Principal R&D Engineer Jobs in St Paul, MN (NOW HIRING)

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 19 Sep 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 Senior R-D Engineer for the Polymer Joining and Balloon Forming Centers of Excellence (CoE) role is part of the Manufacturing Innovation and Technology (MIT) engineering team within Medtronic's Operations Innovation organization. The team is responsible for identifying, developing, and advancing manufacturing technologies that strengthen enterprise capabilities and support future product and therapy needs. Key areas of focus include polymer joining, balloon forming, extrusion technologies, materials engineering, and advanced manufacturing processes used across medical device development and production.
This position is based at the Medtronic facility in Mounds View, Minnesota and follows an onsite work model; 4 days onsite, 1 day remote. Up to 25% travel may be required to support collaboration, technology development activities, and engagement with manufacturing sites and partners.
In this Senior R-D Engineer for the Polymer Joining and Balloon Forming Centers of Excellence (CoE) role, you will lead the evaluation, development, and maturation of advanced manufacturing technologies with a focus on Polymer Joining and Balloon Forming Centers of Excellence. You will work across research, product development, quality, supplier, and manufacturing organizations to assess emerging technologies, develop manufacturing capability strategies, and accelerate the transition of innovative processes from concept through implementation.
Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the evaluation and development of emerging manufacturing technologies related to polymer joining, balloon forming, extrusion, materials engineering, and catheter manufacturing.
• Develop manufacturing technology strategies and multi-year roadmaps that align customer, research, and business needs with future capability requirements.
• Design and execute feasibility studies, proof-of-concept activities, and experimental plans to assess new materials, equipment, processes, and manufacturing approaches.
• Collaborate with research, design, quality, supplier engineering, and manufacturing teams to advance manufacturing technologies from concept through technology maturation.
• Analyze technical and business data to support technology prioritization, capability development, and investment recommendations.
• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in polymer processing, manufacturing process development, and technology evaluation activities.
• Communicate technology strategies, business cases, capability assessments, and recommendations to engineering teams and senior leadership.
• Support technology transfer and implementation activities to enable adoption of new manufacturing capabilities within product development and manufacturing organizations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 4+ years of relevant experience, or advanced degree with 2+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience in manufacturing process development, manufacturing technology development, product development, or engineering within a regulated industry.
• Experience leading or contributing to technical evaluations, feasibility studies, experimental investigations, or process development activities.
• Experience collaborating across cross-functional engineering, quality, manufacturing, or product development teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with polymer processing, balloon forming, extrusion technology, polymer joining, materials engineering, laser manufacturing processes, or medical device manufacturing.
• Experience developing and advancing manufacturing technologies prior to formal product development programs.
• Experience with design controls, product and process validation, technology transfer, and medical device product development processes.
• Experience developing business cases, technology roadmaps, investment recommendations, or long-term manufacturing capability strategies.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical, Materials, Mechanical, Polymer, or Biomedical Engineering.

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.
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Apply only through official Medtronic channels. All legitimate Medtronic recruiting communications come from approved Medtronic platforms and official @medtronic.com email addresses.
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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):$105,600.00 - $158,400.00
This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).
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.