Charles

Years at SJM	2+
Education	B.S. Engineering

An electrical engineer helps to develop safe and innovative electronic instruments that improve the lives of people with chronic pain or another medical condition. In this role, Charles helps to design, build, and test prototype hardware used in medical devices. He develops test protocols to verify and validate the design and then analyzes the success of the prototype using simulations. To be a successful electrical engineer in the medical device industry, you must enjoy developing schematics to evaluate products (in the design phase), creating electrical components for production, testing out theories, and investigating the root cause of failures. Charles also documents the components used in the device making this information available for any needed troubleshooting later.

In the two plus years Charles has been at St. Jude Medical, he has been rewarded in numerous ways. But, according to Charles, what is most rewarding of all is "to hear what a difference our products have made in someone's life."

Charles calibrating equipment used in hardware testing

Charles speaks positively of a wonderful mentor he's had while at St. Jude Medical. "Ben Tranchina, VP of Product Development, has shown encouragement and confidence in me, which has been instrumental to my success." Ben demands and expects the best from all of his employees and spends extra time coaching and nurturing his talented team. These extra efforts have made Ben a role model to Charles and others. "Ben's character and his emphasis on education encourages me to go out of my way to help others."

St. Jude Medical has more than 13,000 employees worldwide. The size of the company allows individuals to create their own unique path towards professional fulfillment. Employees are encouraged to further their education, seek professional certifications, and apply their knowledge and experience in a variety of roles. During his time at St. Jude Medical, Charles has worked in three different areas: manufacturing, testing and development, and I.C. design. "Having three different positions has enabled me to see how much care and hard work is put into each product we manufacture. Each team is inspired and handles the product as if it is being made for someone in his or her family."