Director, Instrument Software

The Opportunity

Abbott Rapid and Molecular Diagnostics (RMDx) is part of Abbott’s Diagnostics family of businesses, bringing together exceptional teams of experts and industry leading technologies to support diagnostic testing which provides important information for treatment and management of diseases and other conditions.

The Director, Instrument Software is a key member of the global R&D leadership team that oversees and leads the global Instrument Software Development organization and owns the strategic aspects of instrument software development as well as drives all instrument software projects and initiatives in the Infectious Diseases (ID) Business Unit(BU) within RMDx. This position is responsible for a broad multi-disciplined organization with direct responsibility for the overall design and development of embedded software, firmware, and application layer software for next generation instruments as well as software sustaining support for on market instruments. This role works cross functionally and collaborates with other functions outside of R&D, collaborates across the division, and through external partners to strategically define and execute on all elements of software design, development, and integration on multiple projects and products.

Main Responsibilities :

Lead a global organization of 25+ engineers including full time, contractors, and off shore engineers located in Europe and the US, responsible for embedded software / firmware design and development, algorithm and AI development, configuration management, and software sustaining of our next generation instrument platform as well as our on market instruments.

Lead a staff of senior technical leaders in software technologies and architecture, and drive the long term effectiveness of the organization ensuring it is a high achieving multi-disciplined organization that understands how to execute projects, overcome obstacles, solve complex challenges, and demonstrate commitment to meeting deadlines.

Own the Software DHF for all platforms, own and maintain software QMS procedures including Design Controls, Cybersecurity, and Risk Management.

Own and drive major software projects tied to corporate officer goals. Deliver with quality and deliver on time.

Create the vision and strategic direction of the organization, ensuring alignment with the purpose, behaviors and mission of ID.

Champion for software projects and initiatives, representing the organization and working collaboratively with QA, RA, Operations, Marketing, Commercial, and MA functions to resolve conflicts, remove obstacles, and solve complex problems facing the teams.

Develop leaders within the organization to build a succession pipeline capable of becoming future leaders of teams / organizations.

Collaborate with R&D peers and Marketing stakeholders to understand diverse customer / market needs and translate them into software platform architecture and technology roadmap(s).

Promote strong functional excellence by embracing relevant best-in-class industry practices and methodologies, and by adopting a culture of continuous improvement.

Demonstrate commitment to the development, implementation and effectiveness of Abbott Quality Management System per ISO, FDA, and other regulatory agencies.

Required Qualifications :

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Engineering; Master’s or doctoral degree preferred.

Minimum 15 years of experience in software development, preferably in a medical device / diagnostics or other regulated environment. Direct experience with IVD instrumentation is a plus.

Minimum of 10 years of experience in leading teams of software engineers or scientists, preferably to include systems, verification, and all areas of software engineering.

Preferred Qualifications :

Master’s or doctoral degree preferred.

Minimum 20 years of experience in software development, preferably in a medical device / diagnostics or other regulated environment. Direct experience with IVD instrumentation is a plus.

Relevant work experience will include functional leadership, project leadership, software technology planning, resource planning and management, as well as management and development of a team of direct reports.

Strong experience developing embedded software in Java and C / C++, agile development environment, able to participate in code and design reviews for code written in Java and C / C++.

Strong knowledge of software development lifecycle, coding principles, state-of-art software tools, technologies, and design methodologies. Good knowledge of connectivity technologies, protocols and standards.

Strong experience in fundamentals of people management, including mentorship / coaching, career development, change management and performance management.

Ability to clearly articulate team vision, roles and responsibilities.

Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication skills.

Communicate effectively to all levels of the R&D organization and support true cross-functional alignment, especially with key cross-functional partners such as Quality Assurance, Operations, Marketing and Regulatory Affairs.

Strong technical, negotiating, decision-making and analytical skills are necessary, with proven experience in developing strategic solutions.