Vice President, R&D, Vascular & Emergency Medicine

Vacancy Details

Requisition ID: 13887

Principal Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive global R&D strategy aligned with corporate and business unit objectives.
• Work closely with Strategic Marketing and Clinical Medical Affairs to build and deliver a robust innovation pipeline that supports short, medium and long-term global growth.
• Drive both incremental innovation (line extensions, product enhancements, indications) and transformational platform development.
• Identify and leverage emerging technologies, innovative NPD practices, clinical insights, and external partnerships to advance innovation.
• Engage with key opinion leaders (KOLs), scientific advisory boards, startups, academic institutions, and external innovation partners.
• Support business development and M&A activities through technology evaluation, diligence, and integration planning.
• Lead end-to-end product development activities from concept through commercialization.
• Drive disciplined stage-gate processes, design control rigor, and milestone execution.
• Improve development cycle times, launch predictability, and on-time performance.
• Deliver sustaining engineering, product enhancements, and cost optimization initiatives.
• Intervene directly in critical or underperforming programs to ensure successful execution.
• Ensure all product development activities align with customer needs, clinical workflows, and commercial objectives.
• Manage the R&D portfolio and resources based on strategic growth opportunities and business objectives.
• Drive disciplined portfolio governance processes, including alignment to business unit prioritization and kill/accelerate decisions.
• Ensure resource allocation supports revenue growth, profitability, and competitive advantage.
• Build and lead a high-performing global R&D organization with a culture of innovative thinking, accountability, collaboration, and predictable execution excellence.
• Attract, retain and develop top engineering and technical talent.
• Assess organizational capabilities and upgrade / performance manage talent where necessary.
• Foster cross-functional ownership and eliminate siloed execution across teams.
• Promote continuous improvement, technical excellence, and leadership development.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Clinical, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain.
• Works effectively with manufacturing process engineering and campus technical staff.
• Ensure product development decisions are grounded in:
  • The Voice of Customer (VOC)
  • Clinical workflow
  • Market adoption dynamics (Diffusion of Innovation principles)
  • Health economics and reimbursement considerations

Education / Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline required.
• Master’s degree preferred; PhD a plus.
• 15–20+ years of progressive leadership experience in medical device R&D.
• Minimum 10 years in senior leadership roles (Senior Director or Vice President level).
• Proven track record leading successful product launches in regulated medical device environments.
• Demonstrated success leading global and multi-site R&D organizations.

Specialized Skills / Other Requirements

• Regulatory, Quality & Compliance:
  • Ensure full compliance with FDA regulations, ISO standards, and global regulatory requirements.
  • Leadership in design controls, risk management, verification/validation, and regulatory submissions.
  • Leverage regulatory strategy to accelerate market access and reduce development risk.
  • Maintain and expand the company’s intellectual property portfolio and manage royalty agreements.
• Financial & Operational Management:
  • Prepare and manage R&D budgets with strong fiscal discipline and ROI-based decision making.
  • Ensure effective allocation of resources across programs and strategic initiatives.
  • Monitor performance metrics and implement improvements to increase efficiency and productivity.
  • Drive business outcomes through execution and measurable performance improvements.
• Leadership Characteristics:
  • High standards with strong focus on technical excellence and results.
  • Decisive and action-oriented in ambiguous environments.
  • Hands-on leader willing to engage deeply in critical programs when necessary.
  • Collaborative yet driven; drives alignment while maintaining urgency.
  • Passionate about innovation, customer impact, and organizational excellence.

Success Metrics (First 24 Months)

• Improved on-time milestone delivery and launch predictability.
• Reduction in overall product development cycle times.
• Increased launch cadence and revenue contribution from new products.
• Cross-functional development of a differentiated 3–5 year innovation pipeline and 5+ multi-generation roadmaps where appropriate with clear milestone and timeline commitments
• Strategic assessment of resources, competencies and talent for fit-for-purpose organization design

Working Conditions / Physical Demands

• Travel Required: 50%
• Approximately 50% domestic and 25% international travel.
• Multi-site responsibilities include technology locations in Wyomissing PA, Morrisville NC, Czech Republic and Chihuahua Mexico
• Preferred base location Morrisville NC or Wyomissing PA. Multi-site presence and engagement is necessary.

Nearest Major Market

Raleigh