Software Application Engineer/Surgical Robotics - OTTAVA

Job Function Supply Chain Engineering Job Sub Function Automation Engineering Job Category Scientific/Technology Location Santa Clara, California, United States of America Job Description Johnson & Johnson RAD (Robotics and Digital) seeks a Software Application Engineer for a Digital Manufacturing team focused on delivering smart‑factory solutions and analytics that enable scalable automation across manufacturing operations. The role involves building edge‑to‑cloud applications, APIs, dashboards, and integrations with edge devices, OT systems (PLCs, robots, vision) and enterprise platforms (MES, Cloud analytics). You will design and deploy novel solutions, orchestrate new applications including digital twins, agentic agents that automate repetitive digital tasks, coordinate workflows across systems, and enable human‑in‑the‑loop decisioning. You’ll partner across Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Quality, J&J Technology and R&D to unlock efficiency and accelerate cost, quality and reliability improvements. Key Responsibilities Build and maintain digital manufacturing applications (edge services, APIs/microservices, and web dashboards). Integrate OT/IIoT systems (PLCs, robots, vision, AMRs) with cloud and enterprise platforms (e.g., MES, data lake, analytics) using standard industrial protocols and APIs (OPC UA, MQTT, REST). Design and deploy automation solutions (RPA, agent‑based workflows, and LLM/RAG‑enabled assistants) with human‑in‑the‑loop controls, safety gates, and auditable logs. Operate and scale solutions through lifecycle management (scheduling, versioning/rollback, monitoring/observability) and reusable documentation/runbooks. Plan and execute testing and deployment activities (FAT/SAT, commissioning, run‑at‑rate) and produce validation documentation, as applicable. Develop performance dashboards and analytics (OEE, cycle time, quality KPIs, anomaly detection) and measure automation outcomes (task success rate, error rate, time saved, time to insights). Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Quality, IT/Cybersecurity, R&D, and external partners to ensure secure deployments and rapid issue resolution through root‑cause analysis. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical/Mechanical/Mechatronics Engineering, or a related field. Minimum of 4 years of professional software development experience. Required Hands‑on experience with one or more programming languages relevant to industrial automation (e.g., Python, C#, JavaScript/TypeScript). Experience with integration technologies and APIs (RESTful services, WebSockets, MQTT, OPC UA). Experience (or strong interest) in edge computing, containerization (Docker), and deploying services to cloud and/or edge platforms. Experience with data visualization tools and dashboards (e.g., Power BI, AWS QuickSight, or custom web UIs). Experience (or strong interest) in automating digital workflows (designing bots, building workflows, handling exceptions). Foundational knowledge of agentic/autonomous software concepts (task planning, action selection, human‑in‑the‑loop controls) or a strong willingness to learn. Strong troubleshooting, root‑cause analysis, and debugging skills across software, networking, and device interfaces. Strong written and verbal communication skills for documentation, training, and stakeholder engagement. Preferred Familiarity with agent orchestration frameworks, LLM APIs, or tools for building autonomous agents. Basic understanding of industrial automation devices and concepts (PLCs, HMIs, robot controllers, sensors). Knowledge of CI/CD for application delivery, infrastructure as code, and automated testing. Basic SQL skills or familiarity with time‑series databases/data stores and data pipeline troubleshooting. Experience working in regulated environments (medical device and/or pharmaceutical) and familiarity with documentation and validation practices. Understanding of model governance, auditability, and responsible‑use considerations for autonomous agents in production environments. Familiar with Nvidia Omniverse, Nemotron is a plus. Other May require up to 5% domestic and/or international travel. EEO Statement 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. Accommodations 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 internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource. Compensation and Benefits Base pay range: $91,000.00 to $129,472.00. Employees are eligible for company‑sponsored benefits: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short‑ and long‑term disability, business accident insurance, group legal insurance, consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)). Eligible for long‑term incentive program. Time‑off benefits include Vacation –120 hours per calendar year, Sick time – 40 hours per calendar year; for employees in Washington –56 hours, Holiday pay, including floating holidays – 13 days, Work, Personal and Family Time – up to 40 hours, Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of birth/adoption/foster care, Condolence Leave – 30 days for an immediate family member: 5 days for an extended family member, Caregiver Leave – 10 days, Volunteer Leave – 4 days, Military Spouse Time‑Off – 80 hours. #J-18808-Ljbffr Johnson & Johnson