3 MedTech Careers at the Forefront of Scientific Innovation

The pace of innovation, relative to the industry’s size, makes Medtech a lucrative and exciting field to work in.

In 2021 alone, the Medtech industry filed over 15,300 patent submissions with the European Patent Office, compared to the pharmaceutical sector submitting just over 9,000 in the same year. 

SRG’s Global Science Report shows that UK Medtech employees report the strongest degree of satisfaction out of all STEM workers, and that their earnings are the second-highest paid across STEM with an average salary of £52,066. 

In this article, we’ll uncover career paths across STEM that could enable you to be at the helm of innovation and scientific progress.

Read on to explore careers in:

• AI and Medtech
• Software Development and Medtech
• Regulation and Medtech

Careers in AI and MedTech

While AI is a fundamental feature in many medical technologies, until recently, regulation in the UK hadn’t quite caught up.

The UK government recently published new updates surrounding the MHRA’s Software and AI as a Medical Device Change Programme, which has led to new regulations surrounding the use of AI in medical technology products. 

10 guiding principles of good machine learning practice underly the implementation of the changes to AI regulation to help MedTech organisations understand how the new recommendations align with wider European and global rules. 

AI is also gaining precedence outside of products, and new AI techniques to improve operational capacity, manufacturing and business efficacy are beginning to make their way into the Medtech sector. This can include using digital twin simulations to predict customer challenges and model solutions, as well as applying AI in data integration processes to speed up evidence generation and customer need analysis.

Meanwhile, the core products produced by the MedTech industry that use AI as a feature are still being developed and produced.

The ongoing evolution of AI in Medtech has as a result, led to a heightened demand for AI experts to work across the industry.

Some of the key jobs in AI and Medtech include:

• Machine Learning Engineer
• Data Engineer
• AI Design Specialist

Careers in Software Development and MedTech

Like AI, software plays an important role in Medtech and the wider world of health – whether as a feature of a medical device, or a stand-alone programme used as a medical device. 

The use of software both in and as a medical device is also undergoing regulatory revision post the MHRA’s Change Programme to help not only further protect patients and the public, but promote the UK as a home of responsible innovation for medical device software (and AI) to the wider global markets. 

Software is also being used in operational digitalisation alongside AI to automate processes to help unleash innovation potential at speed in not only manufacturing, but design and development. 

Research by Deloitte shows that applying both software and AI together to improve Medtech operations can potentially lead to a 50-80% improvement to cycle time, as well as 15-40% improvement in efficacy – helping to activate faster access to market, minimise costs and maintain accuracy all at once.

As a consequence of its wider applications across the Medtech industry, software engineers and scientists with software experience are in high demand; these specialists are the driving force behind product innovation, effectively developing those products with digital techniques, and driving their access to market by working with regulatory experts to ensure that software is entirely compliant with new regulations.

Some of the jobs in Software Development and Medtech include:

• Software Manager
• Software Engineer
• Python Developer

Careers in Regulation and MedTech

The regulatory landscape surrounding Medtech evolves at pace to keep speed with the constant stream of innovation from research and development. 2022 has seen both the MHRA’s Software and AI as a Medical Device framework, as well as the IVDR regulations come into force.   

With these changes, comes a rising need for regulatory experts with the capacity to apply and align regulations with business operations, to ensure that research and development can be successfully applied to new products, and that those new products can make it to market.

According to Dr Tina Amini, Medical Division Director at NDA, this pressure to hire regulatory experts will likely heighten over both 2023-2023 as previously issued certificates begin to expire, driving uncertainty and delays in market entry.

Dr Tina explains, “eventually, we will reach a new status quo where the new practices are more evenly harmonised and the process more predictable. We have however entered a time where device regulation has raised the bar for anyone who wants to enter the market and the need for the right expertise and advice will not go away”. 

Jobs that focus on Regulation and Medtech tend to be much more senior, requiring expert experience within the industry.

Some regulatory jobs include:

• Director of Quality Assurance
• Director of Regulatory Affairs
• Head of QARA and Compliance Ready to accelerate your MedTech career?

Medical technology has a foundational role in the wider world of health. 

If you’re looking to make an impact and want to work in an industry where you feel both satisfied and driven, Medtech is likely to be a strong match.

Explore our latest opportunities in Medtech below, or click here to see all our roles in Medtech

About the author: Laith and his team specialise in finding technical talent for MedTech and digital health industries, from purely R&D to regulatory control and manufacturing. Laith's team typically recruit roles such as: Mechanical Design Engineers, Electronics Engineers, Continuous Improvement Specialists, Process Engineers, Validation Engineers, Research Scientists, Regulatory Affairs Specialists, Quality Assurance Specialists, QMS Specialists, Clinical Trial Assistants, Clinical Evaluation Report Writers, as well as other similar technical roles. Click here to connect with Laith on Linkedin.