Imagine if AR and VR could train surgeons around the world, AI and ML could create bold new therapies for patients and digital twins could fast-track vaccine development by anticipating supply chain issues in real time.
Those things might sound like science fiction, but they’re all happening right now at Johnson & Johnson. Yet they wouldn’t be possible without the passion, purpose and digital skills of the teams behind them, as Juliana Nunes, Vice President and Global Head of Talent Acquisition and OneHR North America, explains in this article.
Read on to find out:
- What’s unique about the opportunities for digital talent at Johnson & Johnson
- Why changing the future of health for good begins with our approach to talent development
Unmatched opportunities to make an impact
Few science and technology companies can match our level of investment in innovation at Johnson & Johnson, which totaled more than $14 billion in 2021.
To understand why that’s the case, here’s Juliana.
“We’re addressing the unmet needs of patients—that’s our number-one priority—but it requires people who have new kinds of expertise,” she explained. “You won’t solve these big problems if you have, say, groups of data scientists or groups of software engineers working alone. They need to be in an environment where they’re actively collaborating with biologists, computer scientists, psychologists, physicians and many, many others.”
Juliana continued, “Our mission at Johnson & Johnson is a huge differentiator: We’re saving lives and changing the future of health for humanity, so you’ll be working on projects with a tangible impact. We want our people to be able to focus on what really matters.”
Another differentiator for Johnson & Johnson: “We have unmatched scale,” Juliana observed. “We have a very large and diverse workforce of 150,000 people around the world who are all united around a shared mission.”
Plus, Juliana is more than just passionate about digital talent—she also counts herself among their ranks. A case in point is a project she recently led, which leveraged AI and machine learning to create a data-driven ecosystem for talent development.
The result? More meaningful opportunities for Johnson & Johnson employees, along with clearer paths and enhanced succession planning.
Your development really starts with you. What do you want? Where do you want to be? And what’s your purpose? Your life purpose has to be aligned with what you’re doing here. Everything starts from that.
Choose your own adventure: developing digital talent
Career journeys at Johnson & Johnson are almost never linear. You might be working on medtech software one day, for example, then decide you want to tackle a new challenge in pharma tomorrow. Those kind of opportunities are very common within our company.
Last year, for example, nearly half of all Johnson & Johnson employees at the manager level or above rotated across business units, functions or geographies.
“We really incentivize people to have diverse experiences in order to keep growing,” Juliana said. “Our CEO Joaquin Duato is a good example of that. Part of the reason he really understands the importance of technology and digital to our mission is that he served as interim CIO before becoming CEO.”
Of course, Juliana could also cite an example closer to home.
“Look at me,” she said, “I’m a biologist by training—and I have a master’s degree in paleontology! But Johnson & Johnson welcomed me in HR. This company truly believes in the power of diverse thinking and experiences to come up with creative and innovative solutions.”
All told, she has worked in four different countries, and held progressively responsible local, regional and global roles, since joining our team.
Which helps explain why, to support your career growth, we’ve rolled out two parallel, but distinct, developmental tracks: “Expert” and “People Manager.”
What’s the difference?
Juliana explained: “Let’s say you’re a data scientist. That’s what you love, and you want to continue to learn and go deeper in this field. You don’t need to start managing people to move to the next level. In this case, the expert track would be the right one for you. And we absolutely value both! You’ll still have a seat at the table with leadership, regardless of your path.”
Along the way, through a mix of mentorship and personalized tools like J&J Learn, our curated platform for personalized training, upskilling and reskilling, you’ll find unlimited opportunities to learn and grow, too.
How will your digital skills impact the future of health?
The answer: Check out all of the opportunities available at Johnson & Johnson right now. And in the interim, why not sign up for our global talent community, too? It’s a great way to stay in touch, learn more about life at Johnson & Johnson and even get updates about jobs that might interest you in the future.
