Senior Technical Lead - Value Engineering

This is where your work makes a difference. At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond. Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results. Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride. Your role at Baxter This is where your expertise helps people You are a problem solver. Complex projects or unexpected challenges are just opportunities to bring your considerable abilities to use. Whether working independently or with a trusted team, you are always ready to tackle a project and work hard to find solutions. Your talent is needed across a wide variety of industries. As a Technical Cost Out (TCO) Lead, you have a wide array of career choices, but are motivated by the opportunity to work in a company that supports innovation, professional development, and a purposeful mission. Your team We are a team of inquisitive individuals who embrace a collaborative environment to take on sophisticated challenges that meet the needs of our patients. We often need to change directions and respond to issues to avoid disruptions in our fast-paced manufacturing environment. Together, we build and maintain a positive work environment. Our team is dedicated to quality. Delivering life-saving products is about getting them right, and our technical expertise and experience working in a manufacturing environment empower us to meet that challenge. When you join us, you will work with a team of committed individuals who trust each other to deliver on the tasks at hand. We support innovation and out-of-the-box thinking balanced with collaboration across functions and other teams. Our leadership understands the need for continuous education and provides opportunities for further development. The Senior Technical Lead - TCO Engineering is a core leader within the TCO (Technical Cost Out) organization and is accountable for delivering sustainable material and component cost reduction, supply resilience, and margin improvement through advanced technical analysis, specification optimization, alternate sourcing, and disciplined cross‑functional execution. The role serves as a technical authority and execution leader, partnering closely with Procurement, R D, Quality, Operations, Strategy, and Suppliers to identify, validate, and implement complex cost optimization initiatives while safeguarding product performance, regulatory compliance, and continuity of supply. What you'll be doing

TCO Opportunity Identification & Analysis:

• Lead the identification and evaluation of complex, multi‑site total cost optimization opportunities across materials, components, and processes across sites, with specific focus on insourcing, alternate sourcing, process and product value engineering, and cost‑to‑serve optimization.
• Partner with Manufacturing Strategy to ensure alignment to the designed future state and long‑range capacity and footprint strategies.
• Perform and review advanced should‑cost, clean‑sheet, teardown, and cost model analyses, providing fact‑based recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Provide technical cost leadership input to category strategies with robust cost drivers, benchmarks, and market intelligence.
• Lead and facilitate cross‑functional Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, and structured cost optimization workshops, ensuring prioritization of high‑impact, executable initiatives.

Technical Execution & Validation:

• Lead and mentor cross‑functional technical teams through the planning and execution of complex initiatives using advanced engineering and scientific techniques, procedures, and criteria. This includes constructing integrated schedules, managing interdependencies, and guiding technical support functions.
• Serve as a technical escalation point for specification optimization, material substitution, and product or process changes.
• Oversee and coordinate sample builds, pilot runs, trials, testing, and technical validations, ensuring rigor and right‑first‑time execution.
• Ensure disciplined execution of change control, validation/qualification, and cut‑in planning, balancing speed, risk, and compliance.

Cross‑

Functional & Supplier Collaboration:

• Act as a senior technical partner to Procurement, Quality, R D, Operations, Strategy, Finance, and other stakeholders to align cost, risk, and performance objectives.
• Lead technical engagement with strategic and critical suppliers, driving process understanding, cost transparency, manufacturability improvements, and readiness assessments.
• Support and guide dual qualification, risk mitigation, capacity expansion, and supplier development initiatives, ensuring long‑term resilience and scalability.

Performance Tracking & Governance:

• Own initiatives end‑to‑end, from opportunity framing and business case development through execution, validation, and formal hand‑over of savings to Operations and Finance.
• Ensure robust documentation of assumptions, risks, mitigations, approvals, and savings methodologies in alignment with governance requirements.
• Proactively identify and escalate risks related to quality, regulatory compliance, service, cost realization, or timelines to appropriate forums.
• Drive continuous improvement of TCO ways of working by capturing best practices, lessons learned, and contributing to the internal TCO playbook and center of excellence methodology.

What you'll bring

Required:

7-10+ years experience with Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Materials, Plastics, Chemicals, Packaging, or Manufacturing engineering, science, or related field. Proven experience delivering multi-million dollar value engineering savings. Strong track record of leading complex, cross‑functional initiatives end‑to‑end using structured project and change management methodologies. Deep working knowledge of GMP, change control, deviation/CAPA processes, and validation/qualification principles in a regulated manufacturing environment. Advanced analytical and problem‑solving capability, with the ability to translate technical detail into business impact. Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influence at multiple organizational levels. Willingness and ability to travel as required.

Preferred:

• Proven leadership experience in alternate sourcing, supplier qualification, and supplier transitions within regulated manufacturing environments, delivering measurable cost savings.
• Experience translating technical changes into enterprise‑level business value, including insourcing transitions, technology transfers, and footprint changes.
• Demonstrated expertise in value engineering, design for manufacturability, and process optimization.
• Strong experience with cost modeling, should‑costing, and clean‑sheet methodologies.
• Lean / Six Sigma certification and applied use in cost and productivity programs. Key Performance Indicators
• Validated and sustained cost savings delivered vs. target.
• Right‑first‑time execution with no adverse quality, regulatory, or service impact.
• Throughput and effectiveness of initiatives moved from idea to implementation, including speed to impact.
• On‑time realization and cut‑in performance.
• Overall Return on Investment (ROI) and durability of delivered savings.

Applicants must be authorized to work for an employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time. We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. At Baxter, we are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices. The estimated base salary for this position is $128,000 - $176,000 annually. The estimated range is meant to reflect an anticipated salary range for the position. We may pay more or less than of the anticipated range based upon market data and other factors, all of which are subject to change. Individual pay is based on upon location, skills and expertise, experience, and other relevant factors. For questions about this, our pay philosophy, and available benefits, please speak to the recruiter if you decide to apply and are selected for an interview. Other Duties as Assigned Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Overtime is worked as required. #

LI-EB1 US

Benefits at Baxter (except for Puerto Rico) This is where your well-being matters. Baxter offers comprehensive compensation and benefits packages for eligible roles. Our health and well-being benefits include medical and dental coverage that start on day one, as well as insurance coverage for basic life, accident, short-term and long-term disability, and business travel accident insurance. Financial and retirement benefits include the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), with the ability to purchase company stock at a discount, and the 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), with options for employee contributions and company matching. We also offer Flexible Spending Accounts, educational assistance programs, and time-off benefits such as paid holidays, paid time off ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service, family and medical leaves of absence, and paid parental leave. Additional benefits include commuting benefits, the Employee Discount Program, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and childcare benefits. Join us and enjoy the competitive compensation and benefits we offer to our employees. For additional information regarding Baxter US Benefits, please speak with your recruiter or visit our Benefits site: Benefits | Baxter Equal Employment Opportunity Baxter is an equal opportunity employer. Baxter evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.

Know Your Rights:

Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Reasonable Accommodations Baxter is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities globally. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or interview process, please click on the link here and let us know the nature of your request along with your contact information. Recruitment Fraud Notice Baxter has discovered incidents of employment scams, where fraudulent parties pose as Baxter employees, recruiters, or other agents, and engage with online job seekers in an attempt to steal personal and/or financial information. To learn how you can protect yourself, review our Recruitment Fraud Notice .

Qualifications:

65 Pitts Station Rd|Marion, NC 28752|United States of America