The Medical Device Industry is Rapidly Expanding, and it's Looking for People Like You. (1)

I want to start this newsletter by being direct with you: the medical device industry is one of the most durable, well-compensated, and genuinely meaningful career paths available in sales today. That's not a pitch. It's what the data shows and what I've seen firsthand.

The global medical device market is on track to grow from $681 billion in 2025 to nearly $955 billion by 2030. That's not a blip. That's a structural shift driven by an aging population, the rise of chronic disease, and a wave of technological innovation — surgical robotics, AI-assisted diagnostics, minimally invasive tools — that is reshaping how medicine gets practiced.

And here's what matters for your career specifically: device manufacturers are actively expanding their commercial teams right now — particularly in diagnostics, digital health, robotic surgery, and minimally invasive technologies. Mid-market and PE-backed companies are especially active, often scaling fast post-acquisition and looking for people who can grow with them.

The talent market is tightening at the same time hiring is accelerating. That's a window. And this newsletter exists to help you step through it — whether you're trying to get your first offer or your next one.

Most people who want to break into this industry come from one of three places: pharma, B2B sales, or somewhere adjacent to healthcare. And almost all of them make the same mistake in interviews — they treat med device like a slightly more technical version of what they already do.

It isn't. Med device sales is its own world, and understanding that distinction is what separates the candidates who get hired from the ones who get politely passed over.

Here's what makes it different:

You are selling in a clinical environment. Your customer isn't sitting behind a desk evaluating your proposal. They're a surgeon, a scrub tech, a materials manager, or a hospital administrator — each with completely different motivations, pressures, and languages. Learning to navigate all of them at once is the job.

The product is used on patients. That raises the stakes for clinical knowledge in a way that no other sales environment replicates. You don't need to be a clinician, but you need to be credible in clinical spaces. That takes preparation, humility, and time.

The sales cycle involves the operating room. In device, you often support the cases you sell. You may be in the OR when your product is being used. That direct feedback loop — between the rep, the surgeon, and the outcome — is something reps in other industries never experience. It's one of the reasons people who get into this industry rarely leave it.

The compensation reflects all of it. Experienced device reps consistently rank among the highest-earning sales professionals in any industry. First-year OTEs typically range from $80K–$120K depending on company and segment. Senior reps in high-value specialties can earn well into the $200K–$300K range.

The barrier to entry is real. But it exists for a reason — and clearing it is exactly what this newsletter is built to help you do.

Whether you're applying for your first device role or positioning for a move to a new company, the single biggest differentiator is how fluently you speak the language of the industry.

→ Hiring is accelerating at mid-market companies. PE-backed and mid-size device firms are among the most active hirers in 2026 — often offering faster career progression and more territory ownership than large legacy players. Worth watching if you're open to a move.

→ AI is reshaping the industry but not replacing reps. Device companies are embedding AI into diagnostics, imaging, and surgical tools at speed — but the commercial talent gaps this creates are in people who can sell and support these technologies, not in software. Know the products in your category that have an AI component.

→ The Twin Cities, Boston, and the Bay Area remain the strongest hiring hubs for device careers — but manufacturing expansion is creating new opportunities in the Southeast and Southwest. If geography is a constraint for you, this trend is worth following.

→ FDA workforce reductions may slow clearance timelines. No major delays yet, but worth monitoring if you're at a startup or early-stage company where a 510(k) clearance is part of your near-term commercial plan.

This newsletter is built to be a two-way conversation. Every issue, I'll answer a question from the community — real questions from people doing the actual work of building a career in med device.

To kick things off, here's the question I hear most from people trying to break in:

Have a question? Reply to this email. The best ones make it into the next issue.