Co-op Hiring: Human Factors Engineering

Overview

The Future Talent Program offers co-ops of up to 6 months, each involving one or more projects built to support your professional growth. These roles sit in our Research & Development Division and give you hands-on experience while helping you decide whether we are the right company for your long-term career.

Our success depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity, and teamwork of people like you. We foster an environment of mutual respect, encouragement, and collaboration, and you will work alongside talented colleagues as part of our global team.

The Pharmaceutical Sciences & Device Development organization turns therapeutic agents into functional drug products designed for patients. The Device Development & Technology team works on delivery devices, including dry powder inhalers (DPI), metered dose inhalers (MDI), and nasal and parenteral systems (ophthalmic, injectables, and implants), supporting small molecules, biologics, and vaccines that need complex delivery routes.

What You Will Do

You will work closely with experienced pharmaceutical industry scientists on research projects. The co-op will join departmental and project team meetings, gain a broad view of the drug development process, and have the chance to present research results in both oral and written formats.

• Support the planning, conduct, and reporting of human factors activities, such as user needs identification, user journey and profile mapping, usability study planning and execution, instructions for use and user training development, known use problem documentation, task and use error analysis, risk assessment and management, and post-launch outcomes analysis.
• Maintain device risk management documentation by conducting risk assessments, evaluating failure modes, causes, and effects (FMEA/FMEDA), and updating risk control and mitigation strategies using postmarket surveillance, complaint data, and customer feedback. Ensure compliance with applicable standards (e.g., ISO 14971) and regulatory requirements.
• Perform independent literature and database reviews to identify relevant scientific and regulatory evidence, then synthesize findings and summarize their implications for the team's risk management and human factors work.
• Conduct primary user research to uncover behaviors and motivations through surveys, interviews, usability testing, and other methods that may lead to new research directions.
• Perform quantitative and qualitative data analysis and turn research insights into clear, actionable deliverables, along with other job-related duties or special projects as assigned.

Learning Outcomes

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

• Learn how inputs from multiple stakeholders shape product design and development.
• Stay current with industry risk management and human factors best practices and research.
• Identify new opportunities in risk management, human factors, and drug delivery device research.
• Collaborate and present research with cross-functional colleagues in engineering, marketing, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, quality, labeling, and more.
• Understand the regulatory requirements for risk management and human factors, including relevant standards and guidance for medical devices and combination products.

This position may close before the posted end date or remain open longer, at the company's discretion.