Supplier Engineering Lead at Abbott Laboratories

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Job Title

Supplier Engineering Lead

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

This position works out of our Pleasanton, CA location in the Heart Failure Division. In Abbott’s Heart Failure (HF) business, we’re developing solutions to diagnose, monitor and manage heart failure, allowing people to restore their health and get on with their lives.

The primary responsibility of the Senior Supplier Development Engineer is to monitor and improve supplier, supply chain & value stream performance, and mitigate risk associated with new and existing suppliers globally.  The role is responsible for operational/technical oversight of key suppliers with specific focus on fostering collaboration and continuous improvement to ensure the highest level of performance in all parts of the business. 

What You’ll Work On

• Operates within the Supply Chain organizational goals and objectives, measures performance, and implements corrective actions when necessary.  Provides guidance on root cause analysis.
• Executes the organizational objectives and programs to reduce the total costs (product/component cost glide paths).  Develops and implements consistent performance metrics for suppliers & value streams.
• Responsible for initiating/facilitating/coordinating new and current product/component designs and design changes to achieve improved quality and cost.  Provide the leadership of identifying and developing reliable and cost-effective manufacturing processes for all new and existing products/components manufactured by suppliers.
• Facilitate strategic value stream improvements with cross-functional teams for supplier management and material risk mitigation.  
• Project coordinator for assigned supplier impacted programs such as product transfers, continuous improvement initiatives, material changes, validation of new manufacturing process, etc., providing oversight and guidance to Supply Chain, Quality, and Regulatory functions to ensure uninterrupted product/component supply.  
• Ensures approved projects are within budget.
• Become knowledgeable of supplier business, systems and processes through collaboration with Marketing, Quality Assurance, Engineering, R&D, Purchasing, Regulatory, Legal, Supply Chain, Logistics, etc.  Execute agreed strategies to address supplier performance issues.
• Evaluation and identification of technical manufacturing capabilities of current and future suppliers.  Leads activities to close gaps where applicable.  Provides subject matter expertise during due diligence assessments.
• Supports global supply chain, operations, and engineering to ensure commercial needs and requirements are met through effective and efficient supplier strategies. Leads internal project teams to successfully manage new manufacturing site start-ups or other continuous improvement objectives.
• Accountable to establish and maintain effective cross-functional communication and working relationships between Abbott and Supplier’s Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, R&D, Regulatory, etc., functions.
• Coordinates internal and external resources to address issues and ensure supply.
• Responsible for compliance with applicable Corporate and Division policies and procedures.
• Evaluates cost / benefit of various financial scenarios and makes recommendations to management.
• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements linked to manufacturing.
• Teach & mentor other Supply Chain, Ops, etc… team members in areas of expertise.
• Travel up to 25%, including internationally.(only if required)

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or related field. M.S. in Computer Science

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years
• Proven history of delivering results and strong work ethic. 
• Comfortable working in fast-paced environment with ownership and accountability for the entire supply chain. 
• Experience in working across functional areas and possess an understanding of the various operational disciplines (i.e., Engineering, Manufacturing, Logistics, Purchasing, Supply Chain). 
• Strong oral and written presentation skills and ability to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience. 
• Excellent problem solving and logical thinking skills. This position will frequently interact with the principal business owner or senior management staff at the supplier to discuss projects and negotiate issues and resolve problems.
• This position requires frequent travel to suppliers and other Abbott sites, potentially on short notice as business conditions demand. 
• Passionate about their work and proven track record of delivering results.
• Experience training and/or mentoring other engineers and other teammates in a variety of methods.
• Strong negotiating and influencing skills.

Apply Now

* Participants who complete a short wellness assessment qualify for FREE coverage in our HIP PPO medical plan. Free coverage applies in the next calendar year.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:  www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews.

The base pay for this position is $109,300.00 – $218,500.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.