Senior R&D Development Specialist; Prototyping

You will need to live within commuting distance to Stryker’s Mahwah, NJ office. You will need to be in the office 5 days a week.

As the Senior R&D Prototype Technician you will support our Joint Replacement product development teams by independently planning, fabricating, and delivering high-quality prototypes, fixtures, and verification components in a fast-paced R&D environment. You will need to have advanced technical judgment across CNC machining, rapid prototyping, and CAD/CAM, as well as ownership of shop operations, equipment reliability, and prototype execution.

To learn more about Stryker’s Joint Replacement portfolio :

• Independently plan, manufacture, and assemble complex R&D prototypes using CNC mills, lathes, and manual equipment, ensuring design intent and functional performance
• Select appropriate materials, processes, and techniques to meet design, performance, and timeline requirements
• Generate, modify, and optimize CAD models and CAM toolpaths and provide Design for Manufacturability (DFM) input to engineering teams
• Perform verification and testing to ensure prototype quality, functionality, and readiness for downstream testing
• Maintain, calibrate, and troubleshoot CNC and rapid prototyping equipment and coordinate with vendors and internal teams to minimize downtime
• Manage procurement, inventory, tooling, and consumables and establish organized workflows while ensuring safe operation in compliance with standards
• Serve as the technical and operational lead for the prototype shop in the Manager’s absence, making daily decisions on priorities and workload balancing
• Provide guidance to technicians and communicate status, risks, and recommendations to engineering and management stakeholders

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or an Associate’s degree in Manufacturing, Machining, Industrial Technology, or a related field with at least 4 years of relevant work experience, or a High School Diploma with at least 6 years of relevant work experience.
• 2+ years of experience in an R&D prototype or advanced machine shop environment
• Advanced CNC machining experience (mills and/or lathes)
• Working knowledge of CAD/CAM software (e.g., Creo, Fusion 360, Mastercam, or similar)
• Experience supporting rapid prototyping technologies
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise technical judgment, and solve complex manufacturing problems

$77,000.00-$ salary plus bonus eligible + benefits. Individual pay is based on skills, experience, and other relevant factors.

Health benefits include:
Medical and prescription drug insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, critical illness insurance, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, personalized healthcare support, wellbeing program and tobacco cessation program.

Financial benefits include:
Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), 401(k) plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), basic life and AD&D insurance, and short-term disability insurance. Stryker offers innovative products and services in Med Surg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually. Depending on customer requirements employees and new hires in sales and field roles that require access to customer accounts as a function of the job may be required to obtain various vaccinations as an essential function of their role.