Director Engineering, Supplier Development

Edwards Lifesciences • Irvine, CA

11d

About The Position

The Director Engineering will lead the Supplier Development Advanced Catheter category and provide strategic support to external manufacturing. The role leads supplier development engineering across new product development, commercialization, and lifecycle management, ensuring supplier readiness, technical capability, and long-term performance. It partners with research and development, new product development, sourcing, supplier quality, manufacturing, quality, and program management to develop and commercialize cardiovascular technologies.

The Director provides engineering leadership throughout the product development lifecycle, including design development, design for manufacturability, verification, validation, qualification, and commercialization. The role leads development, qualification, and technical oversight of external suppliers and contract manufacturers working on complex interventional catheter systems, components, and delivery technologies. It also drives lifecycle management and continuous improvement of commercial products, with a focus on supplier capability, manufacturing processes, quality, reliability, and scalability.

As a technical and people leader, the Director provides technical direction, coaching, and mentorship; builds organizational capability through talent development, assignments, training, and succession planning; and manages team performance to ensure high-quality, on-time engineering programs and deliverables. Travel up to 35% domestically and internationally is required to engage with suppliers and manufacturing partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
• Experience in manufacturing, including managing external vendors and suppliers across sustaining engineering and new product development programs.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing engineering teams within a regulated medical device environment.
• Ability to travel up to 35% domestically and internationally.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or Master’s degree in Engineering, preferably Mechanical or Biomedical.
• Medical device experience in new product development, including successful design optimization from development through commercialization.
• Experience in more than one of the following areas: interventional access devices, rapid product development and manufacturing of components, and complex assembly design.
• Experience with catheter and related manufacturing processes, including extrusions, braiding, molding, laser-cutting, and bonding.
• Experience with rapid product development in cross-functional teams, creative design, prototyping, and test method development, including in-vitro testing.
• Proven ability to apply technical knowledge and judgment to complex engineering problems.
• Knowledge of DFM, GD&T, and Six Sigma methodology.
• Broad perspective and effective judgment, with well-reasoned problem solving and decision-making.
• Ability to be bold and decisive to drive action.
• Ability to build a shared vision, inspire others to action, set clear direction, and establish plans consistent with that direction.

Responsibilities

• Lead Supplier Development Engineering activities across new product development, commercialization, and lifecycle management, ensuring supplier readiness, technical capability, and long-term performance.
• Partner with R&D, NPD, Sourcing, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program Management to develop and commercialize cardiovascular technologies.
• Provide engineering leadership throughout design development, design for manufacturability, verification, validation, qualification, and commercialization.
• Lead the development, qualification, and technical oversight of external suppliers and contract manufacturers, including those producing complex interventional catheter systems, components, and delivery technologies.
• Drive lifecycle management and continuous improvement across commercial products, improving supplier capability, manufacturing processes, quality, reliability, and scalability.
• Provide technical direction, coaching, and mentorship while fostering accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
• Build organizational capability through talent development, targeted assignments, training, and succession planning, aligning employee development with business needs.
• Establish clear objectives and manage team performance to ensure high-quality, on-time execution of engineering programs and deliverables.
• Travel domestically and internationally to engage with suppliers and manufacturing partners.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries
• Performance-based incentives
• A wide variety of benefits programs to address the diverse individual needs of employees and their families

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director