Engineering Lead

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 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the student debt program, and education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

Join us at Abbott Diabetes Care (ADC) in our mission to help individuals with diabetes lead active, fulfilling lives. We’re focused on helping people manage their health more effectively and comfortably, with life-changing products that provide accurate data to drive better-informed decisions.

As an Engineering Lead you will manage and maintain the technical qualification of injection molding components suppliers and supplier processes, supervise the resolution of complex technical issues and lead the supplier development team for designated components / processes. The position provides technical support and expertise to molding process optimization, molding validation and technical leadership in tool design to custom part suppliers and team members. Drives activities at the supplier(s) to ensure that production start-up through to scale up to increased volumes are achieved within ADC requirements.

This position will be based out of Abbott Diabetes Care Division in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

What You’ll Work On

• Technical leads to managing large scale, complex multiple projects.
• Coordinate and lead the utilization of internal/external resources to achieve project goals.
• Provide and facilitate design / specification, purchase, installation and qualification of injection mold tools, molding machines, ancillary equipment, and service requirements for their installation.
• Provide and facilitate design/specification, purchase, installation and qualification of reel-to-reel progressive stamping and forming tooling, including strip layout design, feed systems and in-die sensing. 
• Provide technical leadership and expertise in molding process characterization, SIM studies, validation activities to custom part suppliers
• Support custom part suppliers in the qualification of new and existing molds, improve process optimization and help resolve supplier technical issues.
• Identify, Characterize and Document all key process variables included in Design Transfer.
• Optimizes the manufacturing processes at suppliers to provide sustainable gains in cost effectiveness and quality improvement through capital projects, statistical analysis, design of experiments and procedural changes.
• Understand the business needs of the company and have a thorough understanding of customer and clinical needs as they relate to projects.
• Lead and/or participate on cross-functional teams to support organizational goals.
• Serve as subject matter expert (SME) or independent technical expert (ITE) on a project's technical matters; may interface with senior management, external firms or agencies; may coordinate technical matters between organizations.
• Responsible for completing documentation in a timely manner and in accordance with business standards.
• Understand and comply with applicable EHS policies, procedures, rules and regulations.
• Responsible for compliance with applicable Corporate and divisional policies, GMP and performing duties as assigned by management

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree, in engineering, science, or closely related discipline is desired, or equivalent technical experience plus demonstrated competence
• Strong understanding of injection molding process and tool design
• Expertise in stamping, strip metal forming, coil fed manufacturing environment and reel-to-reel progressive dies is preferable.
• Experience with die design fundamentals, blank development, spring-back compensation and tolerance stack analysis
• Knowledge of stamping press selection and coil handling systems
• Experience of qualifying stamping tooling through FAI, capability studies and tool transfer methods
• Prior Experience of analyzing First Article Inspection (FAI) and PpK data.
• Familiarity with cGMP, FDA and ISO regulated environment.
• Experience in work with tooling manufacturing sites including interacting with toolmakers and equipment suppliers for design, FOT, FAT qualification actives.
• Equipment design and specification with Validation experience.
• Design of Experiment for plastic injection molding process development.
• Strong technical knowledge and application of concepts, practices, and procedures.
• Ability or aptitude to work on problems that are complex in scope where analysis of situations or data involves multiple competing factors.
• Ability to work independently and in groups
• Ability to work cross-functionally.
• Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills; critical-thinking skills.
• Ability and aptitude to use various types of databases and other computer software.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to quickly gain knowledge, understanding or skills and is willing to learn.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical project management experience in injection molding industry preferably medical molding
• Experience of working with third party molders for complex parts.
• Strong understanding of injection molding process and tool design
• Qualified in Injection Molding Process development SIM study to Master Molder level would be an advantage.
• Experience with RJG pressure transducers for process control would be an advantage.

Ability to travel approximately 15%, including internationally.

The base pay for this position is $86,700.00 – $173,300.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.