Principal Materials Engineer

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 18 Aug 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 Principal Materials Engineer will work in a team environment representing Materials Science and Engineering with a focus on metallic, magnetic, and ceramic materials. Duties include materials selection, processing, problem-solving, biostability, and materials regulations. This position will focus on supporting released product reliability and improvement teams in the identification and mitigation of product-related risks, knowledge gaps and the communication of such issues to project and functional leadership teams. The individual will serve as a materials expert with an emphasis on metallic, magnetic, and ceramic materials and interfaces by participating in technical activities for materials selection, processing, characterization, analysis, material stability, biostability, as well as understanding of process-property-performance relationships for medical devices. This position will also support scoping/planning of product strategy and identification of technologies and initiatives needed to develop innovative, reliable and cost-effective therapies. The candidate will develop and execute strategies to address those needs. At Medtronic, we bring bold ideas forward with speed and decisiveness to put patients first in everything we do. In-person exchanges are invaluable to our work. We are working onsite a minimum of 4 days per week as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross-functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary. This role will require less than 10% of travel to enhance collaboration and ensure successful completion of projects. Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned: Develop and deploy curiosity and critical thinking to a range of projects in the hard materials space Bring focus and technical depth to subsystems and components within a broader project scope to address challenging and complex problems and enable project success Conduct laboratory work and data analysis to drive data-driven technical decisions Act as a technical contributor within functional and project teams, driving a focus on quality and technical rigor while mentoring less experienced personnel Possess the necessary drive and determination to promote the highest level of customer satisfaction, quality, reliability, performance, cost, and development predictability Contribute to the design of products or processes based on business strategy Contribute to and develop strategies and prepare evaluation plans in consideration of gaps in materials, design and process to achieve optimal solutions that satisfy timeline, cost and technical requirements as they relate to patient safety and product reliability Preferred Qualifications Experience working in a regulated environment on medical devices Possesses proven expertise in the following business critical skill sets with focus on metallurgical science: Metals Physics, Chemistry, Processing and Characterization Magnetic physics Electrochemistry, corrosion and stability Expertise in materials, with the ability to identify and develop testing methods, correlate material properties with product performance, and predict various failure modes Experience working with multiple classes of engineering materials: metals, polycrystalline, and single crystal ceramics, and glasses as well as their interface to the product as a whole Experience performing failure analysis Knowledge of external standards, e.g., ASTM and ISO and their use, limitations, and applications Demonstrated ability to apply skills and knowledge of technical/operational theories and principles to resolve real-world biomaterials challenges Demonstrated ability to deliver quality technical work within project schedules and timelines Knowledge of Design, Reliability & Manufacturability (DRM), and Six Sigma improvement methodology; Knowledge of statistical methods and Design of Experiments (DoE) Knowledge of Microsoft applications (Excel, Word, Outlook) Requirements: Requires a Baccalaureate degree AND minimum of 7 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience OR PhD with 3 years relevant experience 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 [email protected] . ‌ 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):$135,200.00 - $202,800.00 This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP). U.S. Pay Transparency (for SIP, Commission, Hourly Direct, Interns, Executives)The base salary range is applicable across the United States, excluding Puerto Rico and specific 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.