Principal Engineer - Advanced Operations

About the role

Stryker is hiring a Principal Advanced Operations Engineer (Technical Lead) in Irvine, California. This senior technical leader drives manufacturing excellence, process development, technology transfer and operational readiness for new product launches. As the primary manufacturing and operations engineering authority within R&D, the role leads cross-functional initiatives to improve manufacturability, operational performance and commercialization. The position is onsite.

Key responsibilities

• Act as technical lead for advanced manufacturing and operations engineering initiatives supporting new product development, implementation and commercialization.
• Provide strategic direction for manufacturing process development, optimization, scale-up, operational readiness and technology transfer to production.
• Partner with R&D throughout the product development lifecycle to ensure manufacturability and scalability, using Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA).
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery and cost performance.
• Lead equipment qualification and process validation, including IQ/OQ/PQ execution.
• Collaborate with Quality, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Regulatory Affairs and R&D to deliver successful product launches and process implementations.
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams, influence stakeholders and drive alignment on technical and operational decisions.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, operations or new product implementation.
• 5+ years leading complex technical projects and cross-functional teams.
• Preferred: Master's degree, experience in regulated industries, and experience influencing leaders and individual contributors across functions.

Required skills

• Manufacturing engineering and process validation
• Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma
• Automation and process validation methodologies
• Equipment qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ)

Pay range: $135,700 - $226,200 USD per year; travel of 20%.