Strategic Support Lead (Southfield, MI)

The Opportunity This is a remote position (Client onsite) must currently live in Southfield MI area. Traveling up to 20% What You’ll Work On The Joint Venture Strategic Support Lead serves as the primary technical and operational liaison between Abbott and the Joint Venture (JV) laboratory. This role provides expert diagnostics support across instrumentation, assays, middleware, and laboratory workflow integration while driving operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement. The position ensures optimal laboratory performance through proactive issue identification, technical consultation, stakeholder coordination, and effective escalation management. Acting as a trusted advisor, the incumbent partners with laboratory leadership, Abbott service teams, and third‑party vendors to maximize system reliability, assay performance, and business outcomes. Customer Partnership & Technical Leadership Serve as the primary technical representative and trusted advisor within the JV laboratory. Build and maintain strong relationships with laboratory leadership and key stakeholders. Align technical support activities with customer operational objectives and service expectations. Translate customer needs into actionable service, training, and escalation plans. Support governance reviews, operational discussions, and continuous improvement initiatives. Alinity System Ownership Provide routine and advanced operational support for Alinity platforms. Monitor system performance and ensure instrument readiness, optimization, and alignment with laboratory workflows. Deliver user training, coaching, and knowledge transfer to laboratory personnel. Identify and drive opportunities to improve utilization, productivity, and uptime. Partner with Field Service Engineering (FSE) teams to resolve recurring or escalated instrument issues. Assay and Performance Support Lead troubleshooting efforts for assay performance concerns, including quality control trends, lot-to-lot variability, calibration issues, and test failures. Perform root cause analysis and recommend corrective and preventive actions. Support assay validation, verification, implementation, and integration activities. Monitor performance metrics and proactively address potential risks to laboratory operations. Middleware and Informatics Support Provide first-line support for Abbott Middleware Solutions (such as AMS) and related informatics applications. Verify connectivity, workflow functionality, data integrity, and system integration performance. Coordinate issue resolution with laboratory IT teams, middleware partners, and Abbott support organizations. Ensure effective communication and escalation management throughout the resolution process. Operational Excellence Assess laboratory processes and recommend improvements that increase efficiency, reliability, and customer satisfaction. Coordinate technical activities across multiple stakeholders and support teams. Track and communicate key service issues, risks, and resolution status. Support compliance with applicable quality, regulatory, and operational requirements. Vendor and Cross-Functional Collaboration Act as the primary point of contact for technical collaboration with third‑party vendors supporting the JV laboratory. Coordinate resources across Technical Support, Service, Commercial, Quality, and Informatics functions. Facilitate effective communication among stakeholders to ensure timely issue resolution and business continuity. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Medical Laboratory Science, Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Life Sciences, Engineering, or a minimum of 5 years of related experience. Minimum 7 years of experience in diagnostics, laboratory operations, technical support, field applications, service, or a related healthcare environment. Experience troubleshooting laboratory instrumentation, assays, and workflow‑related issues. Direct customer‑facing experience with demonstrated relationship management skills. Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting Alinity platforms and related diagnostic technologies or similar CCIA equipment. Knowledge of laboratory regulatory requirements, quality systems, and compliance standards. Experience working with middleware, laboratory informatics, or connectivity solutions. Exposure to project management, process improvement, or business analysis initiatives. Experience operating in highly regulated environments subject to FDA, GMP, or equivalent requirements. Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS), Medical Technologist (MT), or relevant diagnostics, laboratory, or technical certifications. Benefits 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 high employer contribution. Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit – an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr Abbott Laboratories