Prin Electrical Engineer
Job Description
We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 28 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
Job Description – Principal Electrical Engineer
Released Product Engineering (RPE) – Surgical Hardware
Medtronic | Lafayette, CO
A Day in the Life
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’re
working a minimum of 4 days a week onsite as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross-functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary.
As a
Principal Electrical Engineer
, you will serve as a recognized technical expert and engineering leader within the Released Product Engineering (RPE) organization supporting Medtronic’s Surgical Hardware portfolio. This role
is responsible for
leading complex electrical engineering activities across sustaining engineering, product enhancements, quality investigations, regulatory compliance, cost optimization, supplier changes, and lifecycle management initiatives.
The successful candidate will
possess
deep
expertise
in mixed-signal electronics, system integration, and product development within regulated industries. In addition to electrical engineering leadership, this individual will collaborate closely with mechanical, firmware, software, systems, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, supplier quality, sourcing, and operations teams to ensure safe, reliable, and compliant products throughout their lifecycle.
This role requires a
systems
-thinking mindset, strong technical problem-solving skills, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams while mentoring engineers and driving engineering excellence across the organization.
Primary Responsibilities
Technical Leadership
Serve as the electrical engineering subject matter expert for complex sustaining engineering, quality, compliance, and product enhancement initiatives.
Lead the design, development, integration, verification, and validation of mixed-signal electrical systems and subsystems used in surgical medical devices.
Define hardware architectures and technical solutions that balance product performance, reliability, manufacturability, compliance, and cost
objectives
.
Review and approve electrical designs, schematics, test plans, engineering changes, and qualification strategies.
Drive system-level troubleshooting and root cause investigations involving electrical, mechanical, software, and firmware interactions.
Product Lifecycle & Sustaining Engineering
Lead electrical engineering activities supporting released products, including:
Design changes and engineering change orders (ECOs)
Obsolescence management
Supplier-driven changes
Lifecycle and End-of-Life (EOL) initiatives
Cost reduction and VAVE projects
Manufacturing and field quality improvements
Assess product impacts associated with
component
, material, and supplier changes and
determine
requalification requirements.
Support manufacturing and supplier quality teams in resolving production issues and field-related concerns.
Product Quality & Compliance
Ensure designs
comply with
applicable standards and regulations, including:
IEC 60601-1
IEC 60601-1-2
IEC 60601-2-2
FDA Quality System Requirements
ISO 13485
Risk Management requirements
Lead technical assessments and investigations related to customer complaints, CAPAs, nonconformances, audits, and field performance issues.
Evaluate complaint trends and reliability data to
determine
if systemic quality issues exist and develop
appropriate corrective
actions.
Support EMC, electrical safety, environmental, reliability, and performance testing activities.
Design & Development
Perform and oversee:
Circuit design
Schematic capture
PCB layout reviews
Component
selection
Design analysis and simulation
System integration
Design verification testing
Develop detailed technical specifications, requirements, test protocols, and engineering documentation.
Ensure hardware designs meet performance, reliability, safety, and manufacturability requirements.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with Systems Engineering, Software, Firmware, Mechanical, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Operations, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing Engineering teams.
Work with external test laboratories, suppliers, consultants, and contract manufacturers as
required
.
Provide technical leadership during cross-functional design reviews, risk reviews, and business decision-making processes.
Innovation & Continuous Improvement
Identify
opportunities to improve product performance, reliability, compliance, manufacturability, and cost.
Drive
adoption
of engineering best practices, tools, and methodologies.
Support platform strategies, design standardization, and technology roadmaps across the Surgical Hardware portfolio.
Contribute
to the evaluation and implementation of emerging technologies.
Leadership & Talent Development
Mentor and coach electrical engineers and cross-functional team members.
Lead technical reviews and provide guidance on engineering approaches and problem-solving techniques.
Influence technical direction across multiple projects and product platforms.
Serve as a technical leader for major cross-functional initiatives and strategic engineering projects.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering
or related engineering discipline with
7+ years
of relevant experience
OR
Master's
degree with
5+ years
of relevant experience
OR PhD with
3+ years
of relevant experience
Required Technical Experience
Experience with all phases of mixed-signal board design, including:
Architecture development
Circuit design
Schematic capture
Component
selection
PCB layout and reviews
Design verification
Strong fundamentals in:
Analog and digital circuit design
Signals and systems
Frequency-domain analysis
Power electronics
System integration
Experience with OrCAD schematic capture and PCB design tools.
Hands-on experience using laboratory equipment including:
Oscilloscopes
Multimeters
Logic analyzers
Spectrum analyzers
Network analyzers
Experience designing, testing, and troubleshooting high-voltage systems (up to approximately 5 kV).
Experience working within regulated industries, preferably medical devices.
Knowledge of IEC 60601 family of standards and medical device development processes.
Strong root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving skills.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting released products within a medical device environment.
Experience with EMC and
electrical safety testing
.
Experience with supplier qualification, supplier-driven changes, and
component
obsolescence management.
Experience leading VAVE and cost optimization initiatives.
Exposure to
systems engineering practices and requirements-driven development.
Experience working in Agile product development environments.
Familiarity with Surgical Hardware or electrosurgical products.
Lean, Six Sigma, or A3 problem-solving experience.
Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions across organizations.
Differentiating Factors
Autonomy
Recognized technical expert in electrical engineering with
broad
understanding of system-level interactions involving mechanical, software, and firmware subsystems.
Exercises substantial independent judgment in defining technical approaches and project execution strategies.
Determines
deliverables with minimal supervision and serves as a trusted advisor to management.
Organizational Impact
Influences technical direction and engineering strategy across multiple products and programs.
Drives improvements to processes, standards, and operational plans that have significant business impact.
Leads major cross-functional initiatives supporting quality, compliance, manufacturing, and business
objectives
.
Innovation & Complexity
Solves
highly complex
and often ambiguous technical problems requiring extensive investigation and
systems
-level thinking.
Develops innovative and practical
solutions
balancing technical, regulatory, quality, cost, and schedule considerations.
Manages
multiple high-priority initiatives simultaneously.
Communication & Influence
Serves as a primary technical interface with internal stakeholders, leadership, suppliers, and external partners.
Effectively communicates complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Influences key technical and business decisions through data-driven recommendations.
Leadership & Talent Development
Provides technical mentoring, coaching, and guidance to engineers across the organization.
Leads technical project teams and oversees execution of major engineering initiatives.
Promotes a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and engineering excellence.
Physical Location:
Lafayette, Colorado
Work Model:
Minimum 4 days per week onsite
Travel:
Up to 10–15% as
required
to support suppliers, manufacturing sites, testing laboratories, and business needs.
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 Principa
