’s careers site →](https://jj.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/JJ/job/Spring-House-Pennsylvania-United-States-of-America/Principal-Automation-and-Robotics-Engineer_R-097676-1)

[OpenNash Jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/) / [Johnson & Johnson](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/johnson-johnson/) / Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer

## Job 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 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](https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine) We are searching for the best talent for a Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer to be located in Spring House, PA.

### Purpose

The Principal Automation and Robotics Engineer owns the engineering strategy for the physical layer of autonomous discovery platforms. The role establishes how robots, workcells, controls, sensors, safety systems, facilities, utilities, and vendor equipment should be designed and integrated so scientific workflows can scale across multiple automated platforms. The Principal Engineer will serve as the senior engineering authority for the physical automation architecture of self-driving discovery laboratories.

This role defines robotics, controls, safety, facility integration, technical standards, vendor governance, engineering simulation strategy, reliability, maintainability, serviceability, and industrialization approaches required for scalable AI-native laboratory automation. This role is paired with the Principal Laboratory Automation Scientist. The engineer leads the physical automation architecture; the scientist leads the scientific workflow architecture.

The two roles jointly define integrated readiness for self-driving laboratories.

You will be responsible for: Physical Automation Reference Architecture Defining robotics and physical automation reference architecture for multi-workcell SDL platforms, including robot cells, AMR or track routing, workcell interfaces, custom fixtures, transfer stations, sensor strategies, machine-state concepts, control boundaries, and safety patterns. Establishing enterprise standards for equipment interfaces, serviceability, maintainability, safety systems, utilities, robot access, physical handoffs, labware transfer points, service envelopes, and technical acceptance criteria for lights-out readiness.

Leading design reviews for multi-workcell automation, facility integration, physical execution readiness, maintainability, reliability, and industrialization across discovery automation programs. Defining principles for modular, reconfigurable, scalable, and future-proof physical automation so new workcells, assays, and equipment can be added without redesigning the full laboratory. Engineering Strategy and Technical Governance Acting as senior technical authority for robotics, controls, safety, physical integration, simulation, reliability, serviceability, maintainability, and engineering lifecycle strategy.

Challenging Tier 1 integrator architecture, Tier 2 vendor assumptions, custom equipment proposals, safety logic, maintainability concepts, control boundaries, utility assumptions, and technical risk positions. Defining the engineering side of digital twin and simulation strategy, including layout, traffic, robot pathing, equipment utilization, service access, bottlenecks, intervention states, and recovery scenarios. Setting technical governance expectations for design reviews, interface control, FAT/SAT/UAT scope, technical risk registers, acceptance readiness, and lifecycle support.

Scale, Sustain, and Influence Driving cross-site scalability, standardization, engineering playbooks, vendor governance, support models, spare parts strategy, and lifecycle management for automated platforms. Partnering with Principal Laboratory Automation Scientists, data/AI teams, IT/OT, EHS, facilities, quality, procurement, operations, and scientific leaders to ensure physical systems support scientific workflows and autonomous execution.

Mentoring senior and junior engineers, influence technical communities of practice, and represent engineering standards in governance forums and vendor negotiations. Supporting strategic technology selection for robotics, mobile automation, collaborative robots, safety systems, machine vision, sensors, physical AI components, and facility automation interfaces.

### 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, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related technical field is required. An advanced degree is highly preferred.

### Experience and Skills

Required: Bachelor's degree with 10+ years, Master's degree with 8+ years, or PhD with 4+ years of relevant automation, robotics, controls, equipment integration, or advanced engineering 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 rigor 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.

Recognized subject matter expertise in robotics, automation, controls, safety systems, complex physical system integration, and technical architecture. Demonstrated success leading technical architecture and execution for complex automated systems, robotic platforms, or integrated equipment programs. Experience defining standards, interface models, technical acceptance criteria, vendor governance, engineering risk strategy, and lifecycle support models.

Ability to influence senior partners, challenge vendors, mentor engineers, and lead technical decision making under ambiguity.

### Preferred

Experience with self-driving laboratory platforms, digital twins, AMRs, multi-workcell routing, machine vision, AI-enabled automation, simulation, predictive maintenance, and Tier 1/Tier 2 integrator models. Experience in regulated or quality driven pharmaceutical, biotechnology, discovery, development, or manufacturing environments. Record of technical innovation through patents, invention disclosures, publications, platform deployments, or industry recognition.

### 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 operational capability.

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 & 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, external applicants please contact us via [https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers](https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers), internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource. If you are under 18 years of age, you (the candidate) may need to obtain the necessary working papers or other documentation required by state law to start the assignment, as well as get a parent’s consent for the background check. #LI-Hybrid Required Skills: Preferred Skills:

## At a glance
- Posted by the employer: Oct 24, 2026
- First seen by OpenNash: Oct 25, 2026
- Last checked: Nov 1, 2026
- Listed for: 8 days
- Location: Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Employment type: Full-time[Apply on Johnson & Johnson’s careers site →](https://jj.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/JJ/job/Spring-House-Pennsylvania-United-States-of-America/Principal-Automation-and-Robotics-Engineer_R-097676-1)

## Hiring at Johnson & Johnson
- Open jobs: 1,698
- New in the last 7 days: After two weekly collections
- Tracked since: Jul 10, 2026

[All Johnson & Johnson jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/johnson-johnson/) · [Weekly hiring report](/reports/hiring/)

## More jobs at Johnson & Johnson

### [Experienced Automation and Robotics Engineer](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/johnson-johnson/jobs/47351382a76b154bae78/)

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

### [TDS Proteins Cell Line Engineering Co-Op](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/johnson-johnson/jobs/6d1ef67b39e99893c4a3/)

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

### [Associate Director, Lab Automation & Intelligent Orchestration](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/johnson-johnson/jobs/8b02ec1fa283f1331264/)

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

### [Associate Director, Laboratory Automation Systems](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/johnson-johnson/jobs/f0c2f7534aad8e5a8366/)

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

### [Automation Integration Product Lead](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/johnson-johnson/jobs/eaed40d68170d1a4ea5e/)

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

## Similar jobs at other companies

### [Principal Automation Engineer – Computer System Validation](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/eli-lilly/jobs/41bdcf197971fd749c45/)

Eli Lilly · Richmond, Virginia, United States of America

### [Principal Automation Engineer – Building Management Systems](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/eli-lilly/jobs/4fe7cba3eaf6268d9a2d/)

Eli Lilly · Richmond, Virginia, United States of America

### [Senior Principal Robotics & AMR Automation Platforms Engineer](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/medtronic/jobs/ea06de9f7e54078bf494/)

Medtronic · Fridley, Minnesota, United States of America

### [Lead Robotics Automation Engineer (PLC, PID)](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/quest-diagnostics/jobs/d5b8abb28f380606a19d/)

Quest Diagnostics · Tampa, FL

### [Sr. Lab Robotics Automation Engineer](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/quest-diagnostics/jobs/4598ac89dadff62f1ad6/)

Quest Diagnostics · Lewisville, Denton, TX

OpenNash lists jobs from employers’ own careers sites and does not handle applications.
Dates come from the employer where stated; “first seen” and “last checked” are our own observations.

[ OpenNash ](https://opennash.com/)

AI-native services firm that builds custom software and 24/7 AI agents.

OpenNash Jobs is an OpenNash Applied AI project.
[Book time with OpenNash](https://calendly.com/opennash/new-meeting?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

Jobs
- [Search jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/search/)
- [Companies](https://jobs.opennash.com/explore/)
- [Hiring report](https://jobs.opennash.com/reports/hiring/)
- [AI assistants](https://jobs.opennash.com/connect/)
- [How it works](https://jobs.opennash.com/methodology/)

OpenNash
- [opennash.com](https://opennash.com/)
- [Services](https://opennash.com/ai-agent-consulting/)
- [OpenNash CX](https://opennash.com/cx/)
- [AI Tools](https://opennash.com/ai-tools/)
- [Blog](https://opennash.com/blog/)
- [About](https://opennash.com/about/)

Contact
- [hello@opennash.com](mailto:hello@opennash.com)

- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/opennash)

- [Support](https://jobs.opennash.com/support/)

- [Privacy](https://jobs.opennash.com/privacy/)

- [Terms](https://jobs.opennash.com/terms/)

© 2026 OpenNash, Inc. Company names and public job postings belong to their respective owners. Employers control source availability and application decisions.