The medical device industry is booming, and companies are looking for STEM talent in droves. In the US alone, there are more than 7,000 medical device companies that employ nearly half a billion people who earn as much as 40% higher wages than the national average.
Here are some of the top technical and engineering careers in the medical device field today.
3 Great Careers in the Medical Device Field
1. Quality Engineers
The medical device and equipment industries are highly regulated and quality is of the utmost importance when putting devices into the market. Quality engineers play a critical role in medical device compliance, ensuring every device works properly. They must be well-versed in how the equipment will be used in a clinical setting and they are tasked with creating documentation, devising quality tests and defining the criteria a test result should meet in order to perform properly in the field. Quality engineers must do all of this with a keen eye for compliance.
Quality engineers may also write portions of FDA regulatory submissions, visit clinical settings to see their devices in action, run verification and validation studies and tests, manage other engineers, wok with the manufacturing team to ensure quality procedures are developed and followed, work with executive management, ensure barcodes and labels of medical equipment are correct and compliant, and much more.
The average salary for Quality Engineers in the US is $90,043.
2. Regulatory Affairs Specialists – UDI, EU MDR
Regulatory Affairs Specialists help medical device companies obtain and maintain government approval for their products. They also serve a strategic function, helping the company achieve a balance between regulatory concerns, technology, marketing objectives, compliance, time to market, and costs. Regulatory Affairs Specialists must understand all aspects of product development including research, clinical trials, manufacturing, regulations, and approvals. They are involved in everything from research and development to manufacturing to advertising.
Unique Device Identifier (UDI) and European Union Medical Device Reporting (EU MDR) Specialists are specialized roles within regulatory affairs. UDI specialists ensure that the company’s products are properly registered in the US and in every country they sell into, that all records and data are maintained properly. They also collaborate with product engineering and marketing to establish product models based on regulatory filings.
The average salary for Regulatory Specialists in the US is $78,470.
3. Supply Quality Engineers
Medical device companies do not produce every single part that goes into their equipment. They rely on suppliers to help them create their finished product and someone must ensure that those suppliers and the materials they supply are in compliance with specifications and standards. They review engineering and manufacturing specifications and when necessary, negotiate new contracts or find new vendors for parts.
The average salary for Supply Quality Engineers in the US is $80,921.
Are You Ready For A Career In The Medical Device Field?
If you are a technical or engineering professional looking to accelerate your career in the medical device industry, talk to the expert recruiters at The CERES Group or browse our open jobs today. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in the Northeast, we work with some of the most dynamic companies in the industry. We look forward to helping you achieve your career goals.