Rehabilitation, Prosthetics and Physical Medicine recruiting and talent strategy.
Rehabilitation and physical medicine products are bought by institutions and clinicians who are rarely surgeons: rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing operators, outpatient clinics, orthotic and prosthetic providers and Veterans Affairs medical centers. Robotics, prosthetic engineering, software and clinical outcomes work sit behind the products, and therapist adoption and documented functional outcomes drive decisions more than physician preference.
- MedTech only, since 2001
- 25+ yearsMedTech only, since 2001
- Placements made
- 3,500+Placements made
- We search, listed below
- 5 areasWe search, listed below
Inside rehabilitation, prosthetics and physical medicine.
A search usually sits in one of these areas, and often spans two or three.
Neurorehabilitation
Robotic gait trainers, functional electrical stimulation, brain computer interface research tools and therapy software used after stroke or spinal cord injury. Robotics and controls engineering build the systems, and usage depends on therapists, clinical training and an outcomes case that survives a budget review.
- Robotics Engineer
- Controls Engineer
- Clinical Applications Specialist
- Clinical Education Manager
Prosthetics and orthotics
Limb prostheses, microprocessor knees and feet, custom and off-the-shelf bracing. The customer is usually a certified prosthetist or orthotist, so biomechanical and embedded engineering, clinical education and billing documentation all sit at the center of the business.
- Biomechanical Engineer
- Embedded Systems Engineer
- Certified Prosthetist Clinical Specialist
- Reimbursement Specialist
Mobility
Complex rehab power wheelchairs, seating and positioning, manual chairs and patient transfer equipment. Orders are assembled from a therapist evaluation, a physician order and a funding approval, so product engineering, clinical expertise and documentation that holds up with a payer all matter.
- Product Design Engineer
- Clinical Sales Specialist
- Market Access Manager
- Quality Engineer
Physical therapy technology
Modalities, exercise and rehabilitation equipment, motion capture and assessment systems, and the telerehabilitation and remote therapeutic monitoring platforms clinics bill against. Software and sensor engineering, clinical validation and customer success shape utilization and staff efficiency.
- Software Engineer
- Motion Analysis Scientist
- Customer Success Manager
- Account Executive
Spasticity and movement disorders
Intrathecal baclofen therapy, injectable chemodenervation and the bracing and serial casting used alongside them, plus deep brain stimulation where a rehabilitation program is involved. Care is delivered in multidisciplinary clinics, so medical affairs, clinical support for titration and coordination across a team matter.
- Medical Science Liaison
- Field Clinical Specialist
- Clinical Research Manager
- Therapy Development Manager
Where rehabilitation, prosthetics and physical medicine searches go wrong.
The assumptions that cost the most time, and what tends to be true instead.
“Device experience translates directly into rehabilitation”
The buyers are different. Purchases move through a rehabilitation hospital's capital cycle, a skilled nursing operator's corporate contract or a funding approval, and the champion is a therapist with no budget authority. People who have only worked with physicians tend to underestimate how long that cycle runs and how many people have to agree.
“Clinical credentials matter less than track record here”
In prosthetics, orthotics and complex rehab the customer is a credentialed clinician who fits the product on a patient, and conversations go into componentry, alignment and documentation. Engineers, product managers and commercial hires all need enough clinical depth to hold that conversation, or a willingness to build it.
“Robotics engineers from other industries can design rehab devices”
Rehabilitation robots and powered prostheses move with a patient's body, so safety, biomechanics, human factors and clinical evidence define the design. Engineers from industrial robotics often need time to adapt to that and to medical device regulation. Look for people who have built wearable or patient-contacting powered systems.
“The best candidate has the perfect resume.”
Some of the best candidates I have worked with did not check every box, but they had a track record of success, were coachable, worked hard and really wanted the opportunity. You can teach someone a product and an industry. It is much harder to teach drive, attitude and the ability to connect with people.
Jill Girard, Talent Advisor
Individual contributors to executive leadership.
The same vertical knowledge applies across commercial, clinical, R&D and engineering, regulatory, quality and operations, whether the seat is in the field, the lab, the plant or the boardroom.
- Executive
- Sales
- Marketing
- Clinical
- Regulatory
- Quality
- R&D
- Engineering
- Operations
- National Accounts
- Market Access
Four steps, every time.
The same sequence whether the seat is an engineer, a clinical lead or a territory in rehabilitation, prosthetics and physical medicine, or the executive who builds the team around them.
- 01Define
A Talent Director who knows your specialty scopes the role, what it has to deliver and the profile that actually wins in your market.
- 02Search & vet
We reach passive candidates others can't, then screen for skill, culture fit and motivation before you see a single resume.
- 03Present
Three to five qualified, interested candidates with our written assessment. Interviews are coordinated for you.
- 04Close & onboard
Offer strategy, counter-offer prep and a 90-day check-in so great hires become long-term ones.
Two ways to work with us in rehabilitation, prosthetics and physical medicine.
Next door to this vertical.
- Breaking into medical device sales without prior device experienceJill Girard
- Preparing for a medical device sales interview beyond basic company researchJill Girard
- How to stand out when several candidates have similar backgroundsJill Girard
- What medical device hiring managers are really looking for beyond the resumeJill Girard
Filling seats isn't the objective. The business outcome is.
Tell us what this hire needs to make possible.
We'll bring you the rehabilitation, prosthetics and physical medicine market before we bring you a shortlist.