(Johnson & Johnson is No. 5 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 list)
Originally published on JnJ.com
Madiha Irfan’s father ignited her passion for everything tech. He challenged her to learn more about it — particularly how computers work, and how they will evolve with time. She learned customer service through her mother’s business. To combine both of her passions — technology and people — she majored in both Information Technology (IT) and Informatics and Human Resource Management at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
The Beginning of a Career
Madiha’s Johnson & Johnson story begins with the internship she was offered after winning a Johnson & Johnson IT case competition in 2015. The case competition challenged students to propose how Johnson & Johnson could tap into social media to gain a better understanding of target audience sentiment. After researching possible solutions, Madiha and her team ultimately recommended using Google Analytics to take the massive amount of consumer information available on social media and turn it into usable data.
During her internship, Madiha worked on assignments that deepened her IT knowledge with real-life work experience as part of the Service Performance and Analytics team. She assisted in creating and designing a dynamic management dashboard to visualize performance data for different IT service groups within Johnson & Johnson’s Global Technology Services (GTS). She also helped build visualizations for important internal metrics. Moreover, Madiha learned SQL—a programming language—to help create queries for the dashboard.
Shortly after beginning her internship, Madiha knew that she wanted to embark on a career journey with Johnson & Johnson. “I knew that the culture, talent and innovation within Johnson & Johnson were exactly what I was looking for in a company. After learning about Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to creating a world without disease, I was truly inspired and wanted to help achieve this goal,” she says.
After Madiha completed the internship and graduated from Rutgers, her manager recommended that she apply for the Information Technology Leadership Development Program (ITLDP)—a two-year rotational program fo
While working on this team, Madiha led a data security architecture project in which she conducted a current state analysis of data de-identification within Janssen. She’s also assessing various technologies to improve data governance, ensure compliance with Janssen’s IT strategy and make data visible to all the teams that need to access it.
Serving the Community: How Madiha Contributes in Her Own Way
Madiha believes in giving back to her local community. “Participating in Credo events and giving back to the community have been some of the best moments of my career so far,” she says.
As a volunteer member of Janssen Cares—a group dedicated to social and ecological initiatives—Madiha has helped prime, paint and clean a home that supports victims of domestic and sexual violence.
In collaboration with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK)—a private, nonsectarian, charitable organization that works with Johnson & Johnson volunteers twice a month to help serve food in homeless shelters in the Trenton, New Jersey, area—Madiha organized a group of seven volunteers to prepare and serve food to the homeless for Thanksgiving this past November.
When she’s not helping build safer homes or serving in homeless shelters, Madiha is participating in ITLDP initiatives. She recently became the Content Manager for the IMPACT team—a group that brings together all ITLDP members across Johnson & Johnson to share their experiences and highlight the great projects they’ve worked on.
As a member of Johnson & Johnson’s Women’s Leadership & Inclusion (WLI) group—one of Johnson & Johnson’s largest employee resource groups—Madiha is also helping women advance in IT. The group helps connect and engage women across the company to develop their potential, build relationship capital and create an inclusive environment and culture. Through a new WLI initiative, Madiha recently began mentoring and helping guide a woman at Rutgers, who is interested in a career in the IT field.
Finally, Madiha’s passion for people, IT and Johnson & Johnson has led her to frequently take part in university recruiting events, where she speaks about her own transition from campus to career, as well as the opportunities students can expect to find at Johnson & Johnson.
A Fulfilling Career Is Part of a Fulfilling Life
At Johnson & Johnson, we give all of our employees the opportunity to contribute ideas, create innovative solutions and participate in leadership assignments that support their career development and growth. Moreover, employees are encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
r recent graduates that provides professional development and job-specific knowledge and skills. She’s currently completing her first rotation working on the Enterprise Architecture Team within Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., focusing on data, digital and analytics.
Madiha’s idea of work-life balance includes helping her mom run a small boutique that specializes in weddings. She manages the company’s social media and has been developing its customer service strategy, too.
Like many among her cohort of over 1.8 billion millennials worldwide, Madiha values flexibility at work, including work-life balance, opportunities for career progression, innovation and professional and personal development. “Ultimately, I have found that the culture at Johnson & Johnson truly champions this balance, which helps build the future leaders of tomorrow—so that together we can drive the future of human health.”
Apply today, if you’re ready to find a challenging, rewarding career in STEM2D with measurable positive impact the world over.
