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This position has closed. Stryker removed this listing from their careers page on Oct 6, 2026. The interview prep below is still useful, and there are similar open roles at the bottom of this page.

Associate Manager, Product Quality

Stryker · Cary, IL · Full time

Posted Aug 27, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 5, 2026

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you led a team through a big quality improvement. How did you keep them motivated?

What they are checking: Whether they can lead people, not just processes, while driving change in a regulated setting.

What would you do

A stability sample fails at the 18-month time point. What happens next?

What they are checking: Whether they can run an out-of-specification investigation and judge impact on product already in the market.

An auditor asks to see your product quality review process. How do you prepare your team?

What they are checking: Whether they keep the team inspection-ready every day rather than scrambling before audits.

Operations wants to close a complaint investigation quickly to clear a backlog. You think the root cause isn't proven. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they will hold the line on investigation quality when there is pressure to close numbers.

About the work

Walk me through how a product complaint should move from intake to closure. Where do things usually stall?

What they are checking: Whether they know complaint handling deeply and can spot the bottlenecks that cause late or weak investigations.

How do you decide when a complaint needs to be escalated, for example for a possible MDR or field action?

What they are checking: Whether they understand reportability criteria and will escalate on time instead of waiting for certainty.

Sage makes pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical device products. How do the quality requirements differ across those?

What they are checking: Whether they can work across 21 CFR 210/211, 820 and cosmetic rules without treating them as one system.

Tell me how you'd design a stability study for a new product under ICH guidelines. What conditions and time points would you set?

What they are checking: Whether they can apply ICH Q1A thinking to set storage conditions, pull points and acceptance criteria.

How do you use complaint trending to find a problem before it becomes a recall?

What they are checking: Whether they use trend data proactively rather than only closing complaints one at a time.

What goes into a product health risk assessment, and who should be in the room?

What they are checking: Whether they know how to bring clinical, regulatory and technical voices together to judge risk to patients.

Practice this interview out loud.

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Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Stryker.

Work Flexibility: Hybrid or Onsite Stryker is seeking an Associate Manager, Product Quality to support our Medical division at Sage in Cary, IL. This role provides leadership for commercial product quality activities across the product lifecycle, ensuring the continued quality, safety, compliance, and performance of marketed pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical device products. What you will do • Provide oversight and continuous improvement of product complaint handling, stability program, product quality reviews, and product health risk assessments. Ensure product quality monitoring activities are performed in compliance with applicable US and International regulations. Passionately drives team to execute initiatives and projects to enhance product quality performance for our customers. • Lead commercial product quality activities, including product complaint handling, stability program, product quality reviews, and product health risk assessments. • Ensure product complaints are appropriately evaluated, investigated, trended, escalated, and closed in accordance with regulatory requirements and internal procedures. • Lead and continuously improve the stability program, including study design, execution, monitoring, reporting, and data review activities, while ensuring compliance with ICH, FDA, and global regulatory requirements. • Coordinate and support product quality reviews (PQRs) and other product quality monitoring activities to assess product performance and maintain a state of control. • Analyze and trend complaint, stability, investigation, and product quality data to identify emerging risks, recurring issues, and opportunities for continuous improvement. • Ensure compliance with corporate policies and procedures regarding product complaint handling, stability program, product quality reviews, and product health risk assessments. • Develop and maintain quality metrics, e.g., Key Process Indicators (KPIs), dashboards, and management reports that support effective product quality oversight and data-driven decision making. • Support in regulatory and internal audits on matters relating to product complaint handling, stability program, product quality reviews, and product health risk assessments. • Influence cross-functional teams; such as Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, Sales, Manufacturing, R&D, Supply Chain, and Quality teams, to address product quality related inquiries. • Identify and implement corrective actions to ensure the continued quality, safety, and performance of marketed pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical device products • Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team by setting clear goals and performance expectations, coaching and addressing performance, while recruiting, onboarding, and retaining top talent to foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and strong business results. What you need Required • Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) in a science, engineering, or related discipline is required. • Minimum of 6+ years of experience in quality engineering, stability programs, quality assurance, product quality, post-market quality, quality systems, or related commercial quality functions in a regulated environment is required. • Proven experience in quality management and system improvements. • Experience managing or supporting product complaints, investigations, CAPAs, quality system processes, and quality monitoring activities. • Experience overseeing or supporting pharmaceutical stability programs. • Strong understanding of: • cGMP requirements • FDA regulations • ICH guidelines • Product complaint management • Stability programs • CAPA systems Preferred • Minimum of 3+ years of supervisory experience with demonstrated people‑leadership exposure, including mentoring, training, and developing high‑performing direct and indirect reports • Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), or Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) preferred. $112,900 - $188,100 USD Annual Travel Percentage: 10% Stryker Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Stryker is an EO employer – M/F/Veteran/Disability. Stryker Corporation will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.