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Johnson & Johnson

Manufacturing Lead

Johnson & Johnson is hiring a Manufacturing Lead in Santa Clara, United States. It pays $69k-$111k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Johnson & Johnson.

Level's read on this job

  • On Level's scale, this role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
  • Tools and skills the posting cites include manufacturing, production management and continuous improvement.
  • Level classifies it as a lead role.
  • Level lists 1,700+ other open roles at Johnson & Johnson.

AI in this role

Manufacturing Lead required to coordinate daily production floor activities, drive manufacturing excellence, and support surgical robotics production.

manufacturingproduction-managementcontinuous-improvement

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at jnj.com

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.

Job Function:

Supply Chain Manufacturing

Job Sub Function:

Manufacturing Assembly

Job Category:

Business Enablement/Support

All Job Posting Locations:

Santa Clara, California, United States of America

Job Description:

Johnson & Johnson MedTech, a member of Johnson & Johnson's Family of Companies, is currently recruiting for a Manufacturing Lead to join the dynamic Ottava production team.

Manufacturing Lead is a frontline production leader after supervisor responsible for driving production excellence, coordinating daily manufacturing activities, and providing direction and support to manufacturing technicians. This role serves as the secondary point of contact on the production floor, ensuring execution of production schedules, removal of operational barriers, and alignment across shifts and cross-functional teams. The Manufacturing Lead combines strong technical expertise with leadership capabilities to mentor team members, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and maintain compliance with quality and safety requirements. This role reports into the Surgical Robotics (OTTAVA™) Manufacturing organization.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is comfortable working independently while supporting manufacturing and engineering needs. This position offers hands-on experience with innovative technology and opportunities for long-term career development.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead daily production floor activities to ensure safety, quality, delivery, and productivity targets are achieved.
  • Assign and coordinate technician work priorities based on production needs, staffing levels, and resource availability.
  • Mentor, coach, and develop manufacturing technicians; provide hands-on support for troubleshooting, assembly, and skill development.
  • Facilitate shift handoffs and communicate production status, priorities, risks, and critical issues to leadership and cross-functional teams.
  • Represent the production floor in daily performance meetings, operational reviews, and cross-functional discussions as directed by the supervisor.
  • Monitor production progress and proactively escalate staffing, material, equipment, quality, and schedule issues that may impact business objectives.
  • Drive accountability for adherence to manufacturing procedures, quality standards, safety requirements, and training compliance.
  • Verify personnel are trained and qualified on applicable procedures, processes, and equipment prior to work execution.
  • Maintain proficiency across a minimum of five subassemblies within the assigned subsystem and provide technical guidance while maintaining strong knowledge of overall system architecture.
  • High-level understanding of system-level integration and troubleshooting steps to help resolve complex issues.
  • Create, review, and release work orders in MES/ERP systems when required.
  • Troubleshoot complex electrical, mechanical, and software issues.
  • Help engineering in performing root cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
  • Maintain accurate material transactions and cycle counts; report shortages proactively.
  • Support in driving quality improvement initiatives across manufacturing and cross-functional teams.
  • Ensure compliance with hazardous waste handling, calibration, and safety standards.
  • Lead Kaizen events and support Lean manufacturing projects.
  • Accountable for driving alignment between teams, shifts, departments, and cross-functional partners to improve operational effectiveness and collaboration.
  • Present on the shop floor and actively engage in departmental performance management meetings as required by the supervisor.
  • Accurately determine and report shortages; report quality or defective material and component issues as required.
  • Initiate, investigate, document, and close Incident Reports (IRs) and Nonconformances (NCs) as required, ensuring timely resolution and compliance with quality system requirements.

Qualifications
Education:

  • Minimum associate degree with 6–8 related years of experience or engineering/ mechatronics/ equivalent degree with 6-8 years of related experience.

Required:

  • Must have experience as a Manufacturing Technician for a Type II or Type III medical device company or complex electromechanical capital equipment manufacturer, with hands-on experience in Good Documentation Practices (GDP).
  • Advanced mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills (multimeter, isolation techniques).
  • Demonstrated experience leading teams, coordinating production activities, and driving execution in a manufacturing environment.
  • Experience mentoring, coaching, and developing manufacturing personnel.
  • Proficiency in SAP and MES/ERP systems.
  • Proficient at multiple assembly and test tasks while meeting requirements for workmanship, safety, and productivity.
  • Relevant demonstrated experience with anti-static/ESD principles and controls.
  • Comprehension in reading mechanical and technical writing. Ability to understand detailed system and manufacturing procedures.
  • Familiar with assembly tools including torque wrenches, screwdrivers, hand drivers, multimeters, IPA, various presses, and adhesives (Loctite).
  • Strong communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across functions.
  • Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing demands and support execution in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Additional Information
This job description is intended to outline the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications required. Employees may be assigned additional tasks aligned with business needs as per the individual’s capabilities.

Preferred:

  • Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) builds and change management implementation within a regulated manufacturing environment.
  • Participation in Lean manufacturing or Kaizen improvement events.
  • Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification or equivalent continuous improvement training.
  • Familiarity with structured problem-solving tools (5 Whys, Fishbone, DMAIC-lite).
  • Experience training or certifying technicians across multiple system modules.

Work Schedule

  • Monday–Friday, 6:00 AM–2:30 PM (onsite).
  • Occasional evening or weekend work may be required.
  • Overtime may be required based on production demand.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers, internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

If you are under 18 years of age, you (the candidate) may need to obtain the necessary working papers or other documentation required by state law to start the assignment, as well as get a parent’s consent for the background check.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$69,000.00 - $111,090.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).



This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.



Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:

Vacation –120 hours per calendar year

Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado –48 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington –56 hours per calendar year

Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year

Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year

Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child

Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member: 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year

Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period10 days

Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year

Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year

For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: - https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits

How we rate this

Manufacturing Lead at Johnson & Johnson rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

  1. ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
  2. ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
  3. ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
  4. ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

ManufacturingProduction ManagementContinuous Improvement

Questions you could be asked

  1. Tell me about a project where manufacturing was part of your work. What did you do?
  2. Tell me about a project where production management was part of your work. What did you do?
  3. Tell me about a project where continuous improvement was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

  • List these exact terms on your resume: Manufacturing, Production Management, and Continuous Improvement. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
  • Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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