Medical device is a much bigger industry than most people realize.
Sales is one path in. This week we cover the rest of them.
THE EDITOR’S NOTE
A few thoughts from the field before we get into it…
One thing many people do not understand is just how many different ways there are to build a life in this industry. I came up through sales, and for a long time that was my entire frame of reference. Reps, distributors, territories, quotas. That was the world I knew.
What I did not expect was that the industry had a lot more in store for me than a sales territory. After years in the field, I transitioned into marketing, and I spent the next decade working on a completely different side of the business. That chapter took me places I never would have reached as a field rep. I traveled the world, worked alongside surgeons on six continents, collaborated with sales teams across dozens of countries, and gained a perspective on this industry that I simply could not have gotten any other way.
It was a different kind of work, more strategic and less transactional, but every bit as connected to patients and outcomes and the people who deliver care. And it made me a better analyst, a better thinker, and a more complete professional than sales alone ever could have.
The reason I share this is not to make you want my career. It is to make the point that this industry has more room in it than most people realize when they are first trying to get in. The choices you make early do not lock you into one path forever. Where your talent lies, what you are naturally good at, and what actually energizes you matters as much as where you start. The people who build long, satisfying careers in device are usually the ones who figured that out and followed it, even when it meant doing something they had not originally planned on.
This week, we map out the other roles: what they are, who fills them, and how to get there depending on your background. If you have been circling this industry without knowing exactly where you fit, this one is for you.
Glad you're here. Let's get into it.
Andy Knapik, Founder
The Modern Med Rep
INDUSTRY INTEL
What's moving in med device this week and why it matters
Five Things Shaping the Industry Right Now
→ Consolidation is creating demand for non-sales talent across the industry.
As we covered in Issue #3, M&A activity in 2026 has been intense. What does not get talked about enough is that every acquisition creates demand well beyond the commercial team. Regulatory affairs specialists, quality engineers, clinical affairs managers, and integration project leaders are all needed when two companies merge. The career opportunity in consolidation is not limited to sales.
→ Boston Scientific's cyberattack recovery is taking longer than initially expected.
Following the August 25 attack, we covered in Issue #8, analysts now project weeks of disruption to manufacturing and order processing. The incident is a reminder that medtech companies are increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure and that roles in IT security, operations, and supply chain are growing in strategic importance inside device organizations.
→ Baxter has a new CEO and is actively rebuilding across multiple functions.
Andrew Hider took over as CEO of Baxter International, a global medtech company with products in nearly every hospital worldwide. New leadership at a company of this size typically signals structural change and hiring activity across commercial, clinical, regulatory, and operational functions. Baxter currently has over 100 open positions in the U.S. alone.
→ The FDA is convening a public meeting on regulatory science innovations on September 25.
The meeting brings together device companies, researchers, and FDA staff to discuss new approaches to device development and evaluation. For anyone interested in regulatory affairs or clinical affairs as a career, this is the kind of event that shapes how the industry operates and what skills will be in demand.
→ AI is now embedded in device development from concept to commercialization.
From design and testing to regulatory submissions and post-market surveillance, AI is changing how device companies operate internally. This is creating demand for people who can bridge clinical, technical, and regulatory knowledge, a skill set that does not exist in one traditional role but is increasingly valued across product management, regulatory affairs, and clinical functions.
MARKET SPOTLIGHT
A deep dive into the segments, companies and technologies shaping the industry
Beyond Sales: The Other Roles That Make Medical Device Work
Most people who think about careers in medical device think about sales. That makes sense. Device sales is visible, well-compensated, and has a clear entry point. But the commercial role is the tip of a very large iceberg. Here is what the rest of it looks like.
Product Management. Product managers own the strategy and lifecycle of a product or product line. They work at the intersection of clinical, regulatory, marketing, and commercial teams to define what gets built, how it gets positioned, and how it succeeds in the market. Most med device product managers come from clinical backgrounds, engineering, or from sales and marketing roles within the industry. It is one of the more strategic and well-compensated non-sales paths in med device.
Clinical Education and Clinical Specialists. Clinical educators and clinical specialists train surgeons, OR staff, and hospital teams on how to use devices correctly and effectively. This role is one of the most natural transitions for people coming from nursing, surgical technology, physical therapy, or other clinical backgrounds. It is also a common step toward a full commercial role for people who want to build device experience before moving into sales.
Regulatory Affairs. Regulatory affairs specialists navigate the FDA clearance and approval process for medical devices. They prepare submissions, manage agency relationships, and ensure products meet regulatory requirements before reaching the market. Regulatory affairs typically requires a background in life sciences, engineering, or a related technical field and is one of the more stable career paths in the industry because demand for it continues to grow as the regulatory environment becomes more complex.
Quality Assurance and Quality Engineering. Quality professionals ensure that medical devices are designed, manufactured, and distributed in compliance with FDA requirements and international standards. This is a career path with very strong demand, particularly as companies grow through acquisition and need to integrate quality systems across newly combined organizations.
Medical Affairs. Medical affairs teams build the evidence base for products through clinical studies and real-world data, communicate with physicians on scientific and clinical matters, and support the commercial team with clinical insights. Medical affairs roles typically require an advanced clinical or scientific degree and are most prominent at larger companies with significant clinical evidence programs.
Marketing. Med device marketers develop the messaging, campaigns, and materials that support the commercial team and position the product in the market. Marketing roles in med device are a strong fit for people who have some clinical or commercial device experience and want to move into a more strategic role. The work can take you well beyond a single territory: product launches, global campaigns, surgeon advisory boards, and international market development all fall under the marketing umbrella at larger companies.
Market Access and Reimbursement. Market access professionals ensure that new devices get covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payers so hospitals can actually get paid for using them. As we covered in Issue #006, reimbursement is one of the most important and least-understood dynamics in the medical device industry. This is a niche specialty with high demand and relatively few qualified practitioners, which makes it one of the better career paths from a supply-demand standpoint.
The common thread across all of these roles:
They all require people who understand how the clinical environment works, what surgeons and hospitals need, and how a device gets from development to patient use. That domain knowledge is what makes device experience so transferable within the industry, whether you are moving from sales to product management, from clinical education to marketing, or from quality to regulatory affairs.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Where the jobs are, what’s paying, and how to position yourself to get there
Which Non-Sales Roles Are Hiring Right Now
Most people watch medtech acquisitions as industry news. The people who get ahead treat them as a job market signal. Here's how to actually use M&A activity to your advantage, whether you're trying to break in or are already in the industry, looking for your next move.
Industry Foundation: It helps to understand the difference between commercial roles and corporate roles in a device company before you start targeting positions.
Commercial roles are the ones that face the market: sales reps, clinical specialists, marketing managers, and market access professionals. They are typically closer to the customer and more tied to revenue. Corporate roles are the ones that operate internally: regulatory affairs, quality assurance, R&D, finance, and operations. They keep the company running and compliant. Medical affairs sits somewhere in between, with a clinical and scientific focus that is both internal and externally facing.
Knowing which category a role falls into helps you understand the culture, the career path, and how the role interacts with the rest of the organization. The Med Device Career Decoder covers how these functions work together inside a device company at themodernmedrep.com.
Based on current job posting activity and industry hiring trends, here is where the non-sales demand is concentrated right now.
Regulatory affairs. Demand is consistently strong and has been intensifying as the EU AI Act enforcement, new FDA guidance on AI-enabled devices, and ongoing MDR and IVDR compliance requirements create a sustained need for regulatory expertise. Baxter, Medtronic, J&J, and Boston Scientific all have significant regulatory affairs hiring activity right now.
Clinical education and clinical specialists. The wave of new product launches in robotics, cardiovascular, and sports medicine is driving strong demand for clinical educators who can train surgeons and OR teams on new technologies. This is one of the most accessible non-sales entry points for people coming from clinical backgrounds and one of the fastest paths to building device-specific credentials.
Quality assurance and quality engineering. The M&A wave of 2026 is creating significant quality integration work as acquired companies' quality systems need to be aligned with acquirers' standards. Companies like Stryker, Abbott, and Zimmer Biomet regularly post quality roles at all experience levels.
Product management. As AI features are embedded in more device platforms and product portfolios grow more complex through acquisition, demand for product managers who can bridge clinical, technical, and commercial perspectives is increasing. For people with 3 to 5 years of device experience in any function, product management is a viable and rewarding next step.
One thing worth knowing:
Non-sales roles in medical device are frequently filled through the same internal network dynamics as sales roles. Companies prefer to hire people who understand the industry, which means device experience in any function is a genuine asset when you are targeting a different function within the same industry.
THE MED INSIDER
One thing every med device professional should know this week
How Sales and Non-Sales Roles Actually Work Together
One of the things that becomes clear quickly once you are inside a device company is how dependent the commercial team is on everyone else. A rep in the field looks like they are operating independently. Behind them is an infrastructure of people making their success possible.
The product manager decided what the rep is selling and why it is positioned the way it is. The regulatory affairs team got the product cleared, so the rep can sell it at all. The clinical educator trained the surgeon so that the rep does not have to start every relationship from zero. The quality team ensured the product works reliably enough that the rep is not dealing with failures in the field. The marketing team built the materials that the rep uses in every customer conversation. The market access team ensured the hospital gets reimbursed, so the administrator does not block the sale.
Understanding these relationships matters for two reasons. First, if you are in sales, knowing what each of these functions does and who to call when you need support makes you a significantly more effective commercial professional. Second, if you are considering a non-sales role, understanding how your function connects to the commercial outcome helps you see where your work actually matters and makes you a more credible candidate in any interview.
The bottom line:
Medical device is a team sport. The commercial outcome depends on every function doing its job well. Understanding the whole system, not just your piece of it, is what separates people who build long careers in this industry from people who stay in one lane for their entire working life.
FROM THE FIELD
Your Questions, Answered
This week's question is one I hear more often than people might expect:
"I do not think sales is really for me, but I am genuinely interested in the medical device industry. What other options do I have, depending on my background?"
A lot depends on where you are coming from, so let's break it down by background.
If you have a clinical background — nursing, surgical technology, physical therapy, physician assistant, or a similar role — the most natural entry points are clinical specialist and clinical education. You already speak the language of the OR and the clinic, you understand patient care, and you have the credibility with surgeons and hospital staff that takes most non-clinical candidates years to build. Clinical specialist roles are essentially bridge positions between the clinical world and the commercial world, and they are one of the most common pathways into a long device career.
If you have a business, marketing, or communications background, look at product management, marketing, and market access roles. Device companies need people who can develop strategy, create positioning, and build commercial programs. The gap you will need to fill is clinical and industry knowledge, which means being willing to learn the product landscape, the regulatory environment, and the customer dynamics that make med device different from consumer or B2B marketing.
If you have a science or engineering background, biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance are strong natural fits. Both require analytical rigor, attention to technical detail, and the ability to navigate complex documentation and compliance requirements. R&D is also an option if you are interested in the early stages of product development. These are career paths with consistent demand and strong long-term stability because the regulatory and quality requirements in this industry are not going away.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Choose a job you love,
and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
- Confucius
