Thomas Hatfield’s Post

🚀 Ready for your next engineering role? Here are my top 5 tips for candidates interviewing for positions in Medical Device manufacturing companies: 1. **Know the Regulations** ✅ Medical Device manufacturing is heavily regulated. Familiarise yourself with ISO 13485 and FDA requirements. Showing that you understand these standards can set you apart. 2. **Highlight Problem-Solving Skills** ✅ Employers value engineers who can think on their feet. Share specific examples where you've tackled complex problems and delivered results. This demonstrates your ability to handle the challenges of the role. 3. **Understand the Company's Products** ✅ Do your homework on the company's product lines. Being able to discuss their products intelligently shows your genuine interest and can help you connect better with the interviewers. 4. **Showcase Teamwork and Communication** ✅ Engineering roles often require collaboration. Highlight your experience working in teams and your ability to communicate effectively with different departments. This is crucial in a multidisciplinary field like Medical Devices. 5. **Prepare for Technical Questions** ✅ Be ready to dive into technical details. Review your past projects and be prepared to discuss the technical aspects. Practising common engineering problems can also help you stay sharp. Remember, preparation is key! For more tips or to explore opportunities, visit hero.ie or get in touch with me directly. Let's make your next career move a success! #EngineeringJobs #MedicalDevices #CareerTips

🚀 Embark on a Life Sciences Odyssey: Your Future Begins Here! 🌐✨ Are you a dynamic professional eager to sculpt the future in the realm of Life Sciences? Brace yourself for a thrilling journey as we unveil exclusive contract opportunities across the USA. We're not just offering jobs; we're inviting visionaries like you to co-author the next chapter in scientific innovation. Why Us? ✨ Revolutionary Ventures: Dive into avant-garde projects that redefine the very fabric of Life Sciences. ✨ Synergistic Community: Join forces with a tribe of like-minded trailblazers, where collaboration fuels brilliance. ✨ Elevate Your Trajectory: Propel your career to unparalleled heights with our commitment to your professional ascent. What Distinguishes Us? 🚀 Pioneering Spirit: We don't chase trends; we set them ablaze. 🚀 Cultural Tapestry: Immerse yourself in a supportive haven where your ideas aren't just heard—they're celebrated. 🚀 Global Talent Hub: For those in the USA, sponsorship awaits as we curate a diverse, world-class team. Unveiling Roles Fit for Mavericks: ·        Manufacturing Engineer ·        Process Engineer ·        Validation Engineer – CSV, CQV & Equipment ·        R&D/NPD/NPI ·        Quality Engineer ·        Regulatory Affairs Ready to sculpt the future and redefine your career narrative? Seize this opportunity to channel your expertise into extraordinary projects and become a pivotal force in shaping the Life Sciences landscape! How to Initiate This Epic Adventure: Send your resume—to sai@premierlifesciences.com. Let's ignite a dialogue and orchestrate the symphony of your success. #LifeSciences #CareerAdventure #InnovationUnleashed #JoinTheRevolution #FutureShapers 🌟 Premier Life Sciences LLC #wearehiring #sponsorshipopportunity

I have an issue with companies waiting for the “perfect candidate.’  99% of the time - They don’t exist The hunt for the perfect candidate can be blinding. You think they need specific experience to excel. Specific medical device expertise. Start-up experience. Management background. But perfection? It doesn’t exist. Here's why this strategy backfires: While you search for flawless, you miss out on high-caliber talent. Maybe they lack one "must-have," but they bring other valuable skills. Take this recent example: A client needed a Director of Quality for their cardiovascular start-up. They wanted someone with start-up experience, ISO 13485 certification, and class III device knowledge. Finding someone local with all three? It was challenging. We found a great candidate, light on class III experience but strong elsewhere. The hiring manager was open-minded. They interviewed him, and he impressed everyone despite lacking one key area. He's been in the role for weeks and is already making a significant impact. Be flexible. Consider candidates who meet 80% of your criteria. It's about the impact they can make, not checking every box.

TAKE A RISK If you engage with me for an open role, but tell me that you "aren't looking for a new role, just interested to hear what's in the market" - there is more to it.. Something is missing Something is causing you to be curious Maybe you DON'T have.. → Growth opportunity → A breakthrough Medical Device with exciting submissions → State of the art QMS → State-of-the-art facility / Flexibility for WFH → Responsibility & Autonomy to suggest/make change → A salary that is ahead of your peers/friends And maybe the opportunity I present you with could.. → Change your life → Give you financial freedom OR the opportunity to grow into a role that gives you financial freedom → Gain experience with BREAKTHROUGH FDA listed Medical Devices → Work on complex submissions → Work as a part of the Senior Leadership team → Opportunity to learn new skills But it also might not.. and thats OK TAKE A RISK ⏳ and learn about it though... PS promise my job opportunities are better than my photoshop skills #RegulatoryAffairs #QualityAssurance #MedicalDevices #LifeSciences

After my last post made a splash talking about how the lab director position is misused, I thought I'd balance things out and talk about the position a bit from the business side. If you're a founder or business owner, what should you look for in a candidate for a lab director position? In my opinion the biggest thing for someone in a lab director position is trust. This is especially important in a compliance or production laboratory. When I've hired lab directors in the past, I needed to trust that when I was offsite for whatever reason, I knew that all of the tests would be performed ethically and correctly no matter what. Your laboratory's COA is your product, and you (and all of your clients) need to trust that it and your results are accurate, especially if it means sacrificing turn around time. It's always better to be accurate and defensible than to hit turnaround times. This ties in with my second criteria. Hire someone who has the guts to tell you no. Not only will "yes men" be the death of you and your company, but you need someone who will argue for the lab and the lab employees interests against the business's interests especially if you as a founder don't have a scientific background. Third, find a candidate that can manage people. Ultimately they will not be doing much (if any) day to day bench work. They'll be responsible for hiring all of the techs and scientists while overseeing all operations so this is a mandatory skill. Finally, (notice I put this towards the bottom of the list) this person should at least be scientifically familiar with your current industry focus. They don't necessarily need to be an expert, but they do need to have enough of a scientific background that they can quickly get up to speed with your business's specific product or process. They will also be your bullshit detector for any new hires, industry sales reps or complaining clients, to filter out what you should and shouldn't escalate. Essentially, hire the best person you can afford, then get out of their way and let them do their job. What should you pay someone for this position? That really depends on a lot of things like what industry, how many locations will they oversee, their background and qualifications, benefits packages, etc. But you should reasonably expect that range to be $90k-$150k+ for anyone worth your time and trust. To close out here's a short list of some other "nice to haves", but are not necessary: QA/QC experience GMP/ISO 9001/ISO 17025:2017 experience Budgetary ownership and cash flow planning Basic understanding of equipment maintenance and method troubleshooting basic understanding of HR policies Method and SOP creation LIMS implementation Basic understanding of scientific sales Environmental control experience Industry colleagues, what do you think? What else do you think should be on this list? Next time I'll post about how to spot a bad candidate for lab director and what you can do to screen them out.

Medical Device Leaders – Q4 is Here! As we enter the final stretch of the year, it's clear that the medical device industry continues to grow rapidly, with new innovations and regulatory changes shaping the landscape. At Panda International, we're here to support your hiring and growth needs. Whether you're scaling up, navigating regulatory challenges, or planning for 2024, we specialize in helping you secure top talent across quality assurance, regulatory affairs, engineering, production and support services. If you’re looking to build your team or looking to discuss market trends, I’d love to connect. Send me a quick DM to book in some time. #MedicalDevices #MedTech #Hiring #TalentAcquisition #RegulatoryAffairs #QualityAssurance #Q4

Hiring Exceptional Talent in the Medical Device Industry: A Double-Edged Sword In the highly regulated world of #MedicalDevices, finding the right talent can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. 📉 The rigorous standards that keep patients safe also raise the bar for the expertise required to innovate and deliver cutting-edge solutions. Between navigating FDA guidelines, ensuring ISO compliance, and maintaining strict quality control processes, we’re looking for professionals with not only technical prowess but also the resilience and knowledge to work within these constraints. As recruiters, we’re facing the dual challenge of sourcing individuals who can master these complexities while also fitting seamlessly into a fast-paced, innovation-driven culture. It’s not just about finding someone who can do the job—it’s about finding someone who can thrive in an environment where the stakes are high and the margin for error is low. But here's the upside: when you do find that unicorn 🦄—that person with the right mix of expertise, adaptability, and drive—it makes the search more than worth it. What are some of the biggest hiring challenges you've faced in this space? #MedTech #HiringChallenges #Recruitment #TalentAcquisition #MedicalDevices #Compliance #Leadership #Innovation #HiringTopTalent

https://lnkd.in/gm-D4JqW. As a former regulator I encountered thousands of professionals that hosted the inspections. It didn’t take long to formulate an opinion a professional opinion of the host(s) knowledgeable, experienced, effective, good leader, etc. I say professional because personal traits are another thing. Some of the "nicest” personalities were the most inefficient, ineffective ones and vice versa. You often wonder how did this person end up in this position? How does this company hire? How does it retain these key positions? Many more questions on hiring key positions that impact the quality and risk control of operations. As an FDA investigator I was trained and given manuals to look listen to interactions to establish authority and responsibility within a company regardless of titles. You see a janitor barking orders, that’s no ordinary janitor as he represents himself and so on. Who hired that janitor, why does he give order? How long has he or she been on the job? The FDA regulates products not people, but the products don’t act on their own. The FDA must not only establish jurisdiction but responsibility and authority for that product’s manufacture and introduction into interstate commercialization. How did that person end up in that position????

Hiring a Regulatory Manager should be completed in weeks not months. In our team, we complete most of our searches in less than 30 days for our clients. If you want to get a product to market and take 6 months to hire, you will be MASSIVELY behind schedule. Not forgetting the monetary value attached to the lost opportunities that commercialising your product could bring. Too many companies are obsessed with having several comparisons in a skill short market, missing out on talented applicants because they move too slowly. Customers that work with me, spend less time trying to hire and more time getting the product into new markets. Which means better revenue, better growth and not to mention better morale. DM me or email amy.holder@adecco.com to discuss how we can help you hire the right person quickly. #medicaldevice #medtech #regulatoryaffairs