Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Zimmer Biomet is a global medical technology leader focused on improving patient mobility. The Senior Product Development Manager, NPI Strategy leads opportunity assessment, clinical research, product definition, investment-case development, and phase-gate governance for new foot and ankle product programs. The role also coordinates cross-functional teams, prototype validation, regulatory compliance, product handoff, and lifecycle learning.
Responsibilities
- Product Roadmaps: Build and update multigenerational roadmaps based on clinical gaps, technology shifts, and company priorities
- Opportunity Evaluation: Assess projects using clinical metrics, procedure volumes, workflows, regulatory pathways, patents, and development costs
- Prioritization: Recommend development pathways, including internal builds, partnerships, acquisitions, licensing, or cancellation
- Domain Expertise: Maintain deep knowledge of relevant anatomy, surgical procedures, devices, and emerging competitive tech
- User Research: Lead primary and secondary research via surgeon interviews, clinical observations, surveys, and literature reviews
- Evidence Translation: Turn research into clear problem statements, user needs, target profiles, and requirements with engineering and quality teams
- Concept Validation: Drive prototype testing, cadaveric labs, and usability trials to validate assumptions before heavy investment
- Traceability: Maintain detailed evidence packages linking source research directly to design decisions
- Financial Models: Create business cases detailing market opportunity, development costs, unit economics, risks, and ROI
- Phase-Gate Reviews: Update project assumptions to recommend funding approvals, program accelerations, pivots, or cancellations
- Strategic Diligence: Assess external technologies and partners for potential acquisitions or strategic alliances
- Strategy Ownership: Act as the NPI lead on core teams, owning the business case, user needs, and phase-gate deliverables
- Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with engineering, regulatory, quality, and finance to guide design reviews and risk management
- Executive Influence: Present complex clinical and financial data to leadership to drive consensus without direct authority
- Mentorship: Coach associate managers and improve organizational NPI research templates and governance processes
- Commercial Handoff: Provide downstream marketing and sales teams with product definitions, clinical rationale, and adoption risks
- Advisory Continuity: Maintain relationships with surgeon advisors through product launch without managing promotional campaigns
- Feedback Loop: Capture post-release data to update future product requirements and next-generation roadmaps
- Regulatory Adherence: Execute all duties in compliance with company policies, Quality Management Systems, and healthcare laws
Skills
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or another related technical discipline
- Five or more years of experience defining or developing products in orthopedic medical devices or a closely related regulated-device field
- Demonstrated success leading clinical or user research, opportunity assessment, product definition, and investment-case development for new products
- Experience working on cross-functional medical-device development teams and working knowledge of design controls, user needs, design inputs, risk management, usability engineering, phase-gate governance, and design reviews
- Strong clinical and technical aptitude with the ability to understand surgical procedures, anatomy, instrumentation, implants, and customer workflows
- Strong analytical and financial skills, including opportunity modeling, forecasting, investment-case development, and proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills with the ability to influence decisions without direct authority
- Ability to manage multiple complex development programs with limited supervision in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to obtain and maintain hospital credentialing and a valid driver's license with a driving record acceptable under company policy
- This job is based in a professional office environment and requires work in clinical, laboratory, cadaveric, and operating-room settings. The role routinely uses standard office equipment and may require participation in surgeon meetings, clinical observations, research activities, and product-development work outside normal office hours
- While performing this job, the employee must communicate with individuals inside and outside the organization, move about office and clinical facilities, and may be required to lift up to 40 pounds
- The employee must be able to wear a 7-9-pound protective lead apron for extended periods in the operating room and may sit, stand, or walk for extended periods, with bending, stooping, squatting, and balancing as required
- This is a full-time position requiring occasional evening and weekend work for customer research, clinical observation, surgeon meetings, cadaveric labs, and time-sensitive product-development activities
- Approximately 20% overnight travel, including customer visits, clinical observations, surgeon meetings, advisory groups, conferences, research activities, and product-development events
- Advanced degree in engineering, biomedical innovation, or business
- Direct foot and ankle or extremities experience and established relationships with orthopedic surgeons or key opinion leaders
- Experience with global product development, human-factors research, reimbursement or health economics, and external technology evaluation
Benefits
- Development opportunities
- Robust employee resource groups (ERGs)
- A flexible working environment
- Wellness incentives
- A culture of recognition and performance awards
- Fully remote work arrangement
Company Overview
Company H1B Sponsorship