Technical Services Specialist

Technical Services Specialist

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals, and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Abbott has been operating in Ireland since 1946 and serves the Irish market with a diverse range of healthcare products including diagnostics, diabetes care, medical devices, and nutritional products. In Ireland, Abbott currently employs about 6,000 people across ten sites located in Dublin, Donegal, Clonmel, Cootehill, Galway, Kilkenny, Longford, and Sligo.

Abbott Diabetes Care has opened a new site, in Kilkenny, that is at the forefront of Diabetes care with the latest technology, to manufacture FreeStyle blood glucose test strips and FreeStyle Sensors for use in diabetes management. Among Abbott Diabetes Care leading brands are the FreeStyle Precision, FreeStyle Lite, and FreeStyle Libre systems.

The main purpose of the role:

The Technical Services Specialist is responsible for conducting thorough investigations into technical issues and product failures to identify root causes and implement effective corrective and preventive actions. This role requires strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams to ensure product quality, reliability, and compliance with industry standards. This is a dynamic, multi-disciplinary role, requiring the ability to multi-task, prioritize, and work on own initiative with minimal oversight. The Technical Services Specialist will support the Materials Engineering Manager and wider technical and cross-functional teams, working closely with various ADC stakeholders including Operations, Quality, Controls Systems, Global Engineering, Validation, and PMO.

Main responsibilities:

• Root Cause Analysis: Perform detailed investigations into product failures, process nonconformities, customer complaints, or system anomalies using structured methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone, RCA).
• Data Analysis: Collect, analyze, and interpret technical data, test results, and performance metrics to identify trends and underlying issues.
• Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, operations, and quality assurance teams to gather insights and validate findings.
• Corrective Actions: Develop, recommend, and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to resolve issues and mitigate future risks.
• Documentation: Prepare clear, concise, and detailed investigation reports, including findings, root cause analysis, and proposed solutions, ensuring compliance with regulatory and organizational standards.
• Testing & Validation: Design and execute tests or simulations to replicate issues, validate hypotheses, and verify the effectiveness of solutions.
• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to enhance processes, tools, or systems to prevent recurrence of issues and improve overall quality.
• Compliance: Ensure investigations and solutions adhere to industry regulations, standards, and internal policies (e.g., ISO, FDA, or other relevant frameworks).
• Training & Knowledge Sharing: Provide guidance and training to teams on investigation techniques, best practices, and lessons learned.
• Support the development of new processes to ensure the smooth running of the materials function and effective integration with other cross-functional processes.
• Working with the OpEx team, support the development of Power BI trackers and dashboards to capture relevant materials KPIs and metrics.
• Apply LEAN methodologies to drive operational excellence.
• Participate in cross-functional activities as necessary to ensure continual improvement, safety, and compliance.
• Identify areas of improvement and risk.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and global regulations.
• Learn, challenge, develop, and maintain a working knowledge of Abbott Quality Policy and Procedures.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent technical discipline.
• 3-5 years of experience in engineering, quality assurance, or a related field, with a focus on investigations, root cause analysis, or failure analysis.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in analytical tools and methodologies (e.g., RCA, FMEA, Statistical Process Control).
• Familiarity with data analysis software.
• Soft Skills: Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, for technical and non-technical audiences. Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Preferred but not required: Six Sigma Green/Black Belt.

What we offer:

Attractive compensation package that includes competitive pay, as well as benefits such as:

• Family health insurance
• Excellent pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Career Development
• Fantastic new facility
• Growing business plus access to many more benefits.