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Senior Systems Engineer

In-Office, San Diego, CA

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Job ID
R-553384
Category
Engineering
Location
San Diego, California

Build an engineering career where innovation, ownership and impact move healthcare forward

At BD, Engineering and R&D professionals design, develop and improve the technologies that shape how healthcare is delivered worldwide. You'll apply scientific thinking, technical expertise and creative problem-solving to turn complex challenges into solutions that matter.

Whether you specialize in mechanical, electrical, process, systems, software or research engineering, BD offers the scale, resources and freedom to innovate – with clear expectations, accountability for outcomes and opportunities to grow your career alongside industry-leading technology.

And as one of the world's largest medical technology companies, you'll shape solutions that reach across global healthcare systems and improve lives at scale.

We are the people who give possibilities purpose

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. Advancing the world of health™ is our Purpose, and it’s no small feat. It takes the imagination and passion of all of us—from design and engineering to the manufacturing and marketing of our billions of MedTech products per year—to look at the impossible and find transformative solutions that turn dreams into possibilities.

Job Description

Senior Systems Engineer

Excited to grow your career?

Join a New Product Development team at BD!

We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Systems Engineer to provide technical leadership across the development of innovative medical technologies. This role is ideal for an experienced systems engineer who excels at connecting customer needs, business objectives, technical requirements, and cross-functional execution to deliver successful products.

The Senior Systems Engineer serves as a key technical leader throughout the product lifecycle, translating customer and stakeholder needs into system requirements, managing technical risk, coordinating system integration activities, and ensuring successful verification and validation. This individual partners closely with cross-functional teams to drive product development, resolve complex system-level challenges, and continuously improve engineering processes and product performance.  

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead system-level engineering activities throughout the product lifecycle, from concept through launch and sustaining.  

  • Translate customer and stakeholder needs into clear, testable, and traceable system and product requirements.  

  • Lead requirements development, management, and traceability activities across complex hardware, software, and integrated systems.  

  • Plan, facilitate, and document system-level risk assessments, hazard analyses, and design reviews to ensure risks are identified and appropriately mitigated.  

  • Lead system integration planning and execution, identifying and resolving system-level issues throughout development and sustaining activities.  

  • Own verification and validation strategy, planning, coordination, execution oversight, and traceability to ensure product requirements are met.  

  • Develop and execute reliability planning activities and support data-driven product quality improvements.  

  • Facilitate cross-functional collaboration among Reliability, Statistics, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing, Clinical, Marketing, and Operations teams.  

  • Serve as a technical leader on project core teams, helping identify technical risks, resource needs, and critical path activities required to achieve project milestones.  

  • Investigate and resolve complex system behavior issues, product performance concerns, and technical challenges across development and commercialized products.  

  • Mentor and guide less experienced engineers in systems engineering processes, tools, and best practices.

  • Identify, champion, and implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance engineering effectiveness, product quality, and development efficiency.  

  • Apply Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodologies and engineering best practices across all projects.  

Required Skills/Experience:

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or a related technical discipline. A postgraduate degree is preferred.  

  • 3-5+ years of relevant engineering experience, or an equivalent combination of advanced education and engineering experience.  

  • Demonstrated experience leading systems engineering activities for complex products or integrated systems.

  • Strong understanding of the product development lifecycle from concept through launch.  

  • Experience with requirements development, requirements management, and requirements traceability.  

  • Experience planning and executing system-level verification and validation activities.  

  • Experience leading risk management activities, including FMEA, hazard analysis, and risk mitigation planning.  

  • Familiarity with system integration, reliability engineering, design reviews, and technical problem-solving.  

  • Excellent technical writing, communication, and presentation skills.  

  • Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across multiple engineering disciplines and business functions.  

  • Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

  • Ability to work independently while providing technical leadership within cross-functional teams.  

  • Strong attention to detail.  

Preferred Skills/Experience:

  • Experience developing medical devices or products within a regulated industry.  

  • Experience leading systems engineering efforts on software-enabled or connected products.

  • Experience with requirements management tools and model-based systems engineering concepts.

  • Experience with statistical methods, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), reliability engineering, or design optimization techniques.  

  • Experience driving technical leadership within cross-functional product development teams.

  • Experience working in Agile or hybrid product development environments.

Leadership Expectations

Successful Senior Systems Engineers are recognized as technical leaders who:

  • Drive systems thinking across complex product development efforts.

  • Influence technical direction through data-driven decision making.

  • Proactively identify and mitigate technical risks.

  • Build strong cross-functional partnerships.

  • Mentor and develop other engineers.

  • Champion engineering excellence and continuous improvement.

  • Balance customer needs, business objectives, technical feasibility, and regulatory requirements to deliver successful products.

At BD, we prioritize on-site collaboration because we believe it fosters creativity, innovation, and effective problem-solving, which are essential in the fast-paced healthcare industry. For most roles, we require a minimum of 4 days of in-office presence per week to maintain our culture of excellence and ensure smooth operations, while also recognizing the importance of flexibility and work-life balance. Remote or field-based positions will have different workplace arrangements which will be indicated in the job posting.

For certain roles at BD, employment is contingent upon the Company’s receipt of sufficient proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In some locations, testing for COVID-19 may be available and/or required. Consistent with BD’s Workplace Accommodations Policy, requests for accommodation will be considered pursuant to applicable law.

Why Join Us?

To find purpose in the possibilities, we need people who can see the bigger picture, who understand the human story that underpins everything we do. We welcome people with the imagination and drive to help us reinvent the future of healthcare. At BD, you’ll discover a culture in which you can learn, grow and thrive.

We believe that when people connect in person, we learn faster, collaborate more deeply, and build a stronger culture. Join us and enjoy a culture where face-to-face collaboration supports your learning, your progress, and your success.

To learn more about BD visit https://bd.com/careers.

Becton, Dickinson, and Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or domestic or civil union status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, disability, military eligibility or veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

Required Skills

Optional Skills

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Primary Work Location

USA CA - San Diego Bldg A&B

Additional Locations

Work Shift

At BD, we reward, support and develop our associates through our comprehensive Total Rewards program. We are committed to attracting and retaining high quality talent by providing reward and recognition opportunities that promote a performance-based culture, as well as a competitive package of compensation and benefits programs. You can learn more on our career site under "Our Commitment to You."

Our salary or hourly rate ranges reward associates fairly and competitively. We regularly review these ranges and factors, such as location, contribute to the range displayed.

Our pay is based on the role and the necessary skills and education to perform it successfully. The salary or hourly rate offered is determined by the role's specific requirements, including any applicable step rate pay system at the work location. Salary or hourly pay ranges are influenced by labor laws and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) requirements applicable to the work location which may also affect the workplace arrangement of the role.

Salary Range Information

$105,500.00 - $168,800.00 USD Annual
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Success Profile

What sets successful Engineering and R&D professionals apart? You're likely to thrive if you are:

  • Analytical
  • Collaborative
  • Curious
  • Detail-oriented
  • Inventive
  • Problem-solver

Ready for your next challenge?

This is an environment for engineers who want to think boldly and execute with precision. You'll have the opportunity to influence design decisions, contribute across the full product lifecycle and see how your work moves from concept to real-world impact – backed by the scale of a global MedTech leader.

Hear from one of our BD Innovators about how BD uses cutting-edge AI and machine learning to power decisions that improve patient outcomes and expand access to care. This is where your work drives real-time impact across the globe.

Hear from Our Associates

  • "BD is a big, global company so don't be afraid to connect with and reach out to others. There is so much to learn here, and the company does an amazing job of helping people develop and grow. I'd also offer to become like a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as you can and put your Career Blueprint to work for you. I really love my job and am so grateful to work at BD."

  • "I think we have something like more than 30 different countries represented by those working within the Research Centre Ireland, which is impressive and one of my favourite things about BD. I work with electrical, mechanical engineers, scientists and so many others – it's wonderful to see and hear so many different perspectives during the day."

  • "I continue to be amazed at how we keep innovating in the Med Tech space. We constantly evaluate how to bring even more solutions to healthcare professionals, how to increase the efficiency of our technologies, all while keeping the patient impact in mind. Not only have I found meaningful work at BD, but a place where I feel I can thrive."

  • "During my interview, I learned how much of an impact our infusion solutions have across the world and I was impressed because whether it's analgesics, cancer treatments, anesthesia or other treatments, the likelihood of someone within your own family using our product is high. Contributing to the creation of products that have the ability to make such a big impact in healthcare is a great feeling. I love my role at BD."

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