Associate R&D Manager

Stryker; Cork; On-site; EUR 69,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Stryker Foot & Ankle in Ireland seeks an Associate R&D Manager to lead a hands-on, player-coach engineering team focused on designing and delivering innovative orthopedic solutions for surgeons and patients worldwide.

You will mentor engineers, drive cross-functional collaboration, manage project goals, and contribute to a culture of innovation, quality and compliance. This role emphasizes leadership, technical depth, and business impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field.
• 6+ years of applicable engineering experience; direct people management preferred.
• Experience developing and optimizing complex mechanical/electro-mechanical designs with DFM.
• Ability to create engineering drawings and models; apply GD&T and CAE tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical team members in research, design, development of modules/subsystems.
• Mentor others on engineering theories, principles and concepts.
• Translate user needs to design inputs/specifications and produce system level designs.
• Mentor and influence in correction of complex product design issues.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration and drive projects forward with purpose.
• Develop invention disclosures, patents or trade secrets.

Skills

Mechanical design

DFM principles

Engineering drawings

GD&T

CAE tools

Materials knowledge

Communication

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Tools

CAE tools

Job description

Position Summary

We are looking for a hands-on technical leader who thrives as a true player-coach who is as comfortable solving a difficult technical problem as they are developing the people around them. As Associate R&D Manager for Stryker Foot & Ankle in Ireland, you will help grow a high-performing R&D team focused on designing and delivering innovative orthopedic solutions for surgeons and patients around the world. This role calls for someone with strong mechanical engineering depth, sound product development judgment, and the leadership presence to coach engineers, influence cross-functional partners, and drive projects forward with purpose. You will join a business with a deep commitment to Foot & Ankle innovation, a broad portfolio of advanced medical technologies, and a mission to make healthcare better. If you are passionate about building products, building people, and building something that matters, we want to meet you.

What you will do

Technical Responsibilities

• Lead technical team members in research, design, development, modification and evaluation of modules, assemblies, or subsystems.
• Apply and mentor others on advanced engineering theories, principles, and concepts.
• Translate user needs to design inputs/specifications and produce complex system level designs independently.
• Conduct, design, and select advanced prototyping and testing.
• Mentor and influence in correction of complex product design issues.
• Conduct technology exploration and influence application in the business.
• Develop invention disclosures, patents or trade secrets.

Technical / Managerial Responsibilities

• Execute a robust talent offense by attracting, developing, retaining, and engaging top talent while driving personal/professional growth of individuals, the team and delivering high quality results with passion, energy and drive.
• Proactively drive positive outcomes to technical, business, and personnel problems.
• Make decisions under guidance for project level issues.
• Leverage strong listening skills and written / verbal communication to influence and convey business, regulatory compliance, and/or technical ideas to customers, employees, peers, external partners, and senior leaders.
• Support a culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging at a team level in hiring and staff development.
• Lead projects and initiatives within the business unit, with responsibility for planning, budgeting, meeting project goals and adequately staffing with talent.
• Support and mentor others in complex cooperative efforts across cross-functional teams, influencing one's own technical areas of expertise and building key relationships, to drive innovation and ensure achievement of business goals.

Business Responsibilities

• Contribute to competitive and market strategy by demonstrating in-depth knowledge of the market, customer dynamics and competitive offerings.
• Apply strong understanding of clinical procedures to enhance product development.
• Drive financial accountability across direct team. Participate in cost center budget creation, projections, and tracking activities.
• Contribute and execute customer facing activities like Voice of Customer and customer centric design in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate on Financial /business modeling and supports business reviews to validate a technical approach.

Med Device Compliance

• Lead others to create and refine engineering documentation, such as the Design History file and create more progressive technical content.
• Lead a team and cross-functional counterparts to demonstrate compliance with applicable regulatory requirements for a specific project/program.
• Follow and set example for others on procedures and design controls.
• Review and approve (or delegate) program / project specific technical documentation and deliverables.

Minimum Qualifications (Required)

• Bachelor of Science degree or higher in Engineering or applicable technical field.
• 6+ years applicable experience, with 0+ years direct people management experience preferred.

Preferred Qualifications (Strongly desired)

Technical Skills

• Experience in developing and optimizing complex designs for mechanical/electro-mechanical assemblies incorporating DFM principles.
• Experience in creating engineering drawings, models, applying GD&T and CAE tools to optimize the design.
• In-depth knowledge of materials, manufacturing and processing methods and technologies to support complex product development.
• Ability to communicate complex plans and technical information to team members.

Leadership Experience

• Talented performance coach who is skilled at providing actionable feedback to team members, setting clear performance objectives and managing team member performance.
• General knowledge of the healthcare market and competitors.
• Experience executing a talent and performance management strategy.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate plans and technical information to team members within a business unit.
• Proven ability to deliver programs or other business goals on time, on quality and within budget.

Ireland Pay Ranges

• Ireland: €69,000 - €115,000 EUR Annual

At Stryker, we believe transparency helps candidates make confident decisions about their next career step. Compensation is an important part of that process and we want to be clear about how pay is determined. The compensation information posted for this role may be presented as a salary range or a fixed amount depending on the role. In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for incentive compensation (such as bonus and/or commissions where applicable), along with Stryker’s comprehensive benefits package.

Stryker is a global leader in medical technologies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually.