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Research & Development Leadership Development Program

We want you to write your own success story, spark bold innovations and become an expert at what interests and inspires you. If you want to take on today's biggest health challenges in a collaborative, supportive environment—and make a difference in the lives of people everywhere—set out on your path with the power of the world’s largest and most diversified healthcare products company beside you.

Research & Development

The program

Be part of exciting projects while honing your professional skills. The Research & Development Leadership Development Program (RDLDP) is designed to help talented engineering students develop the technical skills, business acumen and cross-functional proficiencies to lead and create innovative ideas, products and services for people around the world.

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The opportunity

Full-time (two-year program for candidates in the U.S., Canada and France)

  • Opportunities to participate and/or lead in rotational assignments encompassing an entire project or a large portion of a major project: e.g., resolving advanced materials, process, inspection/testing or procedural approaches to advance a medical device through the pipeline process into full R&D and potentially even commercialization
  • Support product design, development, manufacturing and commercialization, leveraging technical expertise to anticipate and proactively address challenges and risks
  • Learn through opportunities to design new products, from building simulation models to developing kinematics models and performing stack-up analysis
  • Engineer capabilities required to develop and deliver automated medical devices, including requisite instruments, advanced imaging and user interface/experience
  • Perform deliverables involving fundamental research and characterization, process/product development, process/product improvement, test method development and/or equipment development
  • Pursue several internal developmental training programs as well as externally recognized qualifications, such as Design of Experiments (DOE), Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) and Tolerance Analysis
  • Work in a fast-paced, cross functional, technologically advanced environment in a program focused on developing individual engineers capable of pursuing careers across medical device businesses and high-volume manufacturers


Internship program (12 weeks over summer)

An introduction to various R&D platforms, focusing on selecting high performers for the full-time program upon graduation.

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Who we’re looking for

By participating in the program, you’ll receive in-depth classroom training, allowing you to connect with your RDLDP peers and the broader R&D community. You’ll also receive exciting internal development training opportunities and externally recognized qualifications, like process design excellence, to help advance your career path. You’ll gain a strong foundation in the technical skills, business acumen and cross-functional proficiencies you need to succeed as an R&D leader.

  • Current graduate students enrolled in engineering graduate programs and on track to earn master’s degrees by June 2025
  • Preferred majors: bioengineering, computer, electrical, mechanical, material science, robotics, systems, software and optical engineering
  • Strongly preferred skill or experience with machine learning, deep machine learning, IoT, embedded software, prototyping, robot design, systems reliability, firmware, and hardware integration
  • Minimum GPA of 3.3 strongly preferred
  • Valid leadership experience—and previous R&D internship experience with J&J—highly preferred
  • Ability to relocate anywhere in the U.S. as required for program rotations

Life at J&J

Working with Johnson & Johnson isn’t just any job. It’s an invitation to align your career with transformational breakthroughs in health. Because we’re driven by a passion to achieve the best version of health for everyone, everywhere—and existing barriers aren’t going to break themselves. 

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Breakthrough awards and recognition

We are proud of the recognitions we’ve received as they demonstrate, year after year, how we embody our mission and vision. Here is a sample of our recent accolades.

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Early Talent Awards winner - Recognized for launching early careers to new heights.

Top 100 Internship Programs

Winner 2021

Top 40 list for Most Attractive Employers by students - Ireland

Top Companies for Graduates to Work For 2021

Top 80 list for Most Attractive Employers - UK

By students

Working Mothers 100 Best companies

Top 10 - 2021

Top in Industry Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology

By engineering students

#16 Johnson & Johnson

By engineering and IT students

#26 Johnson & Johnson

By business students

Top Company for Graduates to Work for 2022-23

Top Company for Graduates to Work for 2022-23

Company Culture

Top Company for Graduates to Work for 2022-23

Consumer Goods & FMCG

Join our Global Talent Hub

This is how we meet and keep in touch with students, new grads and early-in-career professionals around the world. It's the first place our recruiters look when they have a new job. Share your career experience and goals, connect with our recruiters and more.

Student GTH 2