R&D Engineering Co-op, Human Factors and Usability

Fresenius Medical Care•Lawrence, MA

About The Position

The R&D Engineering Co-op supports product or process development activities for the development, design, research, and manufacturing of new and existing NxStage Medical products. As part of the R&D team, the co-op participates in research, testing, documentation, sample building, and other project activities, with a focus on supporting the Human Factors and Usability Engineering team. The role involves supporting medical equipment and disposable product development, contributing to technical documentation and analyses, reviewing existing devices and user interfaces, and organizing observations and data. The co-op also helps ensure design activities comply with design controls, quality system regulations, good manufacturing practices, and applicable internal and external standards.

Requirements

Candidate for a BS or MS in Industrial, Systems, Biomedical, Human Factors/Usability, System Safety Engineering, Human-Centered Design and Engineering, Kinesiology/Biomechanics, or Engineering Psychology.
At minimum, have completed sophomore year of a bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline.
Beginning understanding of system design, electronics, mechanical and software integration, and manufacturing processes.
Excellent technical communication skills and attention to detail, including the ability to create and edit technical research, analyses, protocols, and reports.
Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills, including creating databases and mining large sources of data.
Constructive approach to teamwork and collaboration.
Demonstrated interest in the medical device or pharmaceutical industries.
Commitment to performing all tasks with quality and integrity.

Nice To Haves

Entry-level understanding of product and process development of medical devices.
Basic understanding of task analyses, usability testing, and iterative development processes.
Basic knowledge of rapid prototyping processes.
CAD experience.

Responsibilities

Participate in the development of new medical equipment or disposables and upgrades to existing products.
Assist with major projects or project phases to resolve advanced and complex technical problems.
Support Human Factors and Usability Engineering by developing and writing Human-Systems Interaction technical documentation, revising existing documentation, and contributing to technical analyses.
Create comprehensive profiles of devices currently on the market, including task analyses and video walkthroughs.
Assist with heuristic reviews of current user interfaces, including hardware, disposables, and displays.
Use perception, cognition, and action to evaluate and document current user interfaces.
Prepare, organize, and document observations from user evaluations as required.
Create and organize data using spreadsheet management tools.
Ensure design activities conform to design controls and that analysis, design, and testing activities are properly documented.
Participate in identifying design and process shortcomings and ensuring they are appropriately addressed.
Assist the product development team in adopting and using best practices and design methodologies.
Provide technical support for product engineering, design development, integration, testing, and evaluation.
Investigate the feasibility of new projects, systems, or approaches.
Learn about and work in compliance with internal and external standards, good manufacturing practices, and quality system regulations.