Principal Reliability Engineer

Medtronic plc; North Haven (CT); On-site; USD 132,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental and vision insurance

Health Savings Account

Life insurance

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Medtronic plc in Connecticut seeks a Principal Reliability Engineer to advance reliability strategies for new medical devices within the surgical operating unit. You will lead cross-functional teams, develop reliability plans, perform HALT/ALT testing, and ensure design controls and FDA/IEC regulatory compliance.

The role requires a strong background in reliability science, collaboration with R&D, and mentoring teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 7y experience OR Master’s with 5y.
• ASQ CRE or related certification preferred.
• Proven ability to lead reliability programs and work with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop reliability plans and strategies for new products.
• Perform HALT/ALT tests and reliability predictions.
• Create test protocols and analyses reports.
• Collaborate with R&D to design reliability tests.
• Ensure compliance with FDA/IEC standards (14971, 13485, 62304, 820).
• Mentor and lead reliability teams.
• Analyze field data to support post-market reliability.

Skills

Reliability engineering

Test planning

Statistical analysis

Cross-functional teamwork

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Electrical or Reliability Engineering

Master’s degree in Mechanical/Electrical or Reliability Engineering

Tools

ReliaSoft

LabVIEW

Sherlock

Job description

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 6 Nov 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 Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology, services, and solutions, is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Principal Reliability Engineer to join our innovative team. This role will be in the surgical operating unit within the new product development quality team. The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in reliability science, with demonstrated experience developing reliability strategies for new products, including reliability planning and testing. This role also supports medical device product development, and a solid understanding of design controls and regulatory compliance requirements is preferred. This position requires a strong team player who is a self-starter, inquisitive, and a fast learner. This role will be pivotal in ensuring the development of medical devices that meet reliability requirements.

Responsibilities

• Participate in cross-functional development teams, providing mechanical and/or electrical reliability engineering expertise.
• Write reliability plans and identify reliability activities during product development to achieve company, customer, or agency reliability objectives
• Perform reliability testing that includes HALT, ALT and other discovery tests
• Support test method validation and verification activities, including the development and approval of test plans, protocols, and final reports.
• Collaborate with R&D to design and implement mechanical and/or electrical reliability tests to identify design weaknesses early in development.
• Support R&D in selecting materials and components to achieve defined reliability and performance requirements
• Perform electrical and/or thermal de-rating analysis as applicable
• Conduct reliability predictions, modeling and data analysis to assess product reliability and risk
• Provide post-market reliability engineering support, including analysis of field performance and failure data
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory and industry standards, including FDA requirements and ISO/IEC standards (e.g., 14971, 13485, 62304, FDA Part 820, IEC 60601).
• Maintain thorough, accurate, and compliant documentation of all reliability engineering activities, including test data, analyses, and reports.
• Lead and mentor teams in the development, implementation, and maintenance of the reliability processes and standards.
• Partnering with software reliability and software development teams as part of mission reliability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, to define and implement engineering and statistical processes that ensure product reliability and compliance throughout the product lifecycle.

Required Knowledge and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering or Reliability Engineering or similar engineering degree with 7 years of relevant experience OR a Master’s degree in Mechanical/Electrical or Reliability Engineering or similar engineering degree with 5 years of relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• ASQ Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE), design for reliability and manufacturing, Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent certification, AAMI design control certification.
• Experience in Reliability engineering field.
• Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of regulations and other relevant standards.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to conduct thorough root cause analysis.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and present complex information to stakeholders.
• Leadership: Proven leadership and project management skills with the ability to lead teams and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Able to work independently.

Industry Experience

Medical device/Automotive/Aerospace industry.

Technical Skills

• Proficient in quality management systems, risk management, regulatory compliance, and statistics.
• ReliaSoft software experience
• LabVIEW experience
• Sherlock experience.

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.

Benefits & Compensation

Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD):$132,000.00 - $198,000.00

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).

• 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
• Simple Steps (global well-being program)
• 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)
• 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.

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.

We lead global healthcare technology and boldly attack the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission - to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life - unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people. We are engineers at heart— putting ambitious ideas to work to generate real solutions for real people. From the R&D lab, to the factory floor, to the conference room, every one of us experiments, creates, builds, improves and solves. We have the talent, diverse perspectives, and guts to engineer the extraordinary. We change lives. Each team member, each day, helps to improve and redefine how the world treats the most pressing health conditions, from heart disease to diabetes. Our industry leadership comes from the passion and ingenuity of our people. That’s who we are.

Working alongside one another, we use science, medicine, and a profound understanding of the human body to build extraordinary technologies that can transform lives. We build extraordinary solutions as one team. With one Medtronic Mindset defining how we work. Speed and decisiveness run through our DNA. Diverse perspectives inspire our bold answers to any challenge that comes our way. And we deliver results the right way, breakthrough after patient breakthrough.

This life-changing career is yours to engineer. By bringing your ambitious ideas, unique perspective and contributions, you will… Build a better future, amplifying your impact on the causes that matter to you and the world Grow a career reflective of your passion and abilities Connect to a dynamic and inclusive culture that welcomes the challenge of life-long learning.

Our commitments set our team apart from the rest: Experiences that put people first. Respect for people is the hallmark of our humanity. It fuels our team to positively impact even a single life. And it means we put our people first at Medtronic as well, creating a culture of belonging and always pushing to get you the career-building resources you need. Life-transforming technologies. No matter your role, you contribute to technologies that transform lives. What we build empowers patients to live life on their terms. Better outcomes for our world.

Here, it’s about more than the bottom line. Our Mission to improve human welfare drives us. We advance healthcare, society, and equity with every design, inside and outside our walls. Insight-driven care. Fresh viewpoints. Cutting-edge AI, data, and automation. You're shaping the future of healthcare technology and defining the next generation of breakthroughs in care.

For sales reps and other patient facing field employees, going into a healthcare setting is considered an essential function of the job and we expect our employees to comply with all credentialing requirements at the hospitals or clinics they support. This employer participates in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E-Verify program, please click here.