Staff Engineer – Technical Sourcing, DFX & NPI

Thermo Fisher Scientific•Hillsboro, OR

11d•Onsite

About The Position

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer. Position Summary The Staff Engineer serves as a senior technical leader responsible for advancing Design for Excellence (DFX) strategy and technical sourcing across New Product Introduction (NPI) programs. This role ensures mechanical designs are manufacturable, scalable, cost-effective, and aligned with Thermo Fisher’s business objectives, quality standards, and PPI culture. Operating at the intersection of R&D, Procurement, Operations, Quality, and strategic suppliers, the Staff Engineer provides deep technical expertise and system-level perspective to influence product architecture, manufacturing strategy, and cost structure early in the development lifecycle. The Staff Engineer plays a critical role in translating product innovation into reliable, manufacturable, and economically viable solutions at scale.

Requirements

Advanced Degree plus 6 years of experience, or Bachelor's Degree plus 8 years of experience in product design, development, and manufacturing
Preferred Fields of Study: Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Physics
Strong knowledge of mechanical design including materials selection, precision mechanisms, system integration
Strong knowledge & demonstrated proficiency of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and DFX principles in a product development environment.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes including machining, injection molding, and sheet metal fabrication
Experience working directly with external suppliers and contract manufacturers.
Experience supporting BOM, cost, and COGS development.
Expertise in 3D CAD software (SolidWorks, Pro/e, Creo, or similar) and PDM/PLM systems
Experience dealing with mechanical devices that are regulated by third party agencies such as FDA, NSF, CSA, UL, ISO 13485 standard and others in the medical products industry
Understanding of phase gate development processes and methodologies across multiple disciplines and subject matters is preferred
Experience with documentation, change control processes, and quality systems (ISO, FDA, etc.)
Proficient in Microsoft Office suite and engineering analysis tools
Strong project management skills and ability to lead technical initiatives
Strong communication and collaboration skills
Strong analytical abilities and critical thinking
Proactive personality and great problem-solving skills
Ability to prioritize and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality
Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively
Experience working in cross-functional, global teams
Ability to travel up to 20% as required

Nice To Haves

Experience in regulated or quality-critical environments (life sciences, medical devices, analytical instruments).
Experience with validation testing and verification procedures
Demonstrated experience with FEA, thermal analysis, and engineering calculations
Experience working within global supply chains.
Familiarity with cost modeling, should-cost analysis, or digital manufacturing tools.
Experience applying PPI or continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical authority for mechanical components and assemblies across multiple NPI programs.
Act as the primary technical interface between R&D, Procurement, and Operations to align product design with manufacturing strategy.
Lead supplier technical evaluations, including manufacturing capability, process maturity, scalability, and risk.
Drive early supplier involvement (ESI) to influence product architecture, manufacturing approach, and cost targets.
Provide technical leadership for make vs. buy decisions, balancing engineering complexity, cost structure, scalability, and supply chain risk.
Establish strong partnerships with strategic manufacturing suppliers to drive innovation, manufacturability improvements, and cost optimization.
Lead the deployment and continuous improvement of Design for Excellence (DFX) across mechanical designs and development programs.
Define and enforce best practices across: Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Design for Assembly (DFA) Design for Cost (DFC) Design for Quality and Reliability Design for Serviceability
Facilitate cross-functional DFX reviews and supplier workshops that influence product architecture and manufacturing processes.
Drive value engineering initiatives and cost optimization strategies while preserving product performance and quality.
Ensure product designs reflect real-world manufacturing constraints and supplier process capabilities.
Provide technical leadership across the NPI lifecycle, guiding programs from concept through commercialization.
Lead structured DFX proposals and technical risk assessments across development phases.
Influence product architecture decisions to optimize manufacturability, cost structure, and scalability.
Participate in prototype builds, design verification, validation, and production ramp, ensuring manufacturing readiness.
Identify and mitigate technical, manufacturing, and supply chain risks early in development.
Ensure successful transfer from development to manufacturing through robust supplier readiness and process validation.
Drive cost transparency and cost architecture decisions through collaboration with Procurement and Finance.
Establish cost models and should-cost frameworks to support supplier negotiations and cost optimization.
Guide programs toward progressive cost maturity, from early concept estimates through production-released BOM.
Lead VAVE initiatives that improve cost competitiveness and product value throughout the product lifecycle.
Serve as a technical advisor and thought leader to engineering, operations, and procurement leadership.
Drive alignment across R&D, Program Management, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Quality.
Apply PPI tools and structured problem-solving methodologies to complex technical and operational challenges.
Mentor engineers and contribute to organizational capability development in DFX, technical sourcing, and NPI execution.
Establish and maintain technical playbooks, standards, and best practices to improve product development and manufacturing outcomes across the organization.