Staff Engineer / Staff Designer, Innovation

Becton Dickinson; North Carolina; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

BD's Urology & Critical Care team seeks a Staff-level Innovation leader to transform validated needs into differentiated concepts, lead prototyping, and balance clinical performance with usability for home and care settings.

You will partner with engineering, design, human factors, regulatory, marketing, and clinical stakeholders to advance concepts, de-risk development, and prepare them for portfolio inclusion. This role travels about 10% domestically and internationally.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, industrial design, human factors, or related field.
• 7+ years in medical device development, healthcare innovation, or consumer products.
• Experience progressing concepts from ideation through validation and down-selection.
• Experience applying structured innovation methods such as Biodesign, Design Thinking, Jobs to be Done, DFSS.
• Hands-on prototyping, user testing, and formative evaluation.
• Experience with home care or consumer health environments; regulatory/usability considerations.

Responsibilities

• Identify focus areas for critical innovation projects across BD’s UCC portfolio.
• Translate prioritized needs into multiple concept directions with clear user, technical, and business rationale.
• Define target users (patients, caregivers, clinicians) across care settings including home use.
• Lead early concept prototyping (physical/digital) to explore usability and differentiation.
• Partner with engineering, design, human factors, regulatory, quality, and marketing stakeholders.
• Evaluate IP landscape and contribute to invention disclosures and protection strategies.
• Refine value propositions and differentiation based on testing and feedback.
• Drive concept down-selection using criteria for desirability, feasibility, regulatory risk, and value.
• Contribute to design space decisions and architecture for scalable development.
• Ensure concepts exiting Innovation are defined and development-ready.

Skills

Innovation leadership

Structured experimentation

Prototyping

Systems thinking

Excellent communication

Empathy for patients

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Design, Human Factors, or related field

Master’s degree preferred (Engineering, Industrial Design, Human-Centered Design, or equivalent)

Tools

Biodesign

Design Thinking

Jobs to be Done

DFSS

Job description

We are the people who give possibilities purpose BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. Advancing the world of health™ is our Purpose, and it’s no small feat. It takes the imagination and passion of all of us—from design and engineering to the manufacturing and marketing of our billions of MedTech products per year—to look at the impossible and find transformative solutions that turn dreams into possibilities.

Job Summary

As a Staff-level Innovation leader within BD’s Urology & Critical Care (UCC) organization, you will play a critical role in advancing opportunities through the UCC Innovation Process. This role is focused on transforming validated needs into differentiated, testable, and scalable concepts that are ready for development investment. This position is intended for an experienced engineer or industrial designer with a strong blend of medical device development discipline and consumer product design mindset. You will lead concept development, prototyping, and learning cycles that balance clinical performance, business viability, and consumer-grade usability. Your work will directly influence which innovation opportunities progress into the UCC portfolio, shaping next-generation solutions across continence care, infection prevention, monitoring, and home-based therapies.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify focus areas for critical innovation projects
• Translate prioritized needs and value propositions into multiple concept directions, clearly articulating user benefits, technical approach, and business rationale.
• Define target customers and users (patients, caregivers, clinicians) and ensure concepts address distinct needs across care settings, including home use.
• Lead early concept prototyping (physical, digital, experiential) to explore usability, feasibility, and differentiation.
• Partner with engineering, industrial design, human factors, and clinical stakeholders to assess technical readiness and identify critical development gaps.
• Evaluate early IP landscape and contribute to invention disclosures and protection strategies.
• Clearly document assumptions, uncertainties, and learning plans required to advance concepts out of Innovation.
• Refine value propositions and differentiation versus competitive and alternative solutions based on testing and stakeholder feedback.
• Drive concept down-selection using structured criteria including user desirability, technical feasibility, regulatory risk, and business attractiveness.
• Partner with technical to assess design space and critical functions
• Contribute to early technology and system architecture decisions to support scalable product development.
• Ensure concepts exiting Innovation are clearly defined, evidence‑backed, and development‑ready.

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Collaboration

Act as a central integrator across engineering, design, clinical, regulatory, quality, marketing, and commercial teams. Bridge consumer design principles with medical device development rigor, ensuring solutions are intuitive without compromising safety or compliance. Collaborate globally to incorporate regional insights and ensure concepts can scale across markets.

Communication & Change Leadership

Clearly communicate concept rationale, trade‑offs, and recommendations to senior leaders and governance forums. Use compelling storytelling, visuals, and prototypes to drive understanding and alignment. Support innovation capability building within UCC by mentoring teams and contributing to best practices for concept development.

Critical Traits

• Proven ability to move ambiguity into clarity through structured experimentation and learning.
• Strong judgment in evaluating concepts and making evidence‑based recommendations for investment or termination.
• Demonstrated ability to balance user desirability, technical feasibility, and business viability.
• Excellent communication skills across technical, clinical, design, and executive audiences.
• Systems thinker who understands how early decisions impact downstream development, regulatory, and commercialization outcomes.
• Deep empathy for patients, caregivers, and consumers, particularly in home and self‑care contexts.
• Comfortable leading without authority and influencing cross‑functional teams through insight and credibility.
• Bias toward action, rapid prototyping, and learning‑driven progress.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Engineering, Industrial Design, Human Factors, or related field.
• Minimum of 7+ years experience in medical device development, healthcare innovation, or consumer product development.
• Demonstrated experience progressing concepts from early ideation through validation and down‑selection.
• Experience applying structured innovation methods (e.g., Biodesign, Design Thinking, Jobs to be Done, DFSS).
• Hands‑on experience with prototyping, user testing, and formative evaluation.
• Experience designing or developing products intended for home care, self‑use, or consumer health environments strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with regulatory, usability, and risk considerations for medical or health‑adjacent products.
• Travel: Yes, 10% domestic and international.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred (Engineering, Industrial Design, Human‑Centered Design, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with regulatory, usability, and risk considerations for medical or health‑adjacent products.

Primary Work Location

USA NC - Durham - Davis Drive

Additional Locations

USA GA - Covington BMD

Travel

Yes, 10% domestic and international

Work Shift

We are the #MakersofPossible Working together, we make products that patients, families and their healthcare professionals rely on. We do this because we are committed to advancing the world of health™. But it takes the imagination and passion of all of us at BD, from manufacturing to marketing, to look at the impossible and find solutions that turn dreams into possibilities with real‑life health benefits for people today, tomorrow and beyond. We make this happen, together. We are the makers of possible.

Why Join Us?

To find purpose in the possibilities, we need people who can see the bigger picture, who understand the human story that underpins everything we do. We welcome people with the imagination and drive to help us reinvent the future of healthcare. At BD, you’ll discover a culture in which you can learn, grow and thrive. We believe that when people connect in person, we learn faster, collaborate more deeply, and build a stronger culture. Join us and enjoy a culture where face‑to‑face collaboration supports your learning, your progress, and your success.

Becton, Dickinson, and Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or domestic or civil union status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, disability, military eligibility or veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

Becton, Dickinson, and Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or domestic or civil union status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, disability, military eligibility or veteran status, and other legally‑protected characteristics.