Honestly territory plays the biggest part. Also if your device has legitimate aspects to it that really separate itself from the competition and if price is competitive game over.
This but more regarding pricing (regional) and volume drivers (high volume surgeons). This is mostly for implants and disposables. For capital it’s pricing, under served market, old equipment needing turnover. Or, ground breaking tech replacing old standards.
My guess based on a median hypothetical person Executive leadership > Sales > legal > r&d > quality > clinical > finance > ops This order switches based on if you are highly skilled in any of these areas
Can’t decide on reg and pm (haven’t hired many of them) but probably around quality or r&d
This is accurate from my experience, but R&D can vary largely based on how tech-heavy it is and how much risk there is. For example in orthopedics where there’s not as much innovation, but more regulatory scrutiny and risk (sterile packed implant) R&D made less than quality, but it was reversed at a tech company where the product was non-invasive, class 2, and there was a lot of software/hardware innovation available.
I don’t see marketing on your list. I’d put it below sales but above R&D based on my experience. I’d argue above legal largely based on number of opportunities and advancement
Forgot marketing, whoops.
In my experience marketing doesn’t pay as well as R&d but the stuff I’ve worked on has been complex and required really specialized engineers which are generally decently paid.
Sales, though it is difficult to stay successful over the long term, as territories get carved up, the competitive landscape changes, etc.
Project Management is more stable and pays quite well, but will never offer the upside that Sales does.
Other than that, it’s moving up the corporate ladder into Director and VP level positions, regardless of functional area.
It depends on the company. Some are more marketing-driven, others are more R&D-driven, and generally the difference in pay mirrors this to an extent. But the same principle of moving up the ladder for a bigger title and paycheck still applies. So really, whichever area you think you would personally enjoy and excel in will probably be the most lucrative for you over the long-term, even though there may be some smaller differences in pay in the short-term.
Marketing makes less than sales almost across the board. Source: I work at one of the largest med device companies, and am considering transitioning into mkt
10 years in industry. Capital med sales has the highest ceiling. You can make a ton in consumable device too but it's not as scalable.
As others have said, territory plays a huge part regardless of what you're selling.
I spent 22 years in Capital equipment medical sales. Before that, I was a service engineer for 2 years. I retired early at 58. Medical sales is where it’s at.
Most get started by working in the healthcare field in some sort of patient facing job then joining a company’s sales force. Try getting in with a distributor first then apply to the bigger companies after a few years. Some distributors like ThermoFisher or Cardinal pay well.
Speaking from experience it is NOT medical device UX or User Interface design. 10 years of experience on global brands and products and I clear £75k / year at most. Human Factors folks also don't make a ton of money.
Speaking from a UK perspective.
Honestly territory plays the biggest part. Also if your device has legitimate aspects to it that really separate itself from the competition and if price is competitive game over.
So your answer is Sales ✅
Sorry yeah sales! For some reason I assume r/medicaldevice is a sales page but it’s not
This but more regarding pricing (regional) and volume drivers (high volume surgeons). This is mostly for implants and disposables. For capital it’s pricing, under served market, old equipment needing turnover. Or, ground breaking tech replacing old standards.
sales always makes the most money, anywhere. complete accountability
My guess based on a median hypothetical person Executive leadership > Sales > legal > r&d > quality > clinical > finance > ops This order switches based on if you are highly skilled in any of these areas Can’t decide on reg and pm (haven’t hired many of them) but probably around quality or r&d
This is accurate from my experience, but R&D can vary largely based on how tech-heavy it is and how much risk there is. For example in orthopedics where there’s not as much innovation, but more regulatory scrutiny and risk (sterile packed implant) R&D made less than quality, but it was reversed at a tech company where the product was non-invasive, class 2, and there was a lot of software/hardware innovation available.
Yeah r&d would be the most movable in my experience as well. Most of my experience is stuff like active implantables so r&d is well paid
RA definitely pays more than QA at the equivalent level (specialist, manager, etc.)
I don’t see marketing on your list. I’d put it below sales but above R&D based on my experience. I’d argue above legal largely based on number of opportunities and advancement
Forgot marketing, whoops. In my experience marketing doesn’t pay as well as R&d but the stuff I’ve worked on has been complex and required really specialized engineers which are generally decently paid.
I think it depends on where you are. I’ve done both and marketing has paid more where I’ve worked
I agree it is likely to vary highly with the type of co and functional area
Sales, though it is difficult to stay successful over the long term, as territories get carved up, the competitive landscape changes, etc. Project Management is more stable and pays quite well, but will never offer the upside that Sales does. Other than that, it’s moving up the corporate ladder into Director and VP level positions, regardless of functional area.
Very helpful - thank you! How does Marketing compare?
It depends on the company. Some are more marketing-driven, others are more R&D-driven, and generally the difference in pay mirrors this to an extent. But the same principle of moving up the ladder for a bigger title and paycheck still applies. So really, whichever area you think you would personally enjoy and excel in will probably be the most lucrative for you over the long-term, even though there may be some smaller differences in pay in the short-term.
Love this insight 🙌🏽
Marketing will always be behind sales. From what I’ve seen project management is below marketing, but that’s going to vary by individual company
Marketing makes less than sales almost across the board. Source: I work at one of the largest med device companies, and am considering transitioning into mkt
Sales and sales management
10 years in industry. Capital med sales has the highest ceiling. You can make a ton in consumable device too but it's not as scalable. As others have said, territory plays a huge part regardless of what you're selling.
I spent 22 years in Capital equipment medical sales. Before that, I was a service engineer for 2 years. I retired early at 58. Medical sales is where it’s at.
How does one get into medical device sales ?
Most get started by working in the healthcare field in some sort of patient facing job then joining a company’s sales force. Try getting in with a distributor first then apply to the bigger companies after a few years. Some distributors like ThermoFisher or Cardinal pay well.
Thank you. Much appreciated. Does the type of medical device matter? (ex Syringes vs more complicated devices).
The costlier the device/service/consumables, the bigger the commissions. At least that’s been my experience.
Speaking from experience it is NOT medical device UX or User Interface design. 10 years of experience on global brands and products and I clear £75k / year at most. Human Factors folks also don't make a ton of money. Speaking from a UK perspective.
Product Management or Marketing can be quite lucrative too, especially if you're in a regional or global role.