Industrial Designer (Senior Assistant Manager), Centre for Healthcare Innovation Living Lab

Industrial Designer (Senior Assistant Manager), Centre for Healthcare Innovation Living Lab, Kaizen Office, Centre for Healthcare Innovation

About the role:

Are you a problem-solver with a deep passion in designing physical products to improve the healthcare experience and health outcomes of patients and residents, as the well as the working experience of healthcare workers? If so, this may be the job for you!

The Centre for Healthcare Innovation Living Lab (CHILL) is an in-house prototyping and testing lab under the Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI). We work with healthcare professionals from the National Healthcare Group – including Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Woodlands Hospital, Institute of Mental Health and NHGP Polyclinics - to design, prototype, test and scale product innovations.

If you do join our team, you will be involved in:

1. User Research & Concept Development: Work with healthcare professionals and/or external users (e.g. patients, caregivers, residents) to understand the nature and scale of the problem, conduct user research to understand user requirements, and develop a range of concepts that could address the problem. This would include:
   1. Designing and conducting user research with key stakeholders, and articulating the key product requirements and ‘good-to-haves’,
   2. Conducting market research to understand other similar or possible product solutions available, and
   3. Conducting concept development and ideation activities, and systematically prioritising concepts for prototyping and testing.
2. Prototyping: Develop low- to middle-fidelity prototypes to enable proof-of-concept and proof-of-value testing. This would involve:
   1. Creating and/or updating CAD models, drawings, and documentation using tools such as Rhinoceros 3D, Fusion 360, and Adobe Illustrator,
   2. Exploring new materials or mechanisms to build the prototype,
   3. Building prototypes using rapid-prototyping methods, including 3D printing, machining, and basic fabrication,
   4. Defining colour, material, and finish (CMF) specifications that consider user needs and clinical requirements,
   5. Ensuring that the prototype is eventually designed to be able to be mass manufactured, and
   6. Ensuring compliance with relevant standards and design controls for medical devices (e.g., ISO 13485, FDA, HSA guidelines) where applicable.
3. Testing: Test low-to middle-fidelity prototypes to validate key assumptions and prove the concept / value of the product. This would involve:
   1. Designing and conducting the user testing in lab-based and real-world settings,
   2. Documenting test outcomes, and
   3. Proposing next steps based on learnings from the tests.
4. Vendor management: Source for, engage with and manage third-party vendors to create medium- to high-fidelity prototypes and manufactured products. This would involve:
   1. Detailing requirement specifications for the procurement of third-party vendors,
   2. Assisting in any clarifications during the procurement process,
   3. Liaising with vendors to discuss and carry out the design and manufacturing approach and timeline, and detailing discussions and change requests with vendors.
5. Documentation and managing intellectual property: Maintain comprehensive project documentation for each phase of work, including the final product specifications and manufacturing instructions. This would include:
   1. Detailing the necessary information for each phase of work per standard operating process, and
   2. Working with National Health Group’s intellectual property office to protect the intellectual property of the product, where applicable.

Skills and Qualifications:

• At least 5 years’ experience as an industrial designer or design engineer, with a strong portfolio in physical products and experience in the scope of activities listed above, ideally with a large organisation or have clients from large organisations.
• Ideally with prior experience in creating physical prototypes.
• Ideally with prior experience in managing vendors to create medium- to high-fidelity prototypes, and/or manufacturing of products.
• At least a Bachelor's degree Industrial Design, mechanical engineering or related fields.
• Strong understanding of industrial design fundamentals, materials, and manufacturing processes.
• Proficient in using industrial design tools to create various visualisations (e.g. 2D sketches, 3D designs, 3D prints). Such tools could include Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Solidworks/Autodesk, Rhinoceros 3D, and Figma.
• Strong interest in product design for healthcare.
• Experienced in leading and facilitating co-creation and design workshops.
• Good communication and documentation skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills, curiosity, and willingness to learn, and
• Ability to work both independently and in a multidisciplinary team environment.