Principal Research & Development Engineer

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 19 Oct 2026

Careers that change lives start here. Medtronic is a global leader in healthcare technology with a Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. Our 95,000 employees work across more than 150 countries to put patients first — developing innovative medical technologies that improve the lives of 72+ million patients each year. Your unique talents will help shape the future of healthcare while building a career grounded in purpose, growth, and impact.

A Day in the Life

The Cranial & Spinal Technologies (CST) operating unit develops implants, instrumentation, navigation, biologics, and enabling technologies used in the surgical treatment of degenerative, deformity, tumor, and trauma-related spinal conditions. The team partners closely with surgeons, clinical specialists, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, and marketing functions to translate customer insights into products that support procedural efficiency and improved patient outcomes.

Check us out on LinkedIn: Medtronic CST

This position is based within the Medtronic Spine Hub in San Diego, California, supporting CST product development initiatives across the spinal portfolio. The role collaborates with cross-functional teams, surgeons, and development partners throughout the product development lifecycle. Domestic travel is expected to be approximately 1-2 days per month (less than 10%) to support customer engagements, testing activities, cadaver labs, and project needs.

As a Principal R&D Engineer, you will contribute to the development of spinal implant and instrumentation systems from concept through commercialization. This role is responsible for translating customer and stakeholder needs into product requirements, developing system-level design solutions, executing verification and validation activities, and supporting technical decision-making throughout the product development process.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of spinal implant and instrumentation systems from concept through market release in accordance with New Product Introduction processes.
• Translate Voice of the Customer insights into stakeholder requirements, system requirements, design specifications, and engineering concepts.
• Develop and refine mechanical designs using 3D computer-aided design tools while ensuring compliance with engineering drawing standards and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing requirements.
• Define, assess, and mitigate technical and system-level risks through structured design reviews, testing, and analysis activities.
• Plan and execute verification, validation, bench testing, and experimental evaluations to confirm product performance and user needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, suppliers, consultants, and clinical stakeholders to support project execution and product delivery.
• Document technical decisions, design tradeoffs, test results, and development activities through engineering reports and presentations.
• Mentor less experienced engineers and contribute to technical knowledge development within the spinal product portfolio.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience OR PhD with 3 years of engineering design and product development experience, including 2+ years of medical device experience in spine, trauma, orthopedics, or dental applications.
• Proficiency with Creo, SolidWorks, or a comparable 3D computer-aided design platform.
• Demonstrated experience creating engineering drawings, applying geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and performing tolerance stack analyses.
• Experience designing and developing surgical instruments within a regulated product development environment.
• Experience working within the United States Food and Drug Administration, International Organization for Standardization, and Quality System Regulation requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master of Science degree in Engineering.
• Experience with systems engineering methodologies, including requirements development, allocation, traceability, verification, and validation.
• Knowledge of spinal anatomy, spinal surgical procedures, and clinical application of spinal technologies.
• Experience with Agile product development tools and Windchill product lifecycle management systems.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, including machining, additive manufacturing, and rapid prototyping methods.

For Baccalaureate degrees earned outside of the United States, a degree that satisfies the requirements of 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(A) is required.

Physical Job Requirements

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position.

The physical demands described within the Responsibilities section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For Office Roles: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile. The employee is also required to interact with a computer, and communicate with peers and co-workers. Contact your manager or local HR to understand the Work Conditions and Physical requirements that may be specific to each role.

U.S. Work Authorization & Sponsorship

At Medtronic, we are committed to fostering an environment where employees can thrive and make a meaningful impact. In alignment with our enterprise-wide workforce planning approach, U.S. work authorization sponsorship (H-1B, TN, J, etc.) is offered exclusively for Principal-level roles and above, where specialized expertise aligns with long-term business needs. Roles below the Principal level require candidates to possess unrestricted U.S. work authorization at the time of hire and for the duration of employment.

Recruitment Fraud Alert

We are aware of phishing scams targeting job seekers. Please keep the following in mind:

Apply only through official Medtronic channels. All legitimate Medtronic recruiting communications come from approved Medtronic platforms and official @medtronic.com email addresses.

Medtronic will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information (such as bank account or Social Security details) during early stages of the hiring process. Any such requests are not legitimate.

If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from Medtronic, do not respond, click links, or open attachments.

If you have any questions, concerns regarding the authenticity of a communication alleged to have been made by or on behalf of Medtronic, please contact us immediately at AskHR@medtronic.com.

Benefits & Compensation

Medtronic offers a competitive Salary and flexible Benefits Package

A commitment to our employees lives at the core of our values. We recognize their contributions. They share in the success they help to create. We offer a wide range of benefits, resources, and competitive compensation plans designed to support you at every career and life stage.

Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD): $131,200.00 - $196,800.00

This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).

The base salary range applies across the United States, excluding Puerto Rico and certain locations in California. The offered rate complies with federal and local regulations and may vary based on factors such as experience, certification/education, market conditions, and location. Compensation and benefits information pertains solely to candidates hired within the United States (local market compensation and benefits will apply for others).

The following benefits and additional compensation are available to those regular employees who work 20+ hours per week: Health, Dental and vision insurance, Health Savings Account, Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Life insurance, Long-term disability leave, Dependent daycare spending account, Tuition assistance/reimbursement, and Simple Steps (global well-being program).

The following benefits and additional compensation are available to all regular employees: Incentive plans, 401(k) plan plus employer contribution and match, Short-term disability, Paid time off, Paid holidays, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Employee Assistance Program, Non-qualified Retirement Plan Supplement (subject to IRS earning minimums), and Capital Accumulation Plan (available to Vice Presidents and above, or subject to IRS earning minimums).

Regular employees are those who are not temporary, such as interns. Temporary employees are eligible for paid sick time, as required under applicable state law, and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Please note some of the above benefits may not apply to workers in Puerto Rico.

Further details are available at the link below:

Medtronic benefits and compensation plans

It is the policy of Medtronic to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Medtronic will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

If you are applying to perform work for Medtronic, Inc. (“Medtronic”) in any position which will involve performing at least two (2) hours of work on average each week within the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, you can find here a list of all material job duties of the specific job position which Medtronic reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. Medtronic will consider for employment qualified job applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.