Principal Human Factors Engineer

About Goddard:  Founded in 1997, Goddard is a full-service product development and engineering firm specializing in the design and development of medical technology, life science and industrial products. Drawing from the collective expertise of its experienced designers and engineers, Goddard's mission is to deliver outstanding solutions that positively impact lives. We have offices in Beverly, MA and San Diego, CA.

Why you should join us:

• Project diversification: Our teams have helped to re-imagine and build products ranging from implantable heart pumps to boat monitors to flying cars.
• On-site partnership model: Our engineers become a part of our clients' team. Many of our clients opt to host our engineers on-site for the duration of their project. Every Thursday, the entire Goddard staff gathers in our Beverly and San Diego offices to discuss projects. The upshot? No matter where you are, you're always supported by the whole team.
• We care about culture: From our "dress-for-your-day" policy, Athletic Club and Women's Network to social hours and summer Fridays, we believe in taking care of our teammates

Goddard is seeking a Principal Human Factor Engineer with roughly 10-15 years of experience in product development of medical products to join our team in Beverly, MA or San Diego, CA. This role will play a key part in the design, development, use testing, documentation, and launch of Goddard's clients' products. You will lead the Human Factors & usability engineering activities for new product development programs and drive usability improvements for current products, collaborating with a diverse team of product development specialists and working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Goddard products integrate mechanical, electrical, software, and fluidic elements, and industrial design to deliver thoughtful, elegant product solutions.

In this role, we will ask you to:

Be the Voice of the Patient/Customer

• Serve as a patient / customer advocate in helping Goddard realize its vision for delivering game-changing products that are safe & effective, easy to use, not prone to use error, and provide user satisfaction; ultimately supporting Goddard's goal of extremely low burden of care.
• Lead product management and product engineering personnel in establishing ergonomic, Human Factors (HF), and usability-related requirements for new products and product line extensions.
• Represent the Human Factors/usability engineering function on core teams for small to large sized projects.

Advocate the human-centered design approach end-to-end in product development.

• Implement a variety of HFE research methods, such as task analysis, PCA, time/motion study, user preference studies, ethnographic research, heuristic analysis, root cause analysis, post-market data analysis and usability testing.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to inform design decisions and risk analyses and contribute to user interface designs by providing heuristic design guidance, ideas, and feed- back to project teams.
• Be flexible with a range of product interfaces from software GUIs, hardware/fluid connectors to workstations, and inform/support creation of necessary prototypes for testing these with users (Figma, Adobe xD, Sketch, Axure, paper prototypes, model making, Solidworks CAD, Microsoft and Google products etc.)
• Collaborate with internal & external parties in planning, structuring, recruiting for, and executing formative and summative usability evaluations (Human Factors validation studies).
• Create and leverage uFMEAs or URRAs to inform design; collaborating with systems engineering in identifying intended users and use environments, as well as potential use-related hazards; determine product use cases and identify critical user tasks, errors, and design mitigations.

Adhere to latest regulatory standards and industry best practices.

• Support documentation review and development, including but not limited to risk analyses, user/environment profiles, task analyses, use specifications and Human Factors Engineering reports to support regulatory filings.
• Have a thorough knowledge of the implementation of all relevant HF & usability-related standards and guidance documents (ANSI/AAMI/ISO 14971, AAMI/ANSI HE75, ANSI/AAMI/IEC 62366, IEC 60601, FDA, etc.).
• Respond to regulatory inquiries from agencies and provide evidence of adherence, and rationale for Human Factors and usability engineering strategies adopted on a project.

Demonstrate leadership skills.

• Strive to balance strategic planning and tactical execution.
• Lead, guide, and mentor team members on day-to-day execution of activities o Facilitate conflict resolution among resources and between clients and engineering teams.
• Track and communicate progress of certain projects, paying particular attention to any developing problems, and participate in major problem resolutions. Keep all privileged information private and confidential.

Travel as-needed (valid driver's license and vehicle required).

About You:

• You are a strong communicator, creative thinker, and team player.
• You are excited at the chance to join a growing team.
• You are a hands-on mentor and enjoy nurturing Senior - Junior level talent.
• You are energized by tackling challenges head-on.
• You embrace uncertainty and unknowns and enjoy having to learn something new everyday (be it a new product, technology, tool, methodology or standards).
  

Please note: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S.  We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of any employment Visas at this time.

Goddard believes that everyone is entitled to fair opportunities and equal employment rights. We comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in hiring and the terms and conditions of employment including, but not limited to, compensation, promotion, discipline, or termination. Goddard is firm on its policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants on the basis of qualification and merit and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local commission, or any other legally protected status in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws.