Boston Scientific in Cork, Galway and Tipperary in Ireland

Image: Boston Scientific

• Overview of Boston Scientific Worldwide
• Boston Scientific in Ireland
  • Boston Scientific in Cork
  • Boston Scientific in Galway
  • Boston Scientific in Tipperary
• GetReskilled Graduates in Boston Scientific
• The Future of Boston Scientific in Ireland
• Connect with Boston Scientific
• How to Get a Job With Boston Scientific in Ireland

• Reported Net Sales 2022: $15.10 billion
• Estimated R&D Spend 2022: $1.32 billion
• Global Number of Employees 2022: 51,000

Boston Scientific is one of the biggest MedTech companies in the world – employing over 41,000 people around the world and selling products in 115 countries.

The company was founded in 1979 with the aim of creating less invasive medical devices and procedures, and they continue to innovate across expanding areas of medicine. Today, their medical devices are used to diagnose and treat patients with issues in the areas of cardiology, urology, endoscopy and many more.

With headquarters in Marlborough, Massachusetts, Boston Scientific has 12 manufacturing sites and 10 R&D centres around the world. They have set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality in all of their manufacturing and key distribution sites by 2030.

We are on track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. It is just one of the ways we are delivering on the promises we’ve made to our customers, employees and communities. Learn more: https://t.co/fHZ0uUe1WI pic.twitter.com/s0FpKAOYyi

— Boston Scientific (@bostonsci) December 2, 2020

Boston Scientific established a presence in Ireland in 1994 and is now the largest life science employer in the country.

They currently employ approximately 6,500 people in manufacturing sites in Cork, Galway and Tipperary. These sites produce devices including stents, catheters and pacemakers.

Within these 3 sites combined, Boston Scientific manufactures approximately 12 million medical devices every year.

Overall rating by their employees 2022 (source):

• Employees in Cork: 1200
• Activities: Medical device manufacturing

The Boston Scientific manufacturing site in Cork has been operational since 1998 and today, it manufactures a range of medical devices including catheters, occlusion coils and inflation devices.

In 2016, the facility was awarded the prestigious Shingo Prize – an annual award given to recognise excellence in manufacturing.

We’re honored that our Cork site received the 2016 @ShingoInst Prize for manufacturing. Congrats to the team! https://t.co/Z6NJVtBWPG pic.twitter.com/OnCkBtJK5g

— Boston Scientific (@bostonsci) November 21, 2016

The Cork Chamber Awards named Boston Scientific “Cork Company of the Year” in 2018 and at the time of that award, the company estimated that “seven patients a minute are treated with products shipped by Boston Scientific Cork”.

In 2021, the company announced a €30m investment in the site. The research, development, and innovation (RD&I) investment is expected to add 70 new jobs to the site and diversify the range of devices developed and manufactured there.

Click here to see our full county guide for Cork.

• Employees in Galway: 3,800
• Activities: Medical device manufacturing, R&D and regulatory affairs

Boston Scientific has had its manufacturing site in Galway since 1994. More than just being the company’s largest site in Ireland, it’s actually their largest manufacturing site in the world.

Over 4 million devices are manufactured here every year with product lines including structural heart valves, self expanding stents and drug-eluting stents.

The Galway site is also the company’s European Innovation Centre and in 2017, a €17m investment was announced to launch a new “RoadRunner” endoscopy design facility.

In this video, “Smart Futures” talk to two biomedical engineers at Boston Scientific’s Galway plant…

In 2019, the company unveiled a new development and customer support building after a €60m investment.

Our #Galway site manufactures over 4 million devices per year. With the site recently celebrating 25 years, that’s a lot of devices! Congratulations to the team on their new building, officially opened by Chairman & CEO Mike Mahoney on his recent visit #medtech @IDAIRELAND pic.twitter.com/D6xL1AnHD7

— Boston Scientific EMEA – Cardiology (@BSC_EU_Heart) June 24, 2019

In April 2022, the company announced an investment of €100m to add additional manufacturing capacity within the Galway site. The 40,000 sq ft of new manufacturing space will be carbon-neutral, powered by renewable energy. It’s estimated that this will eventually lead to another 300+ jobs, bringing the total workforce in Galway to over 4000.

We’re proud to unveil a €100M expansion in Galway. “This expansion reflects the important contributions of our workforce here in Galway and the strength of the broader business and local community.” James Lyons, VP Operations Boston Scientific Galway. https://t.co/eAp9XxDIAH pic.twitter.com/ScvMrr0uUo

— Boston Scientific (@bostonsci) April 14, 2022

Click here for our full county guide for Galway.

• Employees in Tipperary: 1000
• Activities: Medical device manufacturing, R&D

Boston Scientific opened their Tipperary site in 1999. They describe the site as …

“at the forefront of some of the industry’s most complex medical devices.”

Staff there develop and manufacture defibrillators, pacemakers, spinal cord stimulators and deep-brain stimulators. In 2023, the company estimated that the treatment of more than 400,000 patients every year is supported using devices manufactured in the Clonmel site.

The R&D team based there also create “high-end electronic devices and software solutions for multiple divisions across the Boston Scientific network”.

In May 2023, the company announced an €80 million investment to extend manufacturing, R&D, and progress towards sustainability goals. The expansion is expected to create 400 new jobs at the site over the next 3-years.

Medical device giant Boston Scientific (@bostonsci) has announced an €80m investment in its Clonmel site today, which is expected to create more than 400 new jobs in Ireland “in the coming years”. https://t.co/wZYLET96n5

— Silicon Republic (@siliconrepublic) May 19, 2023

Boston Scientific have recently announced significant ongoing investment in their Irish operations.

In Cork, a €30m research, development, and innovation (RD&I) investment is expected to create 70 new jobs.

In Galway, a €100m investment is expected to create over 300 new jobs by 2024, bringing the company’s workforce in the county to over 4,000.

In Tipperary, an €80 expansion is expected to create 400 new jobs by 2026.

First of all, check out the following video. This is Aine Laffin, Manufacturing Engineering Manager at Boston Scientific, talking at a recruitment event in 2021. In this section of her presentation she discusses the types of candidates Boston Scientific look for as well as giving excellent interview advice.

If you already have experience in the pharma or medical device manufacturing industries, you can head straight over to our dedicated pharma jobs board and see the current Boston Scientific vacancies in Ireland.

If you have some science, quality or engineering qualifications/work experience, check out our specialist conversion courses that bridge the gap between your current knowledge and the technical information required to work in this highly regulated industry:

• Conversion Course into Pharma for Scientists
• Conversion Course into Quality Roles in Pharma
• Conversion Course into Engineering Roles in Pharma

For all other backgrounds (including sales, retail, hospitality, etc), check out our Conversion Course into Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. This course helps you take the transferable skills acquired in any other industry and combines them with essential technical knowledge and job hunting skills, to make you an ideal candidate for entry level pharma manufacturing jobs. (Note: NO science or engineering knowledge or experience is needed!)