Product Development Team Lead
About the role
We’re looking for an experienced medical device product development engineer with exceptional project leadership, client management, and team coordination skills to join our talented team.
In this role, you’ll act as the primary point of contact for the client — responsible for nurturing the client relationship, managing the project, leading the multidisciplinary development team, and ensuring the technical success of every deliverable. You’ll operate much like a fractional CTO for your clients - guiding them through the entire journey from concept to manufacturing launch with clarity, confidence, and care.
You’ll thrive in a collaborative environment where complex medical, life science, and diagnostic products are designed, engineered, and transferred into production with quality, compliance, and customer satisfaction always top of mind.
Inertia is a Toronto-based product innovation and manufacturing partner accelerating the development of next-generation medical and diagnostic devices.
We work with ambitious startups and scaleups to turn bold ideas into market-ready products - guiding them from concept and prototype through regulatory approval, manufacturing launch, and production scale. Our fully integrated model unites strategy, engineering, and manufacturing under one roof – eliminating silos and helping clients move faster and smarter.
With deep expertise in regulatory strategy, human factors, engineering design, design for manufacturing (DFM), and production, we make the complex simple - enabling innovators to bring life-changing technologies to market with speed and confidence.
What Makes Inertia Different
At Inertia, we don’t just build products - we build momentum.
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Exceptional Client Trust: Our clients consistently rate us above NPS 80, recognizing the precision, transparency, and results we deliver.
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Lean, High-Performance Teams: We eliminate unnecessary layers of management bloat and empower our project leads to make decisions, move fast, and own outcomes.
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End-to-End Impact: You’ll see your work move from concept to launch, with tangible results that change lives.
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Culture of Growth: Our multidisciplinary team thrives on curiosity, collaboration, and continuous learning — pushing boundaries in engineering, design, and manufacturing every day.
For more information on Inertia please visit our soon-to-be updated website here: www.inertiapd.com.
Role Responsibilities
As a Product Development Team Lead reporting to the VP Product Development, you will:
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Profitably lead multiple simultaneous projects and/or large complex multi-disciplinary projects with the equivalent of >3 FTE contributors and/or external partners and consulting or product sales of >$500k per year.
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Lead the creation, planning, and reporting of project scope, timelines, financial management, and performance.
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Lead client meetings and all client communications including non-technical aspects such as billing, expenses, etc.
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Lead projects through at least 2 of 3 Product Strategy, Product Development, and Product Manufacturing domains.
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Actively plan & consider how their project resourcing needs impact Inertia & the Inertia team, by seeking out additional (internal or external) resources when required and/or communicating when resources need to redeploy to other projects.
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Work closely with the Managers, Directors, or VPs in the creation of new project work orders, resources plans, pricing, and presentation to client.
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Manage the trade-offs and relationships between technical, project, and human aspects of projects.
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Lead and manage your primary engineering discipline, with some ability in others
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Have and deploy a broad spectrum of knowledge to leverage many different types of resources, understand the dependencies/interactions between them and know when to ask for help.
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Manage direct report performance and coach team members to help achieve Inertia’s and their own goals.
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Coach team members in a supportive, challenging, and inspiring team environment.
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Actively participate and engage with external partners, industry groups, and organizations.
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Develop and encourage strong peer relationships across disciplines, teams, and geographies.
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Use and promote Inertia’s Quality Management System to guide daily work.
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Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities.
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Actively support and promote workplace health, safety, and wellness.
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Perform other relevant duties as may be assigned.
Who we are looking for
You have:
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a university degree in a relevant engineering discipline (i.e., Biomedical/Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics) or equivalent combination of advanced education and experience.
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6+ years' progressive experience designing and engineering complex physical products – medical device development is an asset.
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experience in medical, life science, and diagnostic devices.
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experience in working with an ISO09001 or ISO13485 quality management environment.
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experience with the methods and documentation practices required by the FDA and other regulatory agencies for the development of medical devices.
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success managing multi-disciplinary engineering teams and projects, ideally new product development projects, from initial concept all the way to product manufacture and customer delivery.
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ability to successfully apply understanding of mechanical and/or electrical engineering fundamentals to the realities of new product development.
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experience creating and maintaining product requirements throughout the design cycle.
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the mindset and methods to ensure an end user/stakeholder centric perspective in your product development.
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competence planning and managing work in an agile project management environment using project management tools like JIRA.
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highly competent with computer aided mechanical and/or electronic design and engineering tools (e.g., SolidWorks/Onshape, Altium, etc.).
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skilled at executing and/or directing complex engineering calculations, modeling and simulation methods and software.
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familiarity with and experience designing for a wide range of manufacturing methods.
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proven ability to work directly and successfully with external customers and suppliers.
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exceptional written, visual, and verbal communication and facilitation skills that have helped you effectively engage, collaborate with, and educate stakeholders at various levels.
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ability and desire to maintain impeccable documentation – you are detail oriented.
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strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
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an energetic and can-do attitude with ability to set realistic and attainable goals.
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work that garners praise from peers and customers and the tangible results to prove it.
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a passion and perseverance for all aspects of product design, engineering, and prototyping.
You are someone who:
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is as comfortable in a customer-facing role as they are doing the technical work.
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loves learning, sharing knowledge, and helping others grow too.
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listens intently and reacts with careful confidence and humility.
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likes to gather facts. You use them to help evaluate ideas and make balanced decisions.
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is great at communicating ideas – visually, verbally, and in writing.
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is the first to take on responsibility, the last to take credit (everyone gives it to you anyway).
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has a proven ability to develop constructive relationships with all internal and external partners.
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can work collaboratively, effectively, and efficiently without ego getting in the way.
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can tactfully and effectively address concerns or conflicts openly with the team and clients.
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has the persistence and resourcefulness to overcome project obstacles and drive to resolution.
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can deal with uncertainty in a constructive manner and generate options for moving forward.
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wants to make a real and positive impact on the people around you and the world at large.
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wants to be part of and help build a high performing team.
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does whatever it takes to get the job done. Without being asked.
Interested in Joining Our Team?
Our people are our single biggest advantage. We have a talented and motivated team looking for more great people to work and grow with. We’ve built an amazing culture on a foundation of openness, service, and integrity - that also makes for a great place to work. Inertia has been a certified Great Place to Work® for the last six years based on our practices and third-party employee survey results.
If you’re interested in becoming part of our team, learn more about our values at www.inertiapd.com. If you feel your values fit with ours, then we’re off to a great start...
What We Offer
Competitive compensation and benefits are just the start. At Inertia you will have the opportunity to help build the kind of experience and company you want to be part of. You’ll be treated as a part of the team from day one.
We create truly unique products and outstanding customer experiences. You’ll have the opportunity to be a key part of the customer journey, from first contact through to product delivery as Inertia works in all stages of the product development and manufacturing process.
We are big believers in continuous growth. You’ll have the opportunity to learn and grow, maybe more than any company you’ve worked with (our employees have told us so).
Friendliness and smarts are not mutually exclusive at Inertia. You’ll work with a diverse group of world-class team members that are open, collaborative, friendly and even a little whacky at times.
Inertia is committed to building a diverse team and providing a safe and inclusive workplace. We are continually learning and growing, including in our efforts to improve diversity and build equity – come join us!
Employment Type: Full Time
Primary Work Location: Hybrid based out of our 34 Kern Road, Unit 3, Toronto, Ontario, Canada office. Must be able to work in the office to support project and team needs as required. Must be legally permitted to work in Canada. Occasional international travel may be required.
Annual Salary: We are considering candidates with a variety of experience levels for this Team Lead or a Manager level role, depending on experience and capabilities. Salary offers are based on a number of factors including internal equity, applicant skills, prior relevant experience, and local market conditions.
Interview Process:
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Phone screening with Human Resources
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Remote or in-person interview with Hiring Manager + Inertia team member
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In-person interview with 2-3 Inertia team members where you present on a past project
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Offer, subject to reference calls
How to Apply: If this feels like a role and place where you will thrive, please follow this link to submit your application online via BambooHR.
Learn More: Visit us at www.inertiapd.com and on LinkedIn at Inertia.