Senior Manager, MRI Safety Engineering

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.

• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.

• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.

• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.

• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.

• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced MRI Safety Engineering Senior Manager to lead our MRI Safety Engineering team within the R&D organization. This leadership role is critical in ensuring the safety, performance, and compliance of implantable medical devices in MRI environments. You will oversee design and test activities, provide strategic technical leadership, and ensure MRI safety requirements are integrated into product development from concept through commercialization. This position influences innovation roadmaps, regulatory success, and patient safety outcomes.

You will manage a team of approximately 6–15 MRI safety engineers and technicians, reporting directly to the Director of Systems & Clinical Engineering. The team collaborates globally across multiple development sites and interfaces with cross-functional partners including Systems Engineering, Clinical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Quality, and Regulatory.

This position works out of our Plano, TX location in the Neuromodulation Division.   Our Neuromodulation business includes implantable devices compatible with mobile technology to help people who suffer from chronic pain and movement disorders. These non-opioid therapies allow us to provide interventional pain therapy to patients throughout the pain continuum. 

What You’ll Work On

Technical Leadership

• Drive technical excellence and ensure robust MRI safety design and testing across programs.
• Define and execute MRI safety strategies, including RF exposure analysis, device heating, and functional safety in MRI environments.
• Provide expert guidance on RF and electromagnetic interactions in implantable medical devices.
• Oversee development and execution of MRI safety modeling, simulation, characterization testing, and verification/validation activities.
• Ensure full lifecycle MRI safety labeling, including MR Conditional testing and labeling strategy.
• Design & Test Integration
• Partner with other R&D functional teams to ensure MRI safety requirements are captured, implemented, and verified.
• Drive cross-functional reviews of MRI safety design inputs, risk assessments, and test results.
• Ensure compliance with applicable standards (ASTM F2182, F2052, F2213, ISO, IEC, FDA guidance).

Team & Resource Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of MRI safety engineers and technicians.
• Perform resource planning, workload balancing, and capability development.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Build strong partnerships with external R&D functional teams (Quality, Regulatory, Operations, etc.)
• Represent MRI safety engineering in design reviews, regulatory submissions, and external audits.
• Communicate technical strategies and results to senior leadership and regulatory agencies.

Strategic & Operational Accountability

• Establish and manage budgets for MRI safety engineering activities.
• Ensure adherence to quality system processes and regulatory requirements.
• Drive innovation in MRI safety methodologies, tools, and test capabilities.
• Track KPIs such as on-time delivery of MRI safety assessments, regulatory submission success, and innovation milestones.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• 8+ years of work experience in R&D engineering, RF engineering, or related domain.
• 4+ years demonstrated experience at a supervisory/managerial level.
• Proven managerial experience leading cross-functional technical teams in a regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of MRI physics, RF interactions, and electromagnetic compatibility.
• Demonstrated ability to lead design and test activities for complex medical devices.
• Experience with regulatory submissions and compliance in a federally regulated environment (FDA, ISO, IEC).
• Excellent communication, leadership, and negotiation skills.
• Occasional travel (up to 15%) may be required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in STEM.
• 5+ years in MRI safety is highly preferred.
• Experience with Class III active implantable medical devices.
• Hands-on expertise with RF modeling, simulation, and test methods for MRI safety.
• Experience with multi-disciplinary systems (hardware, software, mobile apps, cloud).
• Track record of successful product launches requiring MRI safety labeling and regulatory approval.

Apply Now

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:  www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

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The base pay for this position is

$129,300.00 – $258,700.00

In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

JOB FAMILY:

Product Development

DIVISION:

NM Neuromodulation

LOCATION:

United States > Texas > Plano : 6901 Preston Road

ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS:

WORK SHIFT:

Standard

TRAVEL:

Yes, 15 % of the Time

MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE:

Not Applicable

SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES:

Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Continuous standing for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Continuous walking for prolonged periods (more than 2 hours at a time in an 8 hour day)

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Women/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans.

EEO is the Law link - English: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO\_English.pdf

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