Director, Human Factors Engineering

Abbott; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness program

Global travel opportunities

HIP PPO medical plan

Job summary

Abbott is seeking a senior leader to direct the ADC Human Factors Engineering and Usability function. You will guide product development strategy, budgets, and external partnerships, while promoting high-performance teams and compliance in a highly regulated medical device environment.

You will collaborate with R&D, marketing, and clinical teams to advance usability across the product lifecycle, mentor staff, and ensure timely, well-regulated product delivery with global reach and travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in a scientific/engineering field; PhD preferred.
• 10–15 years in medical device industry with at least 5 years in senior management.
• Proven track record building high-performance teams in regulated environments.
• Experience leading Human Factors across product lifecycle: ethnography, workflows, UI design, usability testing.
• Ability to travel internationally and interface with customers and partners.

Responsibilities

• Direct and lead Human Factors Engineering and Usability functions.
• Drive development strategies, budgets and collaboration across R&D.
• Mentor managers and staff; recruit and develop talent.
• Coordinate globally to achieve division goals and regulatory compliance.
• Establish partnerships with product managers, UX designers and stakeholders.

Skills

Human factors engineering

Leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Regulatory compliance

Product development

Education

Bachelor's or MS in Human Factors Engineering / Biomedical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Computer Science / Mechanical Engineering

PhD preferred

Tools

Regulatory knowledge

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 122,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON

Provides leadership, vision and direction of the ADC Human Factors Engineering and Usability Function. Responsible for developing and leveraging product development, data interpretation and establishing external relationships to drive human factors and usability work. Collaborates across R&D and the division to develop tools to optimize products and development programs strategy and budgets. Develops processes, tools, and methods that advance evaluation of product designs and concepts at all phases of design. Collaborates with upstream partners (product managers, market research, UX designers, etc.) to streamline development and de-risks development efforts. Responsible for effective people leadership, up to Sr. Manager level staff. Conduct high level program management coordination and strategic division ownership for a wide range of analytical methodologies, approaches and techniques for product characterization. Manage direct reports at manager, and administrative levels. Provide management guidance for their organizations to ensure market leading use of technology and product development.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Directs activities to ensure new product development activities are achieved within agreed upon scope, timeline, and budget
• Recruits, coaches and develops organizational talent
• Fosters a diverse workplace that enables all participants to contribute to their full potential in pursuit of organizational objectives
• Creates an entrepreneurial environment
• Provides general direction to managers, exempt specialist and non-exempt support in various areas, groups and/or operations
• Keeps the organization's vision and values at the forefront of decision making and action
• Plans and conducts worldwide customer, competitive, and software industry research to identify and prioritize usability improvement possibilities and solutions
• Builds strategic partnerships to further departmental and organizational objectives. Interacts internally and externally with executive level management, outside regulatory agencies, customers, vendors and/or suppliers
• Coordinates across functional areas, business units, and/or geographies in order to achieve Division goals
• Provides global strategic marketing, engineering management, and staff with training and mentoring on usability theory, resources, and technology.
• Monitors and ensures compliance with company policies and procedures (e.g. compliance with FDA regulations, etc.)
• Makes and executes operational decisions with a strategic perspective
• Directs and controls the activities and budget of one or more functional areas, product groups and/or third party vendors.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's or M.S. degree in Human Factors Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering or other scientific or engineering field.
• 10-15 years of management and technical management experience in the medical device industry with minimum 5 years at a senior management role.
• Demonstrated track record of building and driving high performance teams in a highly regulated environment - you have shipped multiple products.
• Experience leading Human Factors activities across the product lifecycle, including ethnographic research, user needs identification, workflow and task analysis, requirements development, user interface design, user error analysis, usability and validation testing.
• Extensive knowledge of entire medical device development process from needs definition through regulatory approvals, production, launch, and product life cycle maintenance.
• Proven ability to work with cross-functional teams and provide technical leadership.
• Proven ability to interface with customers in a highly professional manner.
• Ability to quickly assimilate advanced domain knowledge.
• Self-motivated problem solver who finds pragmatic solutions to highly technical challenges
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Ability and desire to travel, including internationally.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

• Ph.D. degree in one of the above disciplines.
• Experience in medical device development especially in system engineering and/or risk management
• Working knowledge of cardiac electrophysiology.
• Working knowledge of Human Factors/Usability Engineering regulatory standards.

Participants who complete a short wellness assessment qualify for FREE coverage in our HIP PPO medical plan. Free coverage applies in the next calendar year.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives