Associate Director, R&D – Technical Lead
Onsite, San Diego, CA
- Job ID
- R-539312
- Category
- Research & Development
- Location
- San Diego, California
Build an engineering career where innovation, ownership and impact move healthcare forward
At BD, Engineering and R&D professionals design, develop and improve the technologies that shape how healthcare is delivered worldwide. You'll apply scientific thinking, technical expertise and creative problem-solving to turn complex challenges into solutions that matter.
Whether you specialize in mechanical, electrical, process, systems, software or research engineering, BD offers the scale, resources and freedom to innovate – with clear expectations, accountability for outcomes and opportunities to grow your career alongside industry-leading technology.
And as one of the world's largest medical technology companies, you'll shape solutions that reach across global healthcare systems and improve lives at scale.
We are the people who give possibilities purpose
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. Advancing the world of health™ is our Purpose, and it’s no small feat. It takes the imagination and passion of all of us—from design and engineering to the manufacturing and marketing of our billions of MedTech products per year—to look at the impossible and find transformative solutions that turn dreams into possibilities.
Job Description
The Infusion R&D Technical Lead provides end‑to‑end technical leadership and is accountable for the overall technical health, performance, and readiness of the infusion platform. This leader drives the technical de‑risking, system integration, and disciplined execution required to deliver safe, reliable, and compliant platform releases. They lead the early identification and rigorous mitigation of high‑impact risks across hardware, software, systems engineering, and cybersecurity—ensuring issues are surfaced early, resolved with engineering discipline, and retired with clear, objective evidence. As the technical authority for the platform, this role sets direction, guides engineering teams through complex decisions, and ensures the platform advances with well‑characterized risks and predictable technical outcomes.
Duties & Responsibilities
Serve as the technical leader for complex medical device platforms and major sub‑projects, owning significant portions of the product development lifecycle.
Provide strong technical leadership and direction to R&D teams, fostering alignment across disciplines and demonstrating the ability to deep‑dive into detailed engineering challenges when needed.
Champion, establish, and maintain best‑in‑class R&D methodologies, tools, processes, and standards, ensuring rigor, consistency, and compliance across the platform’s engineering activities.
Develop and lead robust project plans and integrated timelines, ensuring technical deliverables are tied to business priorities, resourced appropriately, and clearly traced to individual engineering responsibilities.
Drive rapid and innovative problem solving to accelerate product development.
Lead and execute the full product development lifecycle, demonstrating hands‑on experience driving products from concept through design, integration, verification, validation, regulatory submission support, design transfer, launch, and post‑market sustaining.
Operate effectively within an environment supporting both organic and inorganic innovation opportunities.
Partner with Functional Leaders to allocate engineering resources across disciplines, ensuring the right talent is in place to achieve platform goals.
Mentor, develop, and performance‑manage engineering talent assigned to the platform.
Manage the annual platform budget and ensure alignment of resources and execution with business strategy.
Partner with cross‑functional engineering and organizational leaders to support proactive talent planning, optimize resource allocation throughout the year, and ensure continuity and capability across engineering functions.
Lead technical de‑risking efforts, including identification, characterization, mitigation, and formal retirement of technical risks
Education & Experience
Bachelor of Science in Science or Engineering. Master's degree or PhD preferred.
At least 10 years of growing responsibility in R&D technical engineering roles (4 or more years of experience in leadership capacity) or a PhD in a relevant engineering discipline with 3-5 years of industry experience, with extensive, successful experience in product development and a clear understanding of quality management systems.
Broad technical background and clearly demonstrated expertise in device engineering: examples include device/system architecture, system integration and testing, and design transfer.
Demonstrated track record of technical leadership and delivering results
Management of complex projects in a Medical Device or other regulated environment preferred
Experience in developing Regulated products (FDA, Automotive, Industrial, etc.)
Experience working with cross-functional teams
Demonstrated leadership experience managing multi‑disciplinary engineering teams
Why Join Us?
To find purpose in the possibilities, we need people who can see the bigger picture, who understand the human story that underpins everything we do. We welcome people with the imagination and drive to help us reinvent the future of healthcare. At BD, you’ll discover a culture in which you can learn, grow and thrive.
We believe that when people connect in person, we learn faster, collaborate more deeply, and build a stronger culture. Join us and enjoy a culture where face-to-face collaboration supports your learning, your progress, and your success.
To learn more about BD visit https://bd.com/careers.
Becton, Dickinson, and Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or domestic or civil union status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, disability, military eligibility or veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.
Required Skills
Optional Skills
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Primary Work Location
USA CA - San Diego Bldg A&BAdditional Locations
Work Shift
At BD, we reward, support and develop our associates through our comprehensive Total Rewards program. We are committed to attracting and retaining high quality talent by providing reward and recognition opportunities that promote a performance-based culture, as well as a competitive package of compensation and benefits programs. You can learn more on our career site under "Our Commitment to You."
Our salary or hourly rate ranges reward associates fairly and competitively. We regularly review these ranges and factors, such as location, contribute to the range displayed.
Our pay is based on the role and the necessary skills and education to perform it successfully. The salary or hourly rate offered is determined by the role's specific requirements, including any applicable step rate pay system at the work location. Salary or hourly pay ranges are influenced by labor laws and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) requirements applicable to the work location which may also affect the workplace arrangement of the role.
Salary Range Information
$169,800.00 - $280,300.00 USD AnnualSuccess Profile
What sets successful Engineering and R&D professionals apart? You're likely to thrive if you are:
- Analytical
- Collaborative
- Curious
- Detail-oriented
- Inventive
- Problem-solver
Ready for your next challenge?
This is an environment for engineers who want to think boldly and execute with precision. You'll have the opportunity to influence design decisions, contribute across the full product lifecycle and see how your work moves from concept to real-world impact – backed by the scale of a global MedTech leader.
Hear from one of our BD Innovators about how BD uses cutting-edge AI and machine learning to power decisions that improve patient outcomes and expand access to care. This is where your work drives real-time impact across the globe.
Hear from Our Associates
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"BD is a big, global company so don't be afraid to connect with and reach out to others. There is so much to learn here, and the company does an amazing job of helping people develop and grow. I'd also offer to become like a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as you can and put your Career Blueprint to work for you. I really love my job and am so grateful to work at BD."
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"I think we have something like more than 30 different countries represented by those working within the Research Centre Ireland, which is impressive and one of my favourite things about BD. I work with electrical, mechanical engineers, scientists and so many others – it's wonderful to see and hear so many different perspectives during the day."
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"I continue to be amazed at how we keep innovating in the Med Tech space. We constantly evaluate how to bring even more solutions to healthcare professionals, how to increase the efficiency of our technologies, all while keeping the patient impact in mind. Not only have I found meaningful work at BD, but a place where I feel I can thrive."
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"During my interview, I learned how much of an impact our infusion solutions have across the world and I was impressed because whether it's analgesics, cancer treatments, anesthesia or other treatments, the likelihood of someone within your own family using our product is high. Contributing to the creation of products that have the ability to make such a big impact in healthcare is a great feeling. I love my role at BD."
Benefits
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Competitive Compensation
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Retirement Plans
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Healthcare Coverage
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Paid Time Off
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Parental Leave
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Employee Assistance Program
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Rewards & Recognition
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