The Role
Lead and manage R&D teams to deliver medical device product development from concept through transfer to manufacturing. Set strategy, budgets, timelines, and resources; drive prototyping, design improvements, and regulatory design control. Collaborate cross-functionally and with external partners, mentor staff, resolve technical issues, and represent R&D in clinical, regulatory, and business discussions. Attend professional meetings and support filing and qualification activities.
Summary Generated by Built In
Title: Director R&D
Location: This position is based in our Campbell, California office. This position is on site and full time.
Why Imperative Care?
Do you want to make a real impact on patients? Imperative Care is changing the way stroke and vascular diseases are treated. As part of our team, you’d be supporting breakthroughs that will revolutionize the future of stroke care. Every day, the technologies that we develop at Imperative Care directly impact human lives. Our focus is on the needs of the patient, and they come first in everything we do
What You’ll Do
A Director of R&D will interpret functional strategy and set plans that meet research and product development goals and objectives. This position will direct and oversee all activities of assigned R&D teams, projects, and cross-functional project teams and ensure tasks performed by reporting people leaders or individual contributors stay within prescribed time frames and funding parameters when transferring projects to manufacturing or contract manufacturer.
What You’ll Bring
Employee Benefits include a stake in our collective success with stock options, bonus, competitive salaries, a 401k plan, health benefits, generous PTO, and a parental leave program.
Salary Range: $235,000 - $255,000 annually
Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Imperative Care considers factors such as scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity, as well as location, market and business considerations when extending an offer
Join Us! Imperative Care
Location: This position is based in our Campbell, California office. This position is on site and full time.
Why Imperative Care?
Do you want to make a real impact on patients? Imperative Care is changing the way stroke and vascular diseases are treated. As part of our team, you’d be supporting breakthroughs that will revolutionize the future of stroke care. Every day, the technologies that we develop at Imperative Care directly impact human lives. Our focus is on the needs of the patient, and they come first in everything we do
What You’ll Do
A Director of R&D will interpret functional strategy and set plans that meet research and product development goals and objectives. This position will direct and oversee all activities of assigned R&D teams, projects, and cross-functional project teams and ensure tasks performed by reporting people leaders or individual contributors stay within prescribed time frames and funding parameters when transferring projects to manufacturing or contract manufacturer.
- Lead assigned R&D team and provide clear direction that supports functional goals and objectives.
- Provide development opportunities and manage performance of R&D team while fostering an environment of collaboration, growth, learning and achievement
- Collaborate with internal cross-functional teams, including Senior Management and external stakeholders including KOLs, advisory boards, contract manufacturers, suppliers and development partners to understand current and future product development requirements, review project goals, priorities and resources and guide decisions that optimize projects.
- Lead clinical needs-based brainstorming activities leading to new design solutions.
- Direct R&D teams to rapidly prototype new ideas within and outside the stroke space, as required.
- Develop project budgets, program timelines, organize resources according to project requirements and maximize expenditures within limitations of department and project budget allocations.
- Identify and assign resources to specific phases or aspects of project (e.g., product design and process development, pre-clinical studies, design and process characterization and qualification, finalization of specifications, strategic project/technical plans, etc.).
- Represent R&D in high level cross-functional discussions with potentially impact on clinical, regulatory, and business needs.
- Monitor product complaints to understand issues with the devices. Utilize deep knowledge to lead design improvements to the current device or for implementation to future designs.
- Ensure product design follows engineering principles, company standards, clinical requirements, and related specifications.
- Supervise technical development activities and scheduling, resolve engineering design/test problems.
- Oversee integration of technical activities and related support activities (i.e., marketing, regulatory, quality, clinical, manufacturing).
- Prepare and lead R&D engineering team through design control documentation and processes.
- Attend professional meetings (e.g., Professional conferences, Symposia) to build network of contacts, advance technological knowledge and to ensure professional expertise is maintained.
What You’ll Bring
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field, and a minimum of 10 years of experience including 3+ years of managerial experience; or equivalent combination of education and work experience
- Product specific experience in medical device/pharmaceutical field and advanced degree are preferred.
- Experience and involvement with MDRs, IDEs, PMAs and 510(k) filings preferred.
- Knowledge and interpretation of applicable regulations, guidelines, and policy statements (QSR, MDD, and ISO) preferred.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; technical writing capabilities are a must.
- Ability to influence decision-making/action across organizations, independent of reporting structure.
- Proven ability to manage a team of professionals and prioritize multiple projects independently.
- Ability to work as an effective leader, be flexible, adaptable, and to work under pressure.
- Demonstrated business acumen and ability to understand technical aspects of product development.
- Able to travel up to 25% of the time.
Employee Benefits include a stake in our collective success with stock options, bonus, competitive salaries, a 401k plan, health benefits, generous PTO, and a parental leave program.
Salary Range: $235,000 - $255,000 annually
Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Imperative Care considers factors such as scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity, as well as location, market and business considerations when extending an offer
Join Us! Imperative Care
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field (or equivalent)
- Minimum of 10 years of experience including 3+ years of managerial experience
- Experience preparing and leading design control documentation and processes
- Technical writing capabilities
- Proven ability to manage a team of professionals and prioritize multiple projects
- Ability to influence decision-making across organizations
- Ability to work as an effective leader, be flexible, adaptable, and work under pressure
- Demonstrated business acumen and ability to understand technical aspects of product development
- Able to travel up to 25% of the time
- Product-specific experience in medical device or pharmaceutical field
- Advanced degree (preferred)
- Experience and involvement with MDRs, IDEs, PMAs and 510(k) filings
- Knowledge and interpretation of QSR, MDD, and ISO standards and guidelines
Imperative Care Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Imperative Care and has not been reviewed or approved by Imperative Care.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Posted salary bands for multiple roles are explicit and compare favorably to U.S. norms in several functions. Publicly listed ranges help anchor expectations and indicate a market‑competitive stance.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Stock options are consistently included as part of offers and total rewards. Equity is positioned as a meaningful component alongside base pay and, in some roles, bonus.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Company materials highlight generous PTO and a parental leave program as standard benefits. Multiple postings reiterate these time‑off elements across roles.
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The Company
What We Do
Imperative Care is a Silicon Valley-based medical technology company focused on developing the next generation of innovative solutions to address the vast and urgent needs in stroke intervention and peripheral thrombectomy. With a physician-driven approach and a culture of rapid innovation, we are working to improve every aspect of the stroke procedure with the goal of bringing patients the best care possible. We have two 510(k) cleared product platforms, as well as an expansive technology development pipeline. Follow us for updates as we work to change the way stroke is treated. For important safety and risk information, visit bit.ly/3yWkfEJ.
