Principal Molding Engineer

Abbott • Lake Forest, CA

10d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is based in Lake Forest, IL within the Core Diagnostics Division, focused on enabling smarter medical and economic decision-making across all stages of health. As a Principal Molding Engineer, you will lead molding activities to achieve strategic engineering goals while ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards. You will apply engineering expertise to support molded consumables, manage multiple projects, and serve as a subject matter expert in mold design and processing. The role includes driving product, process, quality, and cost improvements, supporting supplier and material changes, troubleshooting molding issues, and ensuring reliable component supply. You will also perform capacity analysis across molds, presses, and automation, providing recommendations to support future business needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or technical disciplining desired, or equivalent experience plus demonstrated competence.
• 5+ years technical work experience with 3+ years of plastic injection and/or blow molding design and process support experience, preferably in the medical device industry.
• Knowledge of plastics processes, resins, tooling required.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering in a technical discipline such as Plastics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, etc.
• Knowledge of mold making and design fundamentals, molding process development, plastic resin behavior and required tooling/equipment.
• 5+ years technical work experience with 3+ years of plastic injection and/or blow molding design and process support experience
• Knowledge of plastics processes, resins, tooling required.
• 8+ years of experience in a molding engineering position preferably in the diagnostics or medical device industry.
• Knowledge of FDA QSR's and ISO requirements preferred.
• Knowledge of PFMEA and DFMEA.
• Knowledge of Abbott’s internal Design Plan process.
• Working knowledge of MS Office products including MS Word and advanced MS Excel and PowerPoint capability.
• Must have proven ability to participate in team atmosphere, exhibit and create a sense of urgency and maintain effective working relationships with peers, customers, and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple molding and manufacturing projects, including schedules, budgets, and deliverables
• Develop cost estimates for capital equipment and project expenses
• Collaborate with suppliers to meet quality, cost, and performance objectives
• Lead mold design, equipment selection, and full validation of molding systems, including FAT
• Drive Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) to improve efficiency and product quality
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to resolve technical issues and support supplier transitions
• Oversee process development, validation activities, FMEA, and Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Monitor project performance and implement corrective actions for delays or cost overruns
• Support capacity planning and analyze manufacturing needs for future investment decisions
• Mentor team members and ensure compliance with quality systems, procedures, and standards

Benefits

• Free medical coverage for employees via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO
• Excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement
• The Freedom 2 Save student debt program
• FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Associate degree