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.

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.

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.

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.
Latest roles
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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