Manager, External Innovation - MedTech Surgery

About the role

Johnson & Johnson MedTech is recruiting for a Manager, External Innovation - MedTech position in Raritan, NJ. This role is a hybrid position, working 3 days per week onsite.

Responsibilities

• Drive our external innovation strategy by scouting and evaluating new technologies and partnerships.
• Lead technical due diligence for licensing, collaboration, and investment opportunities.
• Build and manage relationships with external partners, develop strategic roadmaps, and create evaluation frameworks.
• Manage external partnerships and vendors, including scopes of work, budgets, milestones, and governance.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to support external innovation initiatives.
• Track and report portfolio metrics and outcomes for external collaborations and projects; identify and escalate risks, highlight opportunities, and monitor timelines and go/no-go decisions.
• Map and maintain the external ecosystem; track market trends and competitor activity related to target areas and the portfolio.

Requirements and Qualifications

• PhD in a scientific or technical discipline (e.g., biology, chemistry, materials science, engineering, or related field)
• Minimum 6+ years of experience in medical device industry with end-to-end product development
• Demonstrated experience in external innovation (scouting, partnerships, licensing, collaborations) for early- to mid-stage technologies
• Proven ability to work at the interface of market and technology strategy, translating market needs into technical requirements and vice versa
• Strong scientific judgment, with experience assessing technology fit, feasibility, and commercialization potential
• Experience managing external vendors and collaborators, including defining scopes of work and overseeing execution
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to produce clear technical and commercial materials for senior leadership
• Ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams without formal authority in a matrixed environment
• Basic understanding of preclinical, clinical, and regulatory requirements to support 510(k) and PMA product submissions and approvals
• Experience developing due diligence materials to support external opportunity evaluation
• Experience leading a team through development and approval of a PMA medical device
• Demonstrated track record of designing testing strategies and endpoints to evaluate early-stage technology efficacy and safety
• Experience building scientific communication packages that summarize results and support decision-making
• Demonstrated success influencing cross-functional resource allocation and securing funding for priority initiatives
• Will require up to 10% travel both international and domestic