Principal Software Engineer - Core Infrastructure (Python/C++)

MED Medtronic Inc; Newton (MA); On-site; USD 153,000 - 229,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance

401(k) Plan

Incentive plans

Job summary

Medtronic is seeking a Principal Software Engineer - Core Infrastructure (Python/C++) to set the technical direction for the Prism Mapping platform. You will lead architecture for runtime, IPC, device communication, and the backbone of a medical device, shaping multi-release roadmaps and mentoring senior engineers across teams.

The role requires strong collaboration with hardware, systems engineering, and quality in a regulated environment to deliver reliable, real-time software that clinicians

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Master’s degree with 5 years of relevant experience.
• PhD with 3 years relevant experience.
• Deep expertise in Linux systems programming, real-time architecture, and device-connected systems.
• Proven experience architecting platform-level software for multi-component systems.
• Experience leading large, cross-functional technical initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture for Prism Mapping platform's runtime, IPC, device communication, and services.
• Define multi-release direction for platform scalability with clinical capabilities.
• Set engineering standards for reliability, observability, and safety.
• Deliver major subsystems and cross-cutting architecture initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership through reviews and mentoring.
• Drive improvements in architecture and development processes.

Skills

Linux systems

Real-time architecture

Python

C++

Device-connected systems

Platform-level software

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree + 7+ years

Master’s degree + 5 years

PhD + 3 years

Job description

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 28 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 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 Software Engineer - Core Infrastructure (Python/C++) you will set the technical direction for the core infrastructure that the Prism Mapping platform runs on — the foundation beneath every clinical workflow, every map, and every UI surface. You'll lead architecture for cross-cutting concerns: real-time data movement, device communications, service composition, and system reliability under clinical conditions. You'll work closely with senior engineering leaders, hardware architects, systems engineering, and quality to shape multi-release roadmaps; mentor senior and principal engineers across teams; and raise the engineering bar for how foundational software is built in a medical device environment. The decisions you make here will be felt by every other engineer on the team — and, ultimately, by every physician using the system.

About the Affera Prism Mapping System The Affera Prism Mapping System is an advanced electrophysiology mapping platform used by physicians to diagnose and guide the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. It captures and processes signals from inside the beating heart, builds detailed real-time three-dimensional maps of cardiac anatomy and electrical activity, and presents that information to clinicians and mapping specialists during live procedures. Engineers on this team build the software that makes that possible — from the runtime and data pipelines that move signals in milliseconds, to the algorithms that turn raw signals into clinically meaningful information, to the visualization and UI surfaces clinicians rely on in the lab.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead architecture for the Prism Mapping platform's foundational software — runtime, IPC, device communication, system services, and the operational backbone of a medical device.
• Define multi-release direction for how the platform scales with new clinical capabilities, new hardware, and evolving regulatory expectations.
• Set the engineering bar for infrastructure code on reliability, observability, performance, and safety.
• Lead the design and delivery of major subsystems, cross-cutting architecture, or large technical initiatives.
• Exercise broad technical judgment in defining approaches to complex system and architectural problems with limited oversight.
• Drive technical alignment across software, systems, quality, product, and other cross-functional teams.
• Establish and promote software design patterns, engineering standards, and development best practices.
• Provide technical leadership across teams through mentoring, design reviews, and guidance on critical engineering decisions.
• Identify and drive improvements in architecture, development processes, and system design.
• Shape the technical roadmap and architectural direction for major subsystems or product capabilities.
• Communicate complex technical tradeoffs, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders across functions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience OR PhD with 3 years relevant experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep expertise in Linux systems programming, real-time/near-real-time architecture, and device-connected systems.
• Track record of architecting platform-level software that other teams build on.
• Deep expertise in Python and C++ and in software architecture for complex, multi-component systems.
• Proven experience delivering complex, real-time, device-integrated, or networked systems.
• Experience leading large, complex, cross-functional technical initiatives.
• Experience defining architecture, standards, or technical direction across multiple components or teams.
• Experience solving ambiguous, high-impact technical problems spanning multiple domains or subsystems.
• Experience influencing technical decisions beyond immediate team boundaries.
• Experience in regulated environments preferred.
• Advances how the team uses AI tools — introduces new approaches that raise team productivity and quality.

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 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.

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

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):$152,800.00 - $229,200.00

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
• 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)
• 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.

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.

This employer participates in the federal E‑Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authority of all newly hired employees.

For sales reps and other patient facing field employees, going into a healthcare settingis 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.

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 These 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. 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 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.