With a strong foothold in the medical technologies market, this client is a global name in their therapeutic area and is constantly developing and redesigning products to meet market needs.

The successful candidate will provide the interface between Product Development, the Legal Team and any other relevant stake holders to ensure that the company’s intellectual property positions is protected.

Responsibilities: 

• Liaise with Research & Development to define project timelines and milestones as well as understanding the relevant technology.
• Working with legal team to analyse, prepare and present information on IP portfolios for newly developed products and technologies
• Reading and understanding patent disclosures to identify areas of interest/concern relating to newly developed technologies.
• Working with variety of key stakeholders related to the business unit to effectively manage technology changes in relation to IP and Patent disclosures
• Providing weekly written reports on all development activity and IP changes
• Responding to IP queries where necessary or directing them to relevant legal team member when required

Requirements:

• Minimum Tertiary qualification in engineering discipline (biomedical, mechanical, mechatronics, medical sciences or similar)
• Preferably Postgradate qualification in Intellectual Property
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in product development/IP related assignments
• Strong understanding of CAD packages to interpret product drawings

Remuneration

$Attractive Salary plus benefits & bonus

Contact Nicola on +612 80960060 or email ’393-MH1435@apply.maxhire.net’

Knowing how to manage salary reviews is critical for engaging, retaining and motivating staff. They can provide a key opportunity for both you and your employee to ensure that you share the same understanding with regard to performance measures and expectations for your relationship.

With consumer and business confidence at considerable lows it may not be financially viable for you to give your staff the pay rise that they received in previous years or that they may be expecting.

However, there are some key points that you should consider when conducting salary reviews.

Salary Consistency

Consistency in salaries amongst your staff is extremely important. People talk, and unreasonable or unexplainable salary discrepancies can foster resentment and have a very negative impact on your company’s culture. It could also leave you vulnerable to claims of discrimination.

Check the Adroit People Salary Guide 2012  and other industry payscale benchmarks to ensure that there is  internal consistency in the remuneration of your staff and that your salaries are fair and consistent with industry rates.

Self-evaluation Forms

Having employees complete self-evaluation forms just prior to salary reviews are useful in getting an understanding of what gap there may be between your perceptions and expectations, and your employee’s perceptions and expectations. It will also provide guidance for what key areas should be focused on and addressed during the review.

Clear Communication

Communicate clearly about pay at all times. Setting out clear and achievable performance objectives and milestones will allow you to assess the true contribution of your employee to your business and can provide markers for considering the validity and legitimacy of a pay rise.

Be honest with your staff about the reasons for declining or limiting salary increases and take the time to fully explain your decision.  Employees will already have an instinctive feel for how your business is going and candid discussion of business objectives and progress will allow them to see how their role effects, and is affected by, the overall business.

Open communication about the issue will limit any damage to goodwill and can pave the way forward for a better understanding of performance objectives and expectations, and how they impact reward mechanisms.

External Factors

Although salary reviews tend to focus on internal criteria, it is important to recognise the impact of external factors. Skill shortages for in-demand roles, competitor salaries, and the costs of recruitment and training of new staff should all be considered. Similarly, in challenging economic times or market saturation of job seekers due to business closures, employees need to be aware of how these external factors impact influence management decisions taken to secure the long-term viability of the business.

Other Incentives

Cash bonuses are often used as an alternative to a salary increase.  A bonus that is tied to performance is an additional incentive for your employee and it can ensure that your business objectives will be achieved before you incur the additional cost. However, some employers report ‘bonus fatigue’ impacting performance, where employees see annual cash bonuses as a part of their salary rather than something that needs to be achieved through high performance.

Employee wish-lists are an alternative to cash bonuses that can be a useful tool in incentivising employees by allowing the employee the opportunity to identify their own rewards.

Tying employee performance goals to personal rewards such a holidays, gift certificates, bicycles, electronic goods etc, can yield a better return than a simple cash incentive because the reward is more tangible than money in the bank. Additionally, employees are more likely to talk to others about a great gift they received from their employer than the details of a cash bonus, and this can have very positive impact on your employer brand and, by extension, your ability to attract and retain talent to your organisation. (Of course, you should always seek professional advice about tax implications).

Our recent salary survey also showed that professional development and progression is equally as important to staff as their salary. You can show your employees you value them and get great benefit for your company by facilitating their growth and development through continuing their education. Aligning personal development goals with professional development strategies helps employers motivate and retain workforces whose skills are current and relevant to the business.

Employee Share Option Plans (ESOPs) are another way of incentivising employment, but there are taxation implications that must be understood when considering this route.

Stay Positive

A request for a salary increase is not a one-way affair.  It is perfectly acceptable that, within reason, a salary review may afford you the opportunity to review and change the responsibilities and duties of the employee. Open communication about the expectations and obligations that come with a pay rise are a way for both your employee and your company to gain benefit out of the extra cost.

If there is no way that you can afford a pay rise immediately, but there is the possibility that it may be a viable option in the future, don’t just say “maybe another time” to the employee.  Set another date for a salary review in a reasonable time frame (e.g. three to six months) so that the employee knows that you have taken their request seriously and that you recognise their value – even though you cannot express it financially at the moment.  It can also encourage the employee to perform well in order to have a strong case for a rise in the next review.

Above all, it is most important to stay positive and to show that your company values the contribution of your employee and feels that they are an important part of the team. Requests for salary increases can be an ideal opportunity to reaffirm an employee’s commitment to your company and can provide a starting point for defining objectives and expectations for the future.

Prospective employers and clients are using LinkedIn to discover more about you and to help them decide whether or not to engage you.Your LinkedIn profile is essentially an advertisement to the world of who you are in your career.  As with any form of advertising, the rule of social proof shows that other people’s opinions will significantly impact a consumer’s choice.

One of the best ways to provide social proof is through the LinkedIn recommendations. Essentially a testimonial about you, they boost your profile and can convince the prospective employers or clients that you have the skills that the need. A series of good testimonials will make you stand out from the crowd.

Although straight forward in theory, the reality is that LinkedIn recommendations can be a bit of a minefield. It can be awkward to know how to ask for a recommendation and an inappropriate recommendation can have a negative impact on you.

Who to ask for LinkedIn recommendations

The golden rule of LinkedIn recommendation is to only ask for testimonials from people that fit the profile for the type of user that you are trying to attract.

Whether you’re job hunting or looking for new business customers getting recommendations from satisfied clients will always help.

If you’re purely job hunting then ex-bosses are a good source of recommendations.

Your client/customer base and ex-employers are the best source of recommendations because their experience of you will be largely professional and they tend to speak about their experience objectively.

The ideal time to ask for a recommendation is immediately after you have just done something well and they are happy with the service provided or the job that you did. Their recent memory of a complex / difficult project that you delivered on, will make it highly likely that they will mention it specifically or at least to allude to it.

Recommendations from co-workers can be disingenuous and usually carry little weight with LinkedIn readers. Additionally, if you have a close/friendly relationship with your colleague, there is a chance that they may talk about you on a more social than professional level, or give your recommendation the silver bullet with something along the lines of “…is a great worker and a whole heap of fun to have in the office. I never laughed so much as when we worked together. Remember those crazy Friday sessions!?”.

How to ask for LinkedIn Recommendations

A lot of people feel awkward asking for testimonials and often end up asking simply ‘can you recommend me?’ and then leaving it to the fates to see what they get.

The problem with this is that if that person writes a testimonial for you and you’re not happy with it, there isn’t much recourse without giving the impression of being ungrateful.

If you direct the person to mention a specific project or ask them to speak about your positive attributes or characteristics it can help improve the impact of the recommendation.

It’s easy to forget that it’s just as difficult for someone to write something positive about you as it is for you to ask them for a recommendation. Many people can be unsure of what to write, or how to write it and get writer’s block, so they may welcome some direction to help put something together.

Some helpful prompts could be:

“Could you please write a short recommendation for me and include some reference to:

• my work ethic / team orientation / ability to deal with stress or crisis situations / customer care / ability to deliver results / a (specific) project we worked on together / technical knowledge, etc..
• what you think my strengths are and how I apply them to my work

or

“I’m going for a  [xxxxxxxxx] role and need to highlight my expertise in [xxxxxxxx]. Could you say something about this?”

Also, try to get different people to comment on different attributes if you have, so that recommendations are not top heavy in one area only. A balanced spread of attributes listed on your profile will provide the best showcase for your capabilities.

Finally, if you ask someone to give you a LinkedIn recommendation there is an immediate prompt from LinkedIn to post a recommendation for that person and an expectation is created that you will reciprocate.

Don’t feel obliged to write a recommendation in return – at least not immediately.

Mutual recommendations are often seen as insincere, especially if written at the same time. If you are not selective in your recommendations and write recommendations for just anyone it can cheapen what may in fact be a genuine recommendation for someone else.

Our client is a thought leader in turnkey solutions services to the life sciences, minerals and construction industries with operations on a truly global scale.  Widely regarded as an employer of choice with an enviable client portfolio the company continues its expansion overseas and is now seeking to fill a critical role in its Shanghai operations.

This is an excellent opportunity for an accomplished and highly motivated Process Engineering / Technology Manager to further their career in a dynamic and rewarding work environment.

Duties in brief:

Leading a team of dedicated process technology engineers the Process Engineering Manager will be responsible for scoping out projects from concept and tender through to resourcing and all stages of facility design. People management and development is a critical factor to the success of this role and the PEM will be responsible for the continuing development of the PE team.

Requirements:

• To be successful in this role applicants will have at least 15 years’ industry experience coupled with a proven track record in taking a leading position in the design of large scale pharmaceutical, biotechnology or medical device projects.
• Demonstrated detailed design experience in some or all of the following areas; Biotechnology, Fill Finish or Oral Solid Dosage.
• Good knowledge of EU, US and WHO GMP regulations and associated requirements.
• A working knowledge of the Chinese GMP regulations would be an advantage.
• Capable of leading the process department technically, at all stages of facility design.
• Capable of introducing and maintaining engineering systems of work, and maintaining the quality of output from the department.
• Working knowledge of control systems, in particular DCS systems.

Remuneration:

¥ Excellent depending on experience, plus full expatriate benefits package.

For more information or to apply, contact Diarmuid on +612 80960060 / email your application to dsexton@adroitpeople.com.au

Confidentiality Assured.  

Our client is a leading multinational engineering consultancy with operations worldwide. Since its incorporation our client has attracted an enviable portfolio of clients and its name is synonymous with integrity, expertise and delivering successful outcomes.

An opportunity has arisen in our client’s China operations for a Regional Sales Director to take on responsibility for developing the sales and marketing strategy and execution for the Chinese market. This is a high-impact role requiring a dynamic and resourceful Sales Director to leverage his/her experience and network to identify and deliver sales growth in the China region.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for developing the sales and marketing strategy within China in compliance with global guidelines.
• Responsible for ensuring regional sales deliver revenue and profit growth according to the strategy for the region. This includes being account manager for a number of accounts, as well as demonstrating leadership in directing other sales resources working in China.
• Responsible for developing marketing and tender bids in the region.
• Collaborate with local Account Managers and BDMs to implement and drive strategic objectives for accounts in the region. Work closely with local leadership team to define strategy and tactical implementation of goals.
• Work with regional and global stakeholders in the business to leverage resources from global accounts and align strategies and create synergies with local operations.
• As a member of the global sales team, actively contribute to the development of the global sales team.

Qualifications:

• B.Sc. or M.Sc. plus minimum 10-15 years’ relevant engineering and commercial sales experience in the pharmaceutical / biotechnology or engineering sectors.
• Knowledge of and experience with the Chinese engineering industry and / or biotech and pharma market within the last 3-5 years
• Minimum 5 years of experience in selling services and/or customised solutions and technical offerings
• International experience and cultural understanding of business behaviour and local customer knowledge
• Sales-oriented self-starter, continuously setting high sales ambitions and track record of achievement.

Salary:
An attractive and highly competitive salary package will be made available to the successful candidate reflecting the importance of this role.

• Full Business Visa Sponsorship
• Expat Salary Packaging
• Relocation

For more information or to apply, contact Diarmuid on +612 8096 0060 / email: dsexton@adroitpeople.com.au

Our client is a leading technology innovator with a firm commitment to, and history of, investing in its people and next generations of technologies. An opportunity has arisen for an accomplished Manufacturing Engineer with demonstrable skills and experience in polymer technology to step into a pivotal leadership role providing support for product and process issues related to materials and processes.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated and accomplished engineer to step into a high visibility leadership role and further their career in a dynamic and rewarding work environment.

Responsibilities:

• Providing technical leadership on product and process issues, with specific leadership in relation to polymer materials and polymer processing.
• Technology transfers and implementing processes either from development teams or other sites.
• Lead the polymer materials and tooling team, providing leadership to engineers and technicians for problem solving, process improvement and special projects.
• Liaison with quality and engineering stakeholders from XFTs and overseas sites.
• Represent the product group in meetings with respect to new products providing strong input to product design in terms of material selection, tolerances, opportunities for DFM and process design.
• Ongoing support to manufacturing to ensure business objectives are met WRT quality, output and cost.
• Maintain a valid capacity model in co-operation with line supervisor and conduct adequate advance planning for required capital.
• Collaborate with XFTs and EHS personnel the environmental impact of new equipment, processes or chemicals to eliminate or lessen such effects.
• Provide technical leadership for process technicians and ensure that the preventative maintenance program is adhered to appropriately.
• Development and implementation of appropriate supporting documentation, which complies with GMP in conjunction with the other team members.
• Project planning to support of major projects, product/process transfer, etc…

Requirements:

• Bachelor of Polymer/Materials Science or Engineering, or relevant degree with 5-10 years’ relevant experience in Polymer Materials development through to manufacturing support.
• Ideally, educated to Masters level.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in successfully managing projects and leading teams.
• Strong technical capabilities, technical management skills communication skills, teamwork abilities and initiative.
• Ideally, Six Sigma qualified (Green / Black Belt)

Remuneration:
€ Excellent plus benefits + bonus DOE

For more information or to apply, call Diarmuid on +612 8096 0060 / dsexton@adroitpeople.com.au

The Deed of Release is one of the most adaptable documents in any legal tool box.

It usually is a brief, but carefully targeted, document used to either bring a dispute to an end or to prevent one from ever arising.

Such a document could be used to evidence the settlement ‘deal’ between the parties. If you are presented with a Deed of Release, make sure you are getting a good deal and do not sign it without proper advice.

Typically under such a document, one party undertakes to pay a certain amount or to do a specific act and the other party agrees that it will be prevented from making any further claims related to that matter.

A common use is where an employee is being paid a redundancy amount. In those circumstances, the employer and employee execute a Deed or Release and it is agreed that the payment of the redundancy amount will bar any further employment-related claims.

Another common use is where ligation is under way between the parties. You’ve probably frequently heard news reports which state that something was “settled out of court” and the “terms of the settlement are confidential”. A Deed of Release would be the document behind that aspect of the news story.

The common provisions in a Deed of Release are:

• without any admission of liability the parties agree to settle the matter;
• a description of what Party A must do;
• a description of what Party B must do;
• the terms and scope of the unconditional release;
• a bar to any further legal proceedings;
• confidentiality undertakings;
• a warranty that:
  • each party has the capacity to enter into the Deed;
  • entered into the Deed without any duress;
  • had the opportunity to seek independent legal advice;
  • understood the consequences of entering in the Deed;
  • knows the other party is relying on the undertaking being given; and
  • neither party gave any other promises, representations or inducements.

Of course, a Deed of Release usually includes some boilerplate clauses and some interpretation boilerplate.

It is also standard practice to execute the document as a deed rather than an agreement as this overcomes any concerns about the possible absence of consideration.

Working with a world leader in the research, development and distribution of innovative medical technologies for the global marketplace the Product Manager will be tasked with leading the marketing input associated with new product development to ensure defined outcomes are met, and therein achieve global business objectives.

This is an outstanding opportunity to work with a global leader in medical technology development in a key role supporting a high visibility business unit and will suit accomplished professionals seeking to further their career in a dynamic and rewarding work environment.

Responsibilities:

• Consult and communicate with all areas of the company to ensure the product marketing and business strategy for assigned products are clearly defined and that continuity of supply of quality products is maintained.
• Oversee the commercial performance of assigned product category to achieve business targets and work with regional marketing stakeholders to understand market drivers, opportunities and needs in their product markets.
• Drive customer focused and trouble-free business solutions from inception to completion.
• Plan, manage and coordinate the introduction of new products into markets, including formulation of marketing communications plan, launch production volume ramp plans, and product training materials.
• Be proactive with related new product development projects to address and resolve issues in a timely manner pending input from the regions and affected departments.
• Participate as a key contributor to ensure defined documentation outcomes are met.
• Sustain and/or manage the product lifecycle of assigned products through product management activities to ensure continual supply and appropriate product obsolescence plans.
• Manage mature products within assigned portfolio throughout their lifecycle, including post-market support, product improvements and obsolescence.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree Business, Marketing, Scientific or Nursing discipline plus minimum 5-10 years’ product management experience in medical devices/technologies or healthcare market.
• Proven track record in a product development / management role from concept to market
• Superior communication skill, both written and verbal.
• Previous experience in an upstream marketing role, ideally in the development of respiratory products with exposure to business development.
• Ideally, qualified to MBA level with strong commercial acumen

Remuneration:

$ Negotiable DOE plus excellent benefits

For more information call Diarmuid on 02-80960060, or apply through the Job Search portal above.

Confidentiality Assured.

For free to download industry information and job seeker resources go to www.adroitpeople.com.au

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Our client is at the forefront of the medical device industry with operations nationwide and internationally. We are currently seeking an experienced Regulatory Affairs Associate to join the Regulatory Affairs Team at our client’s Sydney based operations to provide high level regulatory support for a diverse portfolio of products and pipeline developments.

This is an excellent opportunity for career-minded professionals to join a leading employer in the industry during an exciting period of sustained growth.

Duties:

• In brief the successful applicant will be responsible for providing regulatory support to existing products within the company’s product portfolio, covering class I, II & III devices.
• Providing advice on the interpretation of regulatory legislation and licence conditions for medical devices across the ANZ region.
• Preparing high quality regulatory submissions related to all aspects of product development and post market technical file compliance auditing
• Working across cross-functional team to ensure customer satisfaction and regulatory compliance for sales and promotional materials.

Requirements:

• B.Sc. plus min 3 years’ regulatory experience, at least 1-2 years within medical technologies and/or diagnostics.
• An accomplished professional with a track record of successful planning and preparation of regulatory submissions within medical technology environment.
• Strong knowledge of ISO13485 requirements
• Excellent communication skills – highly articulate with ability to work with interdepartmental teams.

Remuneration:

Salary: $ Negotiable, plus Gym Membership, Salary Packaging, discounted products, Birthday Leave and more…

Don’t miss out. Apply now in confidence.

Call Diarmuid on 02-8096 0060 or apply through the Job Search portal above

Salary Negotiations

For many people annual performance review time can be the most daunting and stressful part of the employment calendar. Excluding promotions, it is the one chance you have in the year to present your case and secure a better than average salary increase.

Taking a cap in hand approach to annual reviews and hoping that the goodwill you’ve cultivated throughout the year coupled with getting an average rating in your KPIs will be enough to get you more is rarely a successful strategy in salary negotiations.

This is probably the reason why over 45% of people we surveyed received only 1-3% salary increase in the past year, and why another 34% got between 4-6%.

Performance reviews are exactly that – a review of your performance. You need to have a plan if you are to negotiate a better than average salary increase for your efforts.

Gather Data To Support Your Case:

Every commercial organisation in the world is in the business of making money and every employee is hired to solve a problem for the company they work for. Knowing what problems you solve and what you have achieved in this area is key to understanding how to negotiate a better salary at annual review time.

People in sales and marketing rarely have difficulty when it comes to annual reviews – they are usually on top of their sales figures and the commercial impact that they have on the company. For example; ‘I was #1 sales rep’ or ‘I grew market share by 250%’ or ‘I exceed my target by $500k’. When presented to management such successes are hard to argue.

But what if you don’t work in sales or marketing? What if you work in customer service, supply chain, engineering or human resources? You can’t rely on personal sales data, so you need to look for something else. More often than not it’s a simple matter of changing how you look at your work.

Everything’s Measurable:

Before the meeting take some time to review the projects that you have worked on or initiatives that you’ve participated in throughout the year. All of these will have a results orientation and you need to focus on the commercial outcomes of these projects.

Steer clear of the emotional and goodwill aspects of your work. This is largely intangible and emotional goodwill is hard to translate to hard cash in a salary negotiation. It’s the results of goodwill and the impact on the workplace that you need to report on.

Measurable figures that have an impact on negotiations are monetary, percentile or numerical values. These highlight the impact you have on the company.

For example; overachieving sales budget by $100k or 130%; reducing waste by $30k; improving productivity by 15%; reducing complaints by 20%; reducing changeover times from 6 hours to 20 minutes, etc… This is the kind of information is largely accessible and is the kind of information you need to be thinking about when it comes to review time.

Different Job Functions And How You Can Measure Your Impact:

• Quality – improving product reliability, reducing complaints, improved process efficiency
• Sales – exceeding target, improved customer mix (de-risking business),  new business won
• Marketing – larger market share, increased customer awareness, limited competitor activity
• Customer Service – improved satisfaction rating, reduced complaints, reduced call times
• Engineering/Lab – reducing waste, optimising processes or throughput, reducing downtime
• Supply Chain – improving distribution performance, reducing stock obsolescence
• Procurement – reducing supplier costs, improving supplier quality
• Human Resources – improved employee engagement, reduced attrition, improved hiring times
• Production/Manufacturing – improved cycle times, reduced OH&S issues, reduced absenteeism
• Accounts – improved accounts accuracy, reduced debtor payment times & improved interest on cash
• Project Management – delivering project on time and/or below budget, successful implementation
• Product Development – improved materials costs, reduced development times

Calculating Your Value

Whether or not you have access to budgets and expenditure data, while it helps, is not essential. If you can work out the approximate impact on the organisation through some simple mathematics you’re well on your way to building a strong argument to support your case.

Examples:

You could have led a project at work. Let’s say there were 5 people working on the project at a cost of $1,000 per person per day. If you deliver the project one week ahead of schedule you have saved the company a significant amount of money on wages cost and productivity to the value of $25,000 ($1,000 x 5 people x 5 days).

Another example could be in supplier negotiation. Improved delivery or distribution time has a positive effect further down the supply chain, leading to faster turnaround times or access to market. If a product hits the shelves two weeks faster than normal try to calculate the $ value in sales per month. Divide this by half and you have the rough value of the impact you’ve had at work. Chances are it’s worth thousands.

The amounts do not need be exact figures, but approximate amounts that demonstrate you’re actively thinking about the business and the commercial impact of your role.

During the Review Meeting:

If you don’t ask you don’t get. That said, it is better to wait for the question of salary to be brought up by your employer rather than raising the matter straight away. Being too keen or being anything other than objective is only likely to bring on a confrontation about the matter. Confrontations rarely end in win-win for both parties.

Remain objective. Avoid emotive words and sentences like ‘I’ve worked hard all year and I feel I deserve a raise’. Instead use phrases that speak objectively, for example: ‘My contributions in the past year have had a significant and positive impact on the business, and I believe that merits a review of my salary package.’

This will then trigger a question asking you to justify your position. If you’ve done your sums correctly, and they show that you’re having a positive impact, then you will be presenting some solid data that supports your case and this will be hard to knock back.

Finally:

Be reasonable. Shooting for the stars with a 25%-50% salary increase is unlikely to be awarded. Employers have budgets that they need to stick to and going far beyond that is very hard to justify unless you’re working miracles every day.

For most employers 3-5% is a given during annual reviews due to Consumer Price Indexing year after year. Aiming for a mid-point of double this (around 8-10%) is a good range to go for, and doesn’t create an unrealistic expectation for your employer, while not placing too much pressure on you for the year ahead.

Good luck!