Principal R&D Engineer, Neuromodulation Therapeutic Areas

LivaNova PLC; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vis

401K Retirement Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Bonus program

Flexible Work Schedules

Job summary

LivaNova is seeking a senior R&D Principal Engineer for NM Therapeutic Areas in Houston, TX. The role leads technical and clinical direction for neuromodulation therapies, translating clinical needs into robust product concepts and architectures.

This is an autonomous, individual contributor position with cross-functional influence across product core teams. The candidate will own technical strategy, clinical workflows, and risk-based decision making, focusing on implantable devices and

Qualifications

• 15+ years experience in medical device development.
• 3+ years at Principal level or higher preferred.
• Proven track record of driving execution for medical device launches across multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong background in neuromodulation, stimulation-based therapies, implantable medical devices, or related active implantable technologies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical-clinical lead for innovation and development initiatives.
• Define and communicate technical strategy aligned with product, clinical, and business objectives.
• Balance clinical value, technical feasibility, and risk in decision-making.
• Lead system architecture across hardware, software, sensing, stimulation, data, and clinical interfaces.
• Translate clinical insights and unmet needs into viable technical solutions.

Skills

Neuromodulation

Implantable devices

System architecture

Cross-functional leadership

Clinical workflows

Technical strategy

Product direction

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

MS or PhD preferred

Job description

As a global medtech company, we are driven by our Vision of changing the trajectory of lives for a new day and our Mission to create ingenious solutions that ignite patient turnarounds. Our relentless commitment to patients and strong legacy of innovation in healthcare are the foundation of our future. If you're looking for a new chance, a new beginning, a new trajectory, LivaNova is where your talent can truly thrive. Join our talented team members worldwide to become a pioneer of tomorrow—because at LivaNova, we don’t just treat conditions — we aspire to alter the course of lives.

The R&D Principal Engineer, NM Therapeutic Areas – is a senior technical lead, product-oriented technical and clinical engineer responsible for shaping clinical outcomes and clinical workflows, translating neurostimulation therapies for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) from concept through early clinical validation. The technical lead owns the intersection of clinical insight, product definition, system architecture, and technical feasibility, ensuring therapy concepts are grounded in real-world clinical needs, deliver meaningful patient outcomes, and are executable within a robust technical framework. This is an individual contributor role, exercising influence through technical authority, decision ownership, and cross-functional leadership with the NM R&D organization. The role operates with a high degree of autonomy and judgment and serves as a trusted technical authority and escalation point for complex technical and clinical decisions. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in neuromodulation systems, stimulation-based therapies, implantable medical devices, and clinical application, applying this expertise to guide product and technical direction.

General Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical-clinical lead for innovation and development initiatives, defining and driving technical direction.
• Define and communicate technical strategy aligned with product, clinical, and business objectives.
• Balance clinical value, technical feasibility, and risk in decision‑making.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex cross‑domain design decisions.
• Maintain deep product and clinical understanding of therapy behavior, workflows, and user needs.
• Lead system architecture across hardware, software, sensing, stimulation, data, and clinical interfaces.
• Bring broad systems‑level understanding spanning therapy, clinical workflows, sensing, software, human factors, and data‑driven product capabilities while effectively integrating specialist expertise.
• Drive identification, evaluation, and mitigation of key technical risks using disciplined, evidence‑based approaches.
• Generate and evaluate technical options to support informed decision‑making at critical milestones.
• Leverage expertise in neuromodulation and implantable systems to shape product concepts.
• Translate clinical insights and unmet needs into viable technical solutions.
• Drive execution across multidisciplinary functions within the product core teams.
• Ensure effort focuses on the most critical technical‑clinical risks at the right time.
• Provide hands‑on technical leadership to resolve complex engineering challenges and unblock teams.
• Exercise judgment to balance technical rigor, risk, and program timelines.
• Accountable for technical quality, integration readiness, and architectural alignment of externally developed systems and components.
• Lead and oversee externally executed engineering work through direction, review, and integration oversight.
• Ensure external deliverables align with system architecture and overall product intent.
• Drive generation of intellectual property and future technology direction.

Minimum Qualifications

• 15 or more years experience in medical device development with significant exposure to clinical‑facing technologies.
• 3 years or more at Principal level or higher is preferred.
• Proven track record of driving execution and alignment for medical device launches across multidisciplinary teams without formal authority.
• Strong background in neuromodulation, stimulation‑based therapies, implantable medical devices, or related active implantable technologies.
• Demonstrated experience in system‑level product development and clinical‑facing technologies.
• Demonstrated experience applying clinical insight to product definition, system design, therapy development, or technology strategy.
• Proven ability to lead technical strategy, architecture, feasibility, and risk‑based decision making.
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with neuromodulation or stimulation‑based therapies.
• Experience developing implantable medical devices and associated clinical workflows.
• Experience working closely with clinicians and translating clinical feedback into product design and clinical workflows.
• Familiarity with regulated product development environments and design control practices.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field with extensive industry experience; advanced degree (MS or PhD) preferred.

Location & Travel Requirements

This position is based in Houston, TX. This position may require up to 10% business travel.

A reasonable estimate of the annual base salary for this position is $160,000 - 180,000 plus discretionary annual bonus. Pay ranges may vary by location and are awarded based on experience.

• Health benefits – Medical, Dental, Vision
• Personal and Vacation Time
• Retirement & Savings Plan (401K)
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Training & Education Assistance
• Bonus Referral Program
• Service Awards
• Employee Recognition Program
• Flexible Work Schedules
• Valuing different backgrounds: LivaNova values equality and diversity.

Valuing different backgrounds: LivaNova values equality and diversity. We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair, transparent and free from unlawful discrimination. Our selection process is driven by the key demands/requirements for the role rather than bias or discrimination on the basis of a candidate’s sex, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, non‑job‑related disability/handicap or medical condition, family status, sexual orientation, religion, color, ethnicity, race or any other legally protected classification.

Notice to third party agencies: Please note that we do not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Services Agreement, we will not consider, or agree to, payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event that a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, we explicitly reserve the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency.

We treat our work as if lives depend on it – because they do. As a people‑oriented company, our employees around the world are fully committed to making the world a better place. Our team’s commitment to improve quality of life is the embodiment of our company Vision and Mission, making a difference every day for patients and their families.