Principal Engineer (R&D Lead) - Hybrid - Eagan, MN/ San Antonio, TX

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Job Description:

Principal Engineer (R&D Lead)

At Solventum, we enable better, smarter, safer healthcare to improve lives. As a new company with a long legacy of creating breakthrough solutions for our customers’ toughest challenges, we pioneer game-changing innovations at the intersection of health, material and data science that change patients' lives for the better while enabling healthcare professionals to perform at their best. Because people, and their wellbeing, are at the heart of every scientific advancement we pursue.

We partner closely with the brightest minds in healthcare to ensure that every solution we create melds the latest technology with compassion and empathy. Because at Solventum, we never stop solving for you.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role
As a Principal Engineer (R&D Lead) in the Advanced Wound Care R&D team you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative and diverse people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

How you will make an impact

• Represent R&D on New Product Development Core Teams, partnering cross-functionally with Quality, Regulatory, Medical/Clinical Affairs, Global Supply Chain/Operations, Marketing, Sourcing, and Project Management.
• Lead the technical delivery of new product development projects, integrating design activities and coordinating multidisciplinary R&D teams of engineers, scientists, human factors/usability engineers, technicians, subject-matter experts, and external development partners to ensure technical outputs meet quality, design, and user requirements.
• Develop and execute technical project plans and schedules from technology readiness through commercialization, using appropriate project planning tools including Gantt Charts, Network Logic Diagrams, Work Breakdown Structure, and/or other tools as needed. Align internal teams, external suppliers, and development partners on activities, dependencies, deliverables, and timelines.
• Identify and manage project resources, including internal team members, suppliers, and external development partners, to support delivery against project objectives and schedules.
• Manage technical project budgets, tracking actual spend against forecast and communicating status to R&D leadership and Project Management.
• Prepare and present written project status updates to functional management and leadership as appropriate, including progress against schedule and budget, technical progress, key risks, and mitigation activities.
• Engage with customers and clinicians to understand medical conditions, user needs, and project feedback, supporting an innovative and interactive development process.
• Evaluate new medical device technologies for potential development and commercialization opportunities.
• Identify and document intellectual property arising from assigned projects.
• Ensure project activities comply with product development and design control processes, driving completion and maintenance of required project deliverables through development governance.

Your Skills and Expertise
To set you up for success in this role from day one, Solventum requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Materials Science or another Scientific discipline AND a minimum of (seven) 7 years of experience leading cross-functional product development projects from concept through commercialization.

OR

• High School Diploma/GED from AND a minimum of (eleven) 11 years of experience leading cross-functional product development projects from concept through commercialization.
  

In addition to the above requirements, the following are also required:

• Three (3) years minimum experience applying Design Control requirements in accordance with FDA, ISO 13485, and global regulatory expectations.
• Three (3) years minimum of experience in verification, validation, risk management, and product performance testing.
• Experience developing products using wound care materials and technologies, such as adhesives, films, foams, hydrocolloids, superabsorbents, nonwovens, antimicrobials, and tissue matrices.
• Experience influencing technical decisions across multifunctional teams and managing project timelines, risks, budgets, and deliverables.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Master's Degree or Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemistry, Tissue Engineering, or related discipline.
• Experience developing Advanced Wound Care dressings, Advanced Skin Protection products, Ostomy products, Surgical Site Management products, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) devices or dressings, or related healthcare technologies.
• Experience with global product launches and commercialization activities.
• Strong understanding of wound healing science, skin physiology, human factors engineering, and clinical evidence generation.
• Demonstrated innovation records including patents, invention disclosures, publications, or successful commercialization of healthcare products.
• Technical leadership of multidisciplinary development teams.
• Experience mentoring technical contributors and developing R&D team capability.
• Experience managing external development partners, suppliers or contract manufacturers.
• Ability to influence without direct authority.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Strategic thinking balanced with execution excellence.
• Passion for patient-focused innovation and continuous improvement.

Work location: Hybrid Eligible (Job Duties allow for some remote work but require to be in San Antonio or Eagan at least 3 days per week)

Travel: May include up to 20% domestic/international

Relocation Assistance: May be authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Supporting Your Well-being

Solventum offers many programs to help you live your best life – both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, Solventum regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

Solventum is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in our recruitment process. Applicants must remain alert to fraudulent job postings and recruitment schemes that falsely claim to represent Solventum and seek to exploit job seekers.

Please note that all email communications from Solventum regarding job opportunities with the company will be from an email with a domain of @solventum.com. Be wary of unsolicited emails or messages regarding Solventum job opportunities from emails with other email domains.

Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.

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Who we are

A new healthcare company with a rich history. With more than 70 years of delivering healthcare innovations, we continue to move the industry forward by helping to solve our customers’ biggest challenges.

Our workforce

20,000+ employees worldwide. Solventum relies on the courage and the boundless insights of professionals worldwide to achieve exceptional results for our customers and those who rely on them. Healthcare that leads with heart and humility starts with listening and never finishes, only evolves. As long as healthcare challenges remain unsolved, we will be here, united by empathy and a relentless belief that countless lives are improved through our work.

Our impact

Operations in 38 countries. Driven by our dedication to improved outcomes for all we serve, we break through by making unprecedented connections that impact lives. In more than 300 offices and facilities around the world, we work closely with customers and partners to create positive healthcare outcomes that transcend borders. To realize our shared vision, we harness diverse talents and perspectives from every background to not only address our customers' most urgent priorities but anticipate the needs of the future