Principal Industry Engineer @ Danaher

Purpose/Objective

• The Principal Industrial Engineer (P4a) plays a strategic role in leading complex industrial engineering initiatives across high-end medical device programs. This position is responsible for independently managing IE-related projects from concept to implementation, ensuring alignment with global standards and regulatory requirements (e.g. ISO, FDA, NMPA). Strong English communication skills are essential for global collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
• This position is the planned successor for the current Principal Industry Engineer and must take over the full optical scope of that role. It owns the optical products and optical sub-assemblies built in Shanghai and acts as the site expert for optical design, optical inspection and optical problem solving. Hands-on optical design capability with ZEMAX is a core requirement of this role, not an optional skill.

Area of Responsibilities

• Industrial Engineering & Project Leadership
• Lead and manage full-cycle IE projects for high-end medical device programs, including planning, execution and reporting.
• Independently develop and optimize manufacturing processes for new product introductions (NPI) and sustaining activities.
• Design and validate production line layouts, work instructions and SOPs.
• Lead cross-functional teams to deliver productivity, quality and cost improvement projects.
• Apply DBS (Danaher Business System) tools to drive continuous improvement and problem solving.
• Mentor junior engineers and foster technical development within the team.
• Actively participate in global project meetings and technical reviews, communicating fluently in English.
• Optical Engineering (core scope of this role)
• Own the optical design and optical optimization of locally built products and sub-assemblies; use ZEMAX to model, verify and improve optical performance and to support design changes and localization.
• Analyse optical problems from the line and from the field (image quality, resolution, contrast, centering, coating and phase-related issues) and define corrective actions together with R&D, quality and suppliers.
• Design and build optical inspection tools and test set-ups; write and maintain the optical inspection instructions for incoming inspection (IQC) and in-process inspection, and keep them aligned with drawings and acceptance criteria.
• Design production fixtures, jigs and tooling; manage the outsourced fabrication, acceptance and maintenance of this tooling.
• Cost, Compliance & Documentation
• Ensure all process documentation complies with ISO, FDA and NMPA standards.
• Maintain routings, standard labour hours and standard cost inputs in SAP, and support cost and business-case calculations for localization and VAVE projects.
• Support product registration and regulatory testing (e.g. NMPA), including test samples, test protocols, first-article inspection and the related technical documentation.

Person Specification

• Skills / Competencies
• Proven ability to lead complex IE projects independently.
• Strong understanding of high-end medical device manufacturing, including regulatory and quality requirements.
• Advanced problem-solving skills using PSP and DBS methodologies.
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills; capable of leading discussions with global stakeholders.
• Strong ownership, urgency and proactive mindset.
• Experience with lean manufacturing, layout optimization and value stream mapping.
• Proficient in optical design and simulation software (ZEMAX); able to work independently on optical design, tolerance analysis and optimization.
• Solid knowledge of optical components, optical assembly and alignment, and the optical measurement methods used in microscopy.
• Able to translate optical requirements into practical shopfloor inspection methods, tooling and work instructions.
• Education & Experience
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automation or related fields.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, with at least 5 years in high-end medical devices or precision instruments.
• Demonstrated experience in leading cross-functional projects and managing stakeholders.
• A structured handover from the incumbent is expected: the successor takes over all optical documentation, inspection tools and supplier contacts within the agreed transition period.
• Travel
• Less than 15%, including domestic and occasional international travel.
• Language
• Native Chinese & excellent English (spoken and written).

Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com.