Sr Director, Product Development

Join Vital Path in Maplewood as a Senior Director, New Product Development!

About Vital Path

Vital Path is a trusted contract manufacturing partner that delivers high‑quality complex catheter solutions around the world that save lives and restore patient health and vital function. We strive to treat every product we design and manufacture to the highest level of quality and awareness that these products are going to be used inside of a patient, possibly even our own family members.

Our employees impassioned hard work and dedication are at the core of our success. Every function within our organization plays a crucial role in our mission and is deeply valued for its contribution to achieving our shared goals of quality, innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. As a fast‑growing organization, we bring harmony and standardization across Vital Path with a strong vision in mind - We are one Vital Path.

We embrace our diversity, celebrate each others success, support one another through change, and continue to grow as a high‑performing organization. We aim to shape our corporate culture to enhance team member engagement, skills, and productivity so that Vital Path is an employer of choice. If you’re ready to contribute to groundbreaking medical advancements in a collaborative, fast paced environment, we invite you to apply and be part of our growth!

The Senior Director, New Product Development will play a pivotal role in developing and shaping the future of our Engineering Team specifically and the business generally. They will be tasked with not only recruiting, retaining and nurturing top talent but also developing breakthrough medical products, implementing enterprise‑wide business processes and leading a dynamic team to success. This role is a critical one in driving alignment and integration across the organization with specific core responsibilities including engaging with customers to establish clear technical expectations, leading the team to execute innovative complex catheter designs from concept to manufacturing transfer, and providing cross‑functional leadership to ensure effective costing/quoting, scope management, program management, Phase‑Gate process compliance and smooth and effective transfer‑to‑manufacturing.

This is not a lead from behind the desk role, it requires a hands‑on approach for both team leadership and overall execution.

• This position requires the employee to be onsite at our Vital Path Maplewood and New Hope, MN locations (primary location is Maplewood, MN).
• Vital Path does not offer relocation assistance for this position.

• Pipeline Growth:
  Collaborate with Commercial Teams to identify and secure new business opportunities, leveraging your technical expertise and industry insights to support business growth and expand our market presence.
• Team Leadership:
  Lead the recruitment, development, and management of the NPD Engineering Team; fostering a culture of catheter expertise, customer collaboration, rapid response, successful development and design transfer into Operations.
• Culture:
  Further develop and maintain a culture of internal and external stakeholder collaboration.
• Training:
  Ensure the NPD Team has training necessary to excel at their jobs.
• Succession Planning:
  Coach and develop team members to ensure proper bench strength and succession planning.
• New Technology:
  Enhance Vital Path’s overall technical capability by seeking out and putting together a business case for new technologies and coordinating a technology roadmap which aligns with the strategic focus of the company.
• Product & Process Development Excellence:
  Drive product and process development to align with internal (Phase‑Gate) and external (ISO 13485) process guidelines and effectively address customer needs.
• Problem Solving:
  Engage and lead cross‑functional teams to address design, product and process requirements, utilizing effective planning and problem‑solving methodologies and subject‑matter experts to optimize processes and outcomes.
• Design Transfer:
  Work cross‑functionally to ensure a smooth transfer of new products into…