Stryker Orthopaedics is focusing sharply on diversity, says Deborah Ackerly, human resources manager for recruitment and affirmative action. The company is broadening its recruiting reach and working at retention initiatives with its employees.
Until the end of last year, the company was known as Howmedica Osteonics. The largest of ten subsidiaries of Stryker Corp (Kalamazoo, MI), it is a major developer and supplier of orthopedic products and services. It has manufacturing and distribution facilities in Germany, France and Ireland as well as the U.S.
Units of Stryker Orthopaedics focus on reconstructive devices for knee and hip replacement and a variety of devices for treating trauma; the company is looking for project and product managers for those units. Candidates need at least three years of experience in the field and, preferably, exposure to FDA regulatory requirements.
"We consider related degrees, but our strong preference is for a background in either mechanical or biomedical engineering," Ackerly notes.
Technical specialists who support managers in the operational units need an engineering degree and one to three years of project management. "They work with managers and vendors to purchase materials for their units," Ackerly says. Each manufacturing unit, she explains, works directly with vendors.
Ackerly notes that these jobs draw on skills in teamwork, vendor negotiation and specialty projects. Some project managers work in global supply systems, some help sales reps manage inventory. A particularly interesting opportunity teams techies with branch and sales reps to introduce new devices to orthopedic surgeons.
"They actually go to the hospital to observe surgeries, and they partner fully with the surgeon," Ackerly says. "Often they meet the patients, too." Sometimes, she says, "Former patients come to company meetings to tell us how after surgery and rehabilitation they were able to resume their former activities."
Stryker Orthopaedics has about a dozen positions open now. People are being added in operations and business, and there are positions in new areas like global manufacturing and materials.
Because of the company's growth, management decided to take a new look at developing opportunities for women and minorities. Last September the human resources department deployed three teams, focusing on recruitment, client services and benefits.
Ackerly's recruitment team handles diversity initiatives. "I'm excited about the vision we have for the year," she says. Her work takes her to career fairs and networking events endorsed by the NAACP, the Urban League and the Society of Women Engineers.
The company has enhanced its co-op program, working with the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Rutgers and Stevens in New Jersey; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) and Penn State University. Slightly more than half the new co-op students are women.
"We also decided to participate in the Leadership Education and Development program (LEAD, www.leadnational.org) to help us hire top MBA students at various universities," Ackerly adds.
She notes that the company is also getting applications from experienced techies who are grads of those same universities. "It's boosting the candidate pool for our high- to mid-level positions. We're not the best-kept secret anymore," she says with a laugh.
A diversity training program is currently being rolled out at Stryker Orthopaedics. "The steering committee in the distribution department decided to make it part of their core program, so we started it there," Ackerly says. The engineering department will join the program this year.
Employee development and retention is also getting a new look. For example, the company changed its mentoring program to start as soon as a new hire reports to work.
Educational support is an important part of the company environment. Employees can get tuition reimbursement for accredited BS and MS programs. They take up to ten credits a term, and get 80 percent reimbursement for a C, 100 percent for a B and 110 percent for an A. The company even offers an on-site MBA program through a partnership with NJIT.
Work/life balance is another focus. Annual surveys assess how folks feel about their jobs, their managers and the work environment. People are also asked how they'd like to improve the work/life balance, and the company has followed up on several of the requests.
Perks at Stryker Orthopaedics now include an on-site ATM, a dry cleaner, a company store, a state-of-the-art fitness facility and, even more important, a robust development and benefits program.
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Stryker Orthopaedics
www.stryker.com/orthopaedics/
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Headquarters: |
Mahwah, NJ |
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Employees: |
2,200 |
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Business: |
Develops, manufactures, distributes and sells orthopedic products and services |
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