The Sky is Falling or is it?

This seems to be a very common question among applicants these days....



"How bad is the job market for the Life Science industry?"



Well I hate to to tell all you job seekers this BUT.........It is still flurishing and still quite strong!



Below is an article I surfaced that I tend to agree with



Despite a continuing trend of gloomy economic data that seems to show the world economy slipping into recession, most medical device companies report positive domestic and international sales growth and continued optimism about prospects for the industry in 2009.



Key findings: -

A majority - 61% - expect overall sales for their company to increase in 2009, and 84% expect their company to employ the same number or more people one year from now. Only 9% expect sales to decrease.



- When asked about their personal outlook for the medical device industry, 56% said they were "somewhat positive" or "very positive" about the prospects for 2009.



-Only 17% noted they were "somewhat negative" or "very negative" about 2009. - More than 61% indicate that domestic sales/orders have been about the same or higher in the last 3 months and 66% said international sales/orders have been the same or higher during the same period. - 74% plan to expand into new international markets next year.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

Happy Holidays to all of you and a Great 2009!

Job Openings Updated 11/03

Job Openings - Updated Every Week

Below you will find some great opportunities currently under the Medical Device umbrella.Please understand that this is only a small list. For additional information or consideration please forward a Word Document to sschantz@prestigescientific.com

3014 Regulatory Affairs Manager - healthy sized Medical Device Manufacturer located North of Boston seeks a Regulatory affairs Manager to oversee submissions, compliance and overall domestic and international strategy.

2994 Director of Manufacturing - small Medical Device Manufacturer located on the Northern Shore is currently seeking a Dynamic Director of Manufacturing. Reporting to the VP, you will be responsible for a small 5 person team. Individuals must be from a Medical Device Manufacturing Environment to be considered.

3022 Manager of Systems Development - small manufacturer located off of 495 is looking for a hands on Systems Manager to be responsible for the technical content and integration of the various subsystems of the device design.

2947 Quality Manager - Small contract manufacturer located in a Northern Suburb of Boston has a dynamic opportunity for a Senior Quality Engineer looking to transition into Management or a current manager looking to be part of a rapidly growing company.Although Manager you will be responsible for executive decisions as it relates to Quality Engineering and will be looked at on a peer level by upper management.

2822 Quality Manager, well established Medical Device Manufacturer located on the North side of town is currently looking for a Quality Manager to lead the overall Quality Department consisting of Quality System Management, Audits and overall Product Release.

2819 Regulatory Specialist - Well established Medical Device Manufacturer is currently looking for a Regulatory Affairs specialist to join their small family. Ideally they want someone with 3+ yrs of experience with knowledge of 510K's

2753 Process Engineer - Boston Based Medical Device Manufacturer of capital equipment is currently looking for a Senior Process engineer to join their team.* 5 years of Engineering experience* 1-3 years experience in fabrication of silicone wafers mechanical process* BS/MS in Engineering

2768 Director of RA/CA - rapidly growing Medical Device Manufacturer of Class II / III Devices is currently looking for a Director to oversee a department of 5. Reporting to the VP, you will be responsible for 510K / PMA submissions as well as US Based Clinical Trials. Individuals must be multi-faceted and be willing to wear many hat. Position is located in MD. Relo available for the right person.

2886 Director of Engineering - Capital Equipment Medical Device Manufacturer is currently searching for a Director of Engineering (R&D) to oversee a healthy department consisting of Managers and Engineers. Individual will be responsible for sustaining current product lines as well as New Product Development.

2900 Manufacturing Engineer - Medical Device startup that does their own manufacturing and assembly is currently looking to add a Sr Manufacturing individual to oversee technicians and provide diversified Technical and Engineering support to Production Team in the development, analysis, and maintenance of processes, products, or equipment

2951 Mechanical Engineer - smaller Medical Device Manufacturer on the North Shore is looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer.Someone with a good mechanical and electro mechanical background is what we're looking for with 5+ years of Medical Device experience.

2948 R&D Engineer - Well known Medical Device producer of Class I - III Devices with multiple facilities throughout the US is looking for Multiple R&D professionals, 2yrs + for multiple roles due to new product integration.

For interest in these or other exciting opportunities within Medical Devices feel free to contact me at sschantz@prestigescientific.comSick of having your resume get lost in a job@xyzcompany.com database. Call me first. We have many contacts throughout the industry and will give you the best representation.

Industry Statistics - Amazing

- The Philadelphia metro area ranked number three as a metropolitan area with the largest total employment levels in the biosciences (medical device & equipment, drugs & pharmaceutical, research, testing & medical laboratories, and agricultural, feedstock & chemicals.) Source: Bioscience 07: Growing the Nation’s Bioscience Sector, Prepared by Battelle, January 2007.

- Philadelphia ranked in the top 10 metropolitan areas with largest employment in medical devices and equipment. Philadelphia is an example of a region that is not niched in one speciality, but excels in a combination of the bioscience subsectors. Source: Bioscience 07: Growing the Nation’s Bioscience Sector, Prepared by Battelle, January 2007.

- The medical device market in the United States should be approximately $86 billion by the end of 2006 (close to $220 billion worldwide), with a 10% annual growth rate expected for the coming year. Source: AdvaMed 2006

- The market for coatings and surface-treatment processes used on medical devices will reach more than $5.31 billion by 2010. The 12.4% annual growth rate will be fueled by explosive growth in high-value combination products. Source: Medical Device Coatings Report, BCC Research, April 2006

- During period of 2001-1006, California companies - $23.9 billion of increased market value creation, followed by Indiana at $22.9 billion, and Massachusetts at $20.7 billion. Source: Medical Device Industry Market Capitalization Report, 2001–2006

- The medical devices and equipment industry employs more than 411,400 workers, accounting for nearly one third of all US bioscience jobs. Source: Medical Product Outsourcing 2006

- Pennsylvania and New York included in Top 5 US states for Medical Device Employment - The thriving medical device industry in Massachusetts is the East Coast equivalent of the San Francisco Bay Area. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005

- The spinal devices segment (of the marketplace), with a striking growth rate of 20 to 25 percent annually, leads the orthopedic market. Extensive research on bone growth factors and fusion biologics has been integral to emerging technologies for the spine market. Source: Frost & Sullivan’s Emerging Technologies for the Spine Market (Technical Insights), published September 2006

Laugh It Off

Thought this was a great article and wanted to share:

Laugh It Off - When the going gets serious, the serious get goofy

by by Diane G. Kulisek


Health benefitsMany studies and articles have been published about the benefits of laughter and humor when managing people or projects, or when trying to overcome the potentially destructive impacts of stress. One such article revealed that laughter reduces the level of anxiety-related hormones (such as epinephrine/adrenaline and cortisol), while increasing the levels of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins and neurotransmitters.1 Laughter provides an emotionally cleansing release and a physical workout for your lungs, diaphragm and abdominal muscles, along with the tension relief associated with tightening and then relaxing your neck and shoulder muscles.

The same report indicates that laughter distracts us from the negative feelings associated with stress (dread, guilt, helplessness) and helps us improve our perspectives so failures and problems can be viewed more as challenges and opportunities. Not only that, laughter is a bonding experience. You can increase your social support network through group laughter. Laughter is also, thankfully, very contagious.

Contrary to the somewhat dour image quality practitioners sometimes seem to portray, I believe a bunch of us actually have quite a bit of fun doing the serious work we do and, accordingly, we laugh a lot. I admit it is a survival tactic, but all things considered, it seems to work pretty well.

To test my theory somewhat superficially, I asked an incisive question about tough situations to bring out the humor of quality practitioners within my LinkedIn network.2

I asked, "What is your favorite analogy to express how difficult a task is? Within a day, I had nearly 100 answers from workplace humorists all over the globe.

A Pareto chart of the results might have been interesting because there were duplications, but I decided sharing the responses with you sorted by category of applicability would be more fun and, possibly, more practical. So, take a look.

I can confidently sum up this Career Corner column by saying, yes, quality practitioners can (and do) get goofy. Still, if you feel as though you might be among the laughter-challenged, there is help available, such as www.laughteryoga.org and www.worldlaughtertour.com

In closing, I will leave you with this classic quote about laughter from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children ... to leave the world a better place ... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."4

Job Openings - Updated Every Week

Below you will find some great opportunities currently under the Medical Device umbrella.Please understand that this is only a small list. For additional information or consideration please forward a Word Document to sschantz@prestigescientific.com

2822 Quality Manager, well established Medical Device Manufacturer located on the North side of town is currently looking for a Quality Manager to lead the overall Quality Department consisting of Quality System Management, Audits and overall Product Release.

2628 Quality Engineer - well established Medical Device Manufacturer located on the Northern Side of town is currently looking for a Quality Engineer with 3-5 years of experience within Medical Devices. Person will be responsible for Quality Engineering, Systems maintenance, validations and field assurance.

2819 Regulatory Specialist - Well established Medical Device Manufacturer is currently looking for a Jr Regulatory Affairs specialist to join their small family. Ideally they want someone with 1-2 yrs of experience with knowledge of 510K's

2827 Director of Marketing - established Medical Device Manufacturer is currently looking for a seasoned Marketing Director who has experience in MarCom and successful product launches within the Medical Device vertical market.

2845 Quality Engineer - Located in NJ. A world reknowned Medical Device Manfacturer located in NJ is gorwing at a tremendous pace and because of this they are looking to grow their Quality Department from either the ground up or top down. Having 5 openings, they are looking for people 2yrs+ that has experience in a Medical Device Manufacturing plant as well a BS. Relocation assistance is offered for the right candidate.

2753 Process Engineer - Boston Based Medical Device Manufacturer of capital equipment is currently looking for a Senior Process engineer to join their team.* 5 years of Engineering experience* 1-3 years experience in fabrication of silicone wafers mechanical process* BS/MS in Engineering

2849 Regulatory Specialist/Associate - North Shore based Medical Device Manufacturer is currently looking for both a Sr and Jr level individual, anywhere from 2-5 yrs of exp. Individuals must have experience with 510K's. It is a well established department where individuals can both grow and contribute.

2853 Sr Quality Engineer - small Medical Device startup located in the Metro West part of the state is currently looking to add the 2nd person to their Quality Team. Need someone very strong in Quality Systems and knows the "execution" part of the business. Minimally 5 yrs of experience within Medical Devices.

2865 Systems Engineer - well established Medical Device Manufacturer of Class I Medical Devices in currently looking for a Systems Engineer to direct the implementation of projects related to their product lines. Will work crossfunctionally with R&D dealng with product modifications/changes. Minimum of 7 years experience within Medical Devices and a BS/MS in Engineering and or Science.

2768 Director of RA/CA - rapidly growing Medical Device Manufacturer of Class II / III Devices is currently looking for a Director to oversee a department of 5. Reporting to the VP, you will be responsible for 510K / PMA submissions as well as US Based Clinical Trials. Individuals must be multi-faceted and be willing to wear many hat. Position is located in MD. Relo available for the right person.

2883 Supplier Quality Engineer - Medical Device Manufacturer with multiple plants throughout the US is currently looking for a Supplier Quality Engineer for their Metro West facility. Individuals must be proficient with GR&R, GD&T as well as customer audits. Applicants must have 3+ years of Medical Device Quality Experience.

2886 Director of Engineering - Capital Equipment Medical Device Manufacturer is currently searching for a Director of Engineering (R&D) to oversee a healthy department consisting of Managers and Engineers. Individual will be responsible for sustaining current product lines as well as New Product Development.

2917 SW Quality Engineer - Smaller Medical Device company located on the South Shore is currently looking for a SW Quality Engineer to perform s/w verification and validation activities as well as support Corrective / Preventive Actions.

2910 Manufacturing Manager - One of the top 25 Medical Device Manufacturers in Boston is currently looking for a Manufacturing Manager to directs and coordinates the manufacture, through subordinate supervision, of company products to achieve consumer satisfaction. Organizational goals of accomplishing these ends include, but are not limited to, employee safety and development, schedule reliability, product quality, budget administration, employee relationships and conformance to all related regulations applicable to medical device production.

2900 Manufacturing Engineer - Medical Device startup that does their own manufacturing and assembly is currently looking to add a Sr Manufacturing individual to oversee tecnicians and provide diversified Technical and Engineering support to Production Team in the development, analysis, and maintenance of processes, products, or equipment

For interest in these or other exciting opportunities within Medical Devices feel free to contact me at sschantz@prestigescientific.com

Sick of having your resume get lost in a job@xyzcompany.com database. Call me first. We have many contacts throughout the industry and will give you the best representation.

About Shawn

Prestige Scientific's Medical Device search practice is led by Shawn Schantz. Entering his eighth year of professional recruiting, he has developed extensive ties within the Medical Device vertical market, especially in the areas of Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs and Engineering/Manufacturing.

He has worked with a wide range of talent from associates all the way to the upper echelons of executive ranks including CEO’s and Presidents.

While he works nationally, his strength is found in the Northeast including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania

Originally from Long Island New York, he earned a degree in Nutrition and Exercise Science from the Florida State University.

Shawn now calls Western Mass his home with his wife of 9 years, Maria and 2 kids, Dakota; 4 and Carter 1.


Prestige Scientific http://www.prestigescientific.com/ is a leading provider of highly specialized recruitment services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Our goal is to bring ease of mind to our client ’s recruiting process by always working with honesty, accuracy, and efficiency on every search assignment. Prestige Scientific provides a positive conduit between the requirements of our clients and the criteria of our applicants. We have successfully developed lasting relationships with our clients who value our high level of personal interaction, professionalism, and our desire to consistently yield outstanding results.

Looking for a change whether it be personal or professional? Send me an email at sschantz@prestigescientific.com