Biotronik hires great people with below average compensation
Pros
The in-house people are great to work with and very friendly. Senior management is mostly accessible. The company also makes great products. Health benefits are comparable to other medical device companies I've seen. Portland is a great place to live and this is one of the few options for a medical device office job in the area. This is a great place to work if you want to enjoy all that Portland has to offer while doing meaningful work in a medical device company, make visible contributions, and long-term career advancement is not a priority. As an in-house employee in Portland, one may find the flat management structure provides visibility and access to some senior leadership. At most, the structure is for worker bees to report to a small number of people managers who report to their VP who reports to President). The structure is conducive to gaining cross-functional skills, as long as you actively seek to gain those skills. If you are interested in career advancement, this is a great place to start your career, or stop-off along the way, where you can observe the full spectrum of medical device business functions, perhaps gain some marketable experience specific to your function, and then move on to another medical device company.
Cons
Below average compensation in a metro area with a rapidly increasing housing cost. The 401(k) plan has expensive fees that erode a significant portion of the companies contribution match. There is minimal other investment in employees. While managers are accessible, they are often deaf or indifferent to new ideas about work process, work environment, or employee morale. If you are interested in career advancement within a single company, this is not the company for you. While not intentional, or at least not openly stated, employees are generally seen as replaceable commodities. In combination with the flat management structure, this results in limiting support and opportunities for long-term career growth. Most in-house senior managers will have at least 10-15 more years in position, and new senior leaders and people managers are often drawn from the talent pool at the German or Swiss HQ, if not from entirely external sources. Together, this makes little room for long-term career growth. Replacing an employee is easier for the company than retention through competitive compensation and other benefits.
