R&D Process Innovation Lead

Cochlear Limited; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onsite parking

Close to public transport

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Cochlear is seeking a senior Process Innovation Lead to transform how product development happens across Cochlear. This role owns the evolution of the Product Innovation Process and documentation practices to deliver faster, compliant medical devices.

You will simplify processes, strengthen governance and lead digital platforms, workflows, automation and AI initiatives while ensuring quality and regulatory compliance in a highly regulated industry.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience across product development in a regulated environment.
• Strong experience designing and improving end-to-end product development processes or lifecycle frameworks.
• Experience leading significant process, operating model or business transformation.
• Strong understanding of stage-gate product development, process architecture, governance and continuous improvement.
• Experience delivering digital platforms, workflows, automation or AI-enabled solutions that have created measurable business value.
• The ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive change across a complex, global matrix organisation.
• Strong understanding of quality systems, design controls, risk management and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated people leadership and the ability to build capability within a team.
• Experience within medical devices, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology or another highly regulated industry will be highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Shape the future of product development by designing and continuously improving Cochlear’s end-to-end Product Innovation Process.
• Simplify the way we work, removing unnecessary complexity and helping reduce development cycle times while maintaining quality and compliance.
• Establish effective governance, including stage gates, decision rights, KPIs and performance measures.
• Use data to drive improvement, identifying bottlenecks, risks and opportunities across the product lifecycle.
• Lead digital innovation, defining the roadmap for platforms, workflows, automation and AI that enable better product development.
• Transform product documentation, improving how information is created, managed, traced and used to support regulatory submissions.
• Influence across the enterprise, partnering with senior leaders across R&D, Quality, Regulatory Affairs and Technology to embed new ways of working.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team while remaining close enough to the work to personal.

Skills

Process excellence

Stakeholder influence

People leadership

Regulatory compliance

Digital platforms

AI solutions

Product development

Change management

Stage-gate governance

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Cochlear’s mission is to help people hear and be heard. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear is dedicated to helping people with moderate to profound hearing loss experience a world full of sound. We aim to transform the way people understand and treat hearing loss and innovate to connect people with future technologies. Our employees tell us that the number one reason they enjoy working for Cochlear is the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives. Learn and grow with us as we tackle the most complex challenges in helping more people to experience a lifetime of hearing.* **New Role*** **Onsite car Park/ Close to Public transportation*** **Hybrid Working Arrangement**We’re looking for a **Process Innovation Lead** to transform how product development happens across Cochlear.This is a senior, influential role with ownership of the evolution of our Product Innovation Process (PIP) and product documentation practices. You’ll simplify complex processes, strengthen governance and introduce smarter digital solutions, automation and AI to help our teams develop products more efficiently while maintaining the quality and compliance expected in a highly regulated environment. This isn’t a role focused on maintaining existing processes. You’ll challenge how things are done today and help design how they should work tomorrow. **What you’ll do*** **Shape the future of product development** by designing and continuously improving Cochlear’s end-to-end Product Innovation Process.* **Simplify the way we work**, removing unnecessary complexity and helping reduce development cycle times while maintaining quality and compliance.* **Establish effective governance**, including stage gates, decision rights, KPIs and performance measures.* **Use data to drive improvement**, identifying bottlenecks, risks and opportunities across the product lifecycle.* **Lead digital innovation**, defining the roadmap for platforms, workflows, automation and AI that enable better product development.* **Transform product documentation**, improving how information is created, managed, traced and used to support regulatory submissions.* **Influence across the enterprise**, partnering with senior leaders across R&D, Quality, Regulatory Affairs and Technology to embed new ways of working.* · **Lead and develop a high-performing team** while remaining close enough to the work to personal **About you**You’ll bring: * 10+ years’ experience across product development, product lifecycle management, quality systems, process excellence or related disciplines within a regulated environment.* Strong experience designing and improving end-to-end product development processes or lifecycle frameworks.* Experience leading significant process, operating model or business transformation.* Strong understanding of stage-gate product development, process architecture, governance and continuous improvement.* Experience delivering digital platforms, workflows, automation or AI-enabled solutions that have created measurable business value.* The ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive change across a complex, global matrix organisation.* Strong understanding of quality systems, design controls, risk management and regulatory requirements.* Demonstrated people leadership and the ability to build capability within a team.Experience within **medical devices, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology or another highly regulated industry** will be highly regarded.**Why this role?** This is an opportunity to influence something fundamental: **how Cochlear turns ideas into products**.You’ll work across process, people, technology and governance, with the scope to rethink established ways of working and introduce capabilities that make product development **simpler, faster, more scalable and easier to comply with**.If you enjoy tackling enterprise-level complexity, influencing senior stakeholders and turning transformation ideas into practical improvements that stick, we’d like to hear from you. For more information, please contact Ralph on [e-mail] you feel that you have the skills and experience to be successful in this role and take on new challenges to build your career with Cochlear, please start your application by clicking the apply button below.