Vice President, Global Quality Assurance, Medical Devices & Surgery
Baxter · Deerfield, IL
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Quality
- Base pay
- $280k–$410k
- Travel
- 50%
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 15+ years
- Industry
- Medical devices
- Posted
- 8 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level quality role at Baxter (medical devices) in Deerfield, IL. As Vice President, Global Quality Assurance for MDS, you will lead quality strategy across three global medical device businesses, supporting products from development through post-market use.
- They ask for
- 15+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- ISO 13485, Supplier quality
- Base pay
- $280k–$410k
- Day to day
- about 50% travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in Illinois: typical posted base $98k–$146k. This one lists $280k–$410k.
Median of the low and high ends of 36 live postings that list pay, out of 46 quality engineer openings in Illinois, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Illinois plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 45 other live quality postings in Illinois.
- Base pay
- About 203% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (15+ vs 4+)
Typical $96k–$132k, from 31 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 4+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 50%
- Root cause 43%
- ✓ Supplier quality 43%
- Team leadership 37%
- SPC 35%
- FDA / GMP 35%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Union environment, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at Baxter
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
- How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
- The posting says about 50% travel. Between which sites?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Baxter in Deerfield
1 other open role at this site.
- Director, Quality Compliance & Remediation Excellence · Lean / CI · Director+
Full description from BaxterAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Your Role at Baxter
As Vice President, Global Quality Assurance, you will set the strategic direction for the MDS Quality organization and serve as a key member of the MDS and Global Quality leadership teams.
Your scope will include global manufacturing quality, research and development quality, design quality, product quality, supplier quality, and external manufacturing quality. You will establish the governance, operating practices, and organizational capabilities needed to deliver consistent quality performance across a complex portfolio of products, technologies, manufacturing operations, and regulatory pathways.
This is an opportunity to shape quality at an enterprise level. You will bring together teams across Quality, Manufacturing, Research and Development, Regulatory Affairs, Patient Safety, Medical, Supply Chain, and Commercial to manage risk, improve systems, support reliable product supply, and make decisions that place patients and customers at the center.
Required qualifications
- ✓At least 15 years of experience in Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related function within a highly regulated industry, including 10 or more years in progressively senior Quality or Operations leadership roles.
- ✓Executive-level experience leading large, global, matrixed Quality organizations with accountability for quality systems, regulatory compliance, operational performance, and organizational capability.
- ✓Deep medical device expertise spanning product development, design transfer, manufacturing, distribution, post-market activities, and product lifecycle management.
- ✓Advanced knowledge of global medical device quality and regulatory requirements, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration Quality System requirements, European Union Medical Device Regulation, ISO 13485, and ISO 14971.
- ✓Demonstrated ability to make timely, well-informed decisions when product quality, patient safety, regulatory compliance, or supply may be at risk, paired with the communication skills to influence senior leaders, regulators, and external partners.
Preferred qualifications
- ✓A master’s degree in a scientific, engineering, healthcare, or related discipline.
- ✓Advanced quality, regulatory, or business credentials, along with experience overseeing multiple medical device businesses, product families, manufacturing technologies, or global operating units.
- ✓Experience developing leaders and working effectively across countries, cultures, and regulatory environments; additional language capabilities are valued.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
This is where your work makes a difference.
At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond.
Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results.
Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride.
Quality leadership at Baxter directly influences the safety, reliability, and availability of products used in patient care around the world. As Vice President, Global Quality Assurance for MDS, you will lead quality strategy across three global medical device businesses, supporting products from development through post-market use. You will strengthen quality systems, guide critical product decisions, and build a high-performing organization that enables innovation while protecting patients and maintaining regulatory compliance.
What You’ll Be Doing
- •Set the global MDS Quality strategy, priorities, governance, and operating model in alignment with Baxter’s quality vision and business objectives.
- •Lead quality across three medical device businesses, strengthening accountability and consistency
- •while addressing the distinct needs of each product portfolio, technology, manufacturing network, and regulatory pathway.
- •Advance scalable Quality Management Systems that improve compliance, simplify ways of working, support innovation, and promote continuous improvement throughout the product lifecycle.
- •Guide manufacturing, design, product, supplier, and external manufacturing quality to support inspection readiness, effective product controls, supply continuity, and reliable delivery of compliant products.
- •Direct risk-based decisions and escalation strategies when product quality, regulatory compliance, supply, or patient safety may be affected, including recommendations related to potential field actions.
- •Partner with global regulatory authorities, notified bodies, business leaders, and cross-functional teams to support inspections, address quality concerns, and deliver sustainable remediation.
- •Build a diverse, capable, and connected global Quality organization through leadership development, succession planning, clear accountability, and an environment where people can contribute and grow.
- •Estimated expected domestic and international travel up to 30-50%
What You’ll Bring