Principal Mechanical R&D Engineer

The Principal R&D Engineer is CIVCO’s hands-on upstream (Stage 0) technical lead. This principal-level individual contributor rapidly converts unmet clinical needs, product ideas, and emerging technologies into technical evidence—concepts, prototypes, experiments, and clear recommendations—that supports go/no-go investment decisions, detailed scoping, and high-quality handoff into formal product development. A majority of this role’s capacity is dedicated to upstream work, with the remainder supporting knowledge transfer to downstream teams and engaging other design engineers in concept work so that exploratory capability grows across the team rather than residing in one person. Success is measured by substantiated unmet needs identified, feasibility questions resolved, strategically relevant technologies evaluated, and concepts advanced to a clear investment or no-go decision.

Principal R&D Engineer is based out of our production facility in Coralville, IA. On-site is preferred given the hands-on nature of the work. This is not a fully remote position. Relocation assistance may be available for the right candidate.

Job Requirements

• Concept & Feasibility: Translate early ideas into concepts, prototypes, experiments, and clear technical conclusions that inform investment and scoping decisions.
• Rapid Prototyping: Personally design and fabricate prototypes, fixtures, and test setups using CAD, additive manufacturing, basic fabrication/machining, and existing internal and external resources.
• Technical De-Risking: Identify critical assumptions and technical risks, then design and execute the fastest practical experiments to resolve them—including recommending against concepts when the evidence warrants it.
• Project Ownership & Execution: Create structure around loosely defined problems; plan, organize, and drive upstream investigations to completion with minimal oversight; coordinate stakeholders and small ad-hoc teams when needed; maintain momentum; and deliver a clear outcome, decision, or handoff.
• Unmet-Needs Discovery: Lead and/or participate in clinical/user observation alongside Product Management; independently identify and characterize unmet needs and develop approved opportunities into potential solutions.
• Technology Roadmap: Continuously scout technologies, vendors, startups, universities, components, sensors, and other capabilities relevant to future CIVCO products, and rapidly evaluate their applicability.
• Technology Integration: Combine mechanical systems with sensors, electronics, instrumentation, and basic software/data tools as needed to demonstrate feasibility.
• Internal Collaboration & Communication: Work daily with Product Management, clinical and field partners, Design Engineering, and downstream New Product Development as needed. Present findings and recommendations concisely to executive leadership in support of investment decisions. Share methods, learning, and concept work with other engineers to strengthen the team’s exploratory capability.
• External Collaboration: Work effectively with vendors, technical experts, universities, and outside fabrication and testing resources.
• Upstream Handoff: Deliver successful concepts to downstream New Product Development with sufficient prototypes, evidence, technical learning, risks, constraints, and documentation for the development team to proceed confidently, and with an understanding of how upstream evidence feeds design inputs and design controls. Downstream participation focuses on effective knowledge transfer rather than executing the development program.
• Technical Documentation: Maintain clear, disciplined documentation of concepts, prototypes, experiments, results, decisions, assumptions, risks, and lessons learned as work happens, consistent with CIVCO’s quality processes where applicable. Produce concise, decision-oriented documentation that allows others to understand what was tested, why, what was learned, and what should happen next without extensive verbal reconstruction.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline; advanced degree welcomed but not required. Demonstrated experience and capability outweigh degree level.
• Typically 10+ years of relevant engineering and product-development experience.
• Deep capability in mechanical engineering and physical product design, including CAD, prototyping, test development, and experimentation.
• Proven track record of independently driving technical projects from an ambiguous starting point to a defined outcome, decision, or handoff.
• Demonstrated ability to take an idea from concept through prototype, experiment, learning, iteration, and recommendation—including the judgment to stop when the evidence does not support continuing.
• Strong systems-level, first-principles problem solving and the ability to rapidly learn unfamiliar technologies.
• Strong planning, organization, and follow-through; able to coordinate stakeholders and small teams without formal authority.
• Strong technical communication and judgment, including the ability to present technical findings and recommendations concisely to executive leadership.
• Strong technical writing skills with a demonstrated discipline for concise, decision-oriented documentation created as work happens.
• Ability to meet vendor credentialing requirements for all healthcare systems

What Makes You Stand Out

• Medical-device product development experience, including familiarity with design controls, design inputs, and stage-gate frameworks.
• Experience in another highly regulated industry (aerospace, automotive, defense, pharmaceutical, etc.) where evidence and traceability drive decisions.
• Working capability with electronics, sensors, instrumentation, data analysis, and basic programming.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous, poorly defined problem spaces with a bias toward building and testing rather than prolonged analysis.
• Strong experimental instincts and technical creativity balanced with engineering rigor.
• Broad curiosity across technologies rather than narrow specialization; a track record of scouting and evaluating external technologies, vendors, or academic partners.
• Hands-on fabrication and machining skills and experience with additive manufacturing workflows.
• Experience mentoring or collaborating with other engineers on early-stage concept work.

What You’ll Get

At CIVCO, we empower our associates to develop their careers while furthering our mission to make image-guided medical procedures safer. We offer competitive compensation, performance bonuses, and a complete benefits package starting day one — including company-sponsored health plans, 401(k) matching, tuition reimbursement, paid leave, and more.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here 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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. This role also routinely involves hands-on work in shop and laboratory settings, including operating fabrication equipment, additive manufacturing systems, hand and power tools, and test fixtures.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts. The employee is occasionally exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals and risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.