What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal Human Factors Engineer position at IDE Group?
The Company
idegroup is a group of like-minded people that love working together using design, engineering & an entrepreneurial approach to bring products to life. Since 2003, we have been building better futures with our partners, have grown over 150 companies within medical technology through over 500 projects across the medical technology landscape, including respiratory care, drug delivery, radiology, & point-of-care diagnostics.
Making a difference matters to us & our values of being resourceful, curious, thinking positively, putting others first, embracing complexity & taking ownership to drive successful outcomes.
The Role
We are seeking a Principal Human Factors Engineer with a passion for entrepreneurship, design, & bringing meaningful products & services to market.
The position is based out of our new office in Minneapolis, MN, USA, & will work with our other global locations: Sydney, Australia (headquarters), Rotterdam, Netherlands, & Newton Square, Pennsylvania.
The Principal Human Factors Engineer will be the technical lead in IDE user research & human factors engineering projects and/or activities. They will be responsible for strategic planning of user research & human factors activities, leading the HFE team & coordinating the execution of usability activities. They will work with the project manager to ensure we create valuable ventures, products & services by balancing quality, time & budget.
Responsible for leading & coordinating activities necessary & HFE team to complete human factors engineering projects. Activities include:
Generative
- Planning HFE strategy & leading user research activities including ethnographic user research to identify user needs, contextual inquiry, user needs prioritization & translation to requirements & opportunity areas
Definition
- Evaluating concepts & prototypes to validate & inform selection
- Performing workflow, task & use error analyses
- Support project teams to ensure sound human factors principles are considered & implemented
Evaluation
- Conducting Formative Usability testing
- Plan & conducting Summative Validation testing
- Prospecting & Proposal Building – In concert with the Business Unit Director, work to engage potential client prospects by sharing IDE user research & human factors engineering capabilities, scoping potential projects, liaising with & requesting quotes from 3rd party recruiters & testing facilities, & providing technical competency in face-to-face strategy & risk planning discussions.
- Project Planning – Work with the project manager to define strategies/ plans produce products & solutions that are desirable / feasible / viable in the context of the venture. Assist the project lead in planning & estimating the project by giving input to the required user research & human factors engineering activities & resources to achieve the project aim.
- Technical Execution - Select or modify the most appropriate processes & methods to apply in User Research & Human Factors activities. Defines the appropriate level of quality for program deliverables to ensure it is achieved.
- Risk Management –Identify & manage product risks appropriately, with effective controls implemented. Provide input to the Project Lead to identify & manage project risk.
- Review & Approvals - Ensure effective Technical Reviews for PD activities are conducted as planned. Co-ordinate & conduct effective System Level Design Reviews.
- Mentor & Coach – Provide mentorship, guidance & management from your experience to expand & develop our aspiring team members.
Skills & Experience
- Degree in Design, Human Factors Engineering, or a related discipline required
- 7 years of relevant human factors/usability engineering
- Proven ability to apply knowledge of human factors principles (human performance & limitations – perceptual, cognitive, motor skills, anthropomorphic) & techniques (user research, user-interface design, usability testing) to the design, development, & evaluation of hardware and/or software products
- Experience leading Human Factors activities across the product lifecycle, including ethnographic research, user needs identification, workflow & task analysis, requirements development, user interface design, user error analysis, usability & validation testing
- Advanced understanding in & have conducted work according to Applying Human Factors & Usability Engineering to of one or more key international standards including but not limited to IEC 62366-1 Human Factors or equivalent, ISO 14971 Risk Management & ISO 60601 Medical Electrical Equipment Safety.
- A proven ability to:
- Author Human Factors Engineering plans & execute on them
- Plan, write & conduct usability studies (including unbiased, repeatable protocols)
- Conduct use risk related analyses (E.g. URRA)
- Plan, write & conduct stakeholder insights gathering activities & derive meaningful needs which will inform the design of the product & in which it will be measured against
- Plan, conduct & write reports for Formative & Summative studies
- Work with cross-functional teams & provide technical leadership
- Interface with team members & clients in a highly professional manner
- Manage, develop & guide a team
- Experience with software and/or hardware user-interface design
- Ability to quickly learn complex methods & processes & apply them to their work
- Excellent verbal & written communication & presentation skills
Why You Will Love Working With Us
- Purpose-driven culture “Building Better Futures”
- Take ventures from “idea on a napkin” to “meaningful MedTech venture” with your products in-market.
- Learn unique processes that create valuable products for exciting new ventures & get exposure to large multinational partners.
- Experience a variety of projects from basic syringes to advanced networked injector systems, from CPAP masks to pharmaceutical automation.
- Global opportunities across the USA, Australia, & Netherlands.