Human Factors Engineer I

Starkey•Eden Prairie, MN

About The Position

Help shape hearing technology that truly works for people. In this role, you’ll collaborate with experienced engineers to apply human factors and usability principles—bringing user insights into product design to ensure Starkey solutions are intuitive, safe, and meaningful from the very first interaction. Starkey is a world leader in the manufacturing and distribution of advanced hearing technologies. We are in the business of connecting people and changing lives. Our teams come to work each day focused on ensuring people everywhere have the products and services they need to hear better and live better. Founded in 1967 by Bill Austin, Starkey is known for our cutting-edge hearing health innovations, industry-leading research and development, and not being afraid to push the edge of what’s possible. We are headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, have over 5,000 employees in 29 facilities across the globe, and do business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Watch this video to see more of what sets Starkey apart: https://youtu.be/9cUYwTlCepg?si=wkovx8_R_iINfrc6 The Human Factors Engineer I supports the design and development of Starkey products by applying foundational human factors and usability engineering principles. This role assists in planning and executing human factors activities under the guidance of more senior engineers. The Human Factors Engineer I contributes to ensuring products are safe, effective, easy to learn, and easy to use by participating in user research, early-stage analysis, risk assessments, and formative usability evaluations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Human Factors Engineering, Industrial Design, Biomedical, Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology or a related field related field
Internship, co op, academic research, or project experience involving usability, human factors, or user centered design strongly preferred.
Foundational understanding of usability engineering and human centered design principles.
Basic familiarity with medical device relevant usability concepts (e.g., use related risk, task analysis).
Exposure to or willingness to learn about regulatory standards such as 21 CFR 820.30, ISO 13485, ISO 14971, AAMI HE75, and IEC 62366.
Ability to empathize with users and understand user needs.
Effective verbal and written communication skills.
Strong attention to detail and ability to organize and document information clearly.
Ability to work collaboratively with multi disciplinary teams and accept guidance from more experienced colleagues.
Ability to synthesize user observations into clear, concise summaries.
Curiosity, willingness to learn, and adaptability in a fast-paced engineering environment.

Responsibilities

Customer Focused Design
Collect information about how users interact with Starkey products through interviews, observation, or simple evaluations under the direction of senior staff
Maintain persona development, use case and task analysis
Participate in translating findings into actionable design recommendations with oversight
Provide input to developers with guidance from senior engineers
Help maintain project tasks and meet assigned deadlines
Human Factors Engineering Support
Contribute to user research activities to help identify user needs
Assist in drafting user requirements and usability related specifications
Perform basic workflow, task, and preliminary use error analysis with mentorship
Be responsible for usability studies, including recruiting participants, preparing materials, conducting sessions, and summarizing observations
Help maintain project documentation within established design control and usability frameworks
Risk Management and Regulatory Approach
Support maintaining usability related risk analyses (e.g., linking use errors to mitigations)
Document traces between identified risks and usability testing activities
Maintain awareness of human factors regulatory expectations (e.g., IEC 62366, FDA guidance) with training and supervision from senior team members
Usability and Validation Studies
Conduct formative and summative usability studies across Starkey product lines
Prepare study materials (protocols, scripts, data sheets). Observe study participants, document findings, and assist with basic analysis and reporting.
Help monitor on market usability complaints and support root cause investigation activities.