Principal Algorithms Engineer - MedTech Surgery

Job Title

Principal Algorithm Design Engineer, R&D

Cincinnati, OH

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a global healthcare company dedicated to improving patient outcomes. We are developing the next generation of smarter, less invasive, more personalized surgical technologies. This hybrid role (3 days in office, 2 days remote) places the Principal Algorithm Design Engineer at the forefront of identifying, evaluating, and developing novel computational algorithms that enable next‑generation medical devices and improve patient outcomes.

You will work across R&D, Medical Affairs, and Marketing to translate unmet customer needs into technical concepts, lead feasibility assessments, and drive the development of innovative algorithms from early‑stage discovery through technical de‑risking.

• Design and develop computational algorithms using hardware to demonstrate technical feasibility.
• Translate high‑level customer needs into technical options while analyzing trade‑offs and business impact.
• Lead technical feasibility assessments and technology de‑risking strategies that inform innovation, portfolio, and investment decisions.
• Lead the organization in algorithm development best practices.
• Lead the evaluation of external partners for technical capabilities and their ability to provide solutions to solve high‑value unmet needs.
• Define and influence algorithm, sensing, and computational technology roadmaps.
• Build prototypes, products, and systems for testing, including setting up and running laboratory experiments.
• Design and execute test procedures, analyze test results, and develop written reports.
• Generate and present technical material to partners at all levels of the organization.
• Document designs and specifications per design control processes.
• Lead members of the engineering staff by providing technical guidance, mentoring, and training while expanding team capabilities and establishing effective engineering practices.

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a similar field; dual degrees or an advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience.
• Requires up to 10% travel, domestic and international.
• Demonstrated experience identifying and translating unmet customer, clinical, and business needs into novel technical concepts and product opportunities.
• Proven ability to define technical feasibility strategies and execute early‑stage technology de‑risking activities for Front End innovation programs.
• Demonstrated ability to establish technical direction and influence product and technology roadmaps.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams of algorithm engineers in an agile environment.
• Proven experience in computational algorithm development, signal processing, time series analysis, and/or applied control theory.
• Work experience with and a deep understanding of physical principles, with the ability to plan, execute, and synthesize analyses across multiple domains (mechanical, thermal, electrical, and tissue).
• Demonstrated programming ability for embedded systems (e.g., Python, C, LabVIEW) and an understanding of Object‑Oriented Programming.
• Proficiency with collaborative code version control and associated tools (e.g., Bitbucket/Git).
• Develop and protect intellectual property through invention disclosure, claim strategy, freedom‑to‑operate assessments, and patent review activities.
• Demonstrated ability working across subject areas with internal and external partners.
• Strong collaboration, proven technical leadership capabilities, and conflict resolution skills.

• Experience formulating and coordinating different engineering approaches to test hypotheses (hand calculations, computational modeling and simulation, empirical testing).
• Intermediate understanding or hands‑on experience with anatomy and physiology.
• Experience in Machine Learning, Statistics, and mathematics; model building (optimization, PCA, linear & logistic regression, LightGBM, XGBoost, random forest, SVM, Gaussian processes).
• Familiarity with…