Senior Principal Advanced Manufacturing Engineer, Laser Processing & Precision Joining – NMPH – Fridley, MN (Onsite)

Medtronic plc; Fridley (MN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Medtronic plc in Fridley, MN seeks a Senior Principal Advanced Manufacturing Engineer to lead development of implantable device manufacturing technologies, including laser welding, resistance welding, and coil winding. This on‑site role collaborates with R&D, Design, and Materials to scale robust, reliable processes.

You will guide contract manufacturers, drive DOE programs, and advance process capabilities for high‑reliability implants while ensuring manufacturability and quality across sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 10 years manufacturing/process engineering experience OR
• Master's degree with 8 years experience OR
• PhD with 6 years experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and optimization of advanced manufacturing processes, with emphasis on laser welding, resistance welding, joining metallurgy, precision joining, and coil winding.
• Serve as a technical authority for joining metals and materials, guiding process selection, development strategy, experimentation, troubleshooting, and manufacturing risk reduction.
• Lead structured experimentation, DOE, process characterization, and test-method development to establish robust process windows and manufacturing capability.
• Establish and advance coil‑winding process capabilities for implantable leads, including development rigor, standards, optimization, and scalable manufacturing solutions.
• Coach and provide technical guidance to contract manufacturers through process development, qualification, scale‑up, and long‑term manufacturing solutions.
• Partner with Design, Materials, Research & Development, Technology, and Manufacturing teams to influence product design, material selection, tolerancing, joining strategies, and manufacturability.
• Develop manufacturing solutions for miniature components, implantable assemblies, leads, and other high‑reliability medical device applications.
• Lead technical problem solving, manufacturing feasibility, process transfer, and technology implementation across internal and external manufacturing sites.

Skills

Laser welding

Resistance welding

Joining metallurgy

DOE (Design of Experiments)

Process development

Technical leadership

Coil winding

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Materials/Welding Engineering

Master's degree in related discipline

PhD in related discipline

Job description

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 Neuroscience, we combine innovation and expertise to improve outcomes for people living with neurological, spine, and chronic pain conditions. Neuromodulation and Pelvic Health (NMPH) delivers evidence-based, minimally invasive therapies designed to restore function and improve quality of life.

This role supports NMPH Advanced Manufacturing Engineering in developing next-generation implantable medical devices. Partnering with Research & Development, Design Engineering, Materials Engineering, and manufacturing teams, you will advance manufacturing technologies from concept through commercialization, including laser processing, precision joining, hermetic sealing, and assembly.

Based onsite in Fridley, Minnesota, the role includes hands‑on laboratory, prototyping, and manufacturing development activities, with up to 25% travel to support manufacturing partners and technology transfer.

The Senior Principal Advanced Manufacturing Engineer will provide technical leadership for advanced manufacturing process development supporting implantable medical devices. This role will serve as a technical expert in joining metallurgy, laser and resistance welding, precision joining, and broader process development, including coil winding for implantable leads. The position will lead complex manufacturing development, expand internal process capabilities, and coach internal and contract manufacturing teams in developing robust, scalable, long‑term manufacturing solutions.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead development and optimization of advanced manufacturing processes, with emphasis on laser welding, resistance welding, joining metallurgy, precision joining, and coil winding.
• Serve as a technical authority for joining metals and materials, guiding process selection, development strategy, experimentation, troubleshooting, and manufacturing risk reduction.
• Lead structured experimentation, Design of Experiments (DOE), process characterization, and test-method development to establish robust process windows and manufacturing capability.
• Establish and advance coil‑winding process capabilities for implantable leads, including development rigor, technical standards, process optimization, and scalable manufacturing solutions.
• Coach and provide technical guidance to contract manufacturers through process development, qualification, scale‑up, and implementation of robust long‑term manufacturing solutions.
• Partner with Design, Materials, Research & Development, Technology, and Manufacturing teams to influence product design, material selection, tolerancing, joining strategies, and manufacturability.
• Develop manufacturing solutions for miniature components, implantable assemblies, leads, and other high‑reliability medical device applications.
• Lead technical problem solving, manufacturing feasibility, process transfer, and technology implementation across internal manufacturing sites and external manufacturing partners.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Welding Engineering with minimum 10 years of manufacturing/process engineering experience OR
• Master's degree in one of these disciplines with minimum 8 years of experience OR
• PhD in one of these disciplines with minimum 6 years of experience.
• Experience in joining metallurgy and the joining of metals and materials.
• Hands‑on experience with laser welding and resistance welding technologies.
• Experience developing and characterizing manufacturing processes using structured experimentation, Design of Experiments (DOE), process characterization, and data‑driven problem solving.
• Experience providing technical leadership for complex process development and manufacturing implementation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with coil winding, wire processing, implantable leads, miniature assemblies, or related precision manufacturing technologies.
• Experience coaching or providing technical oversight to contract manufacturers during process development, qualification, scale‑up, or manufacturing transfer.
• Design for Reliability and Manufacturability (DRM) Black Belt certification is highly desired.
• Experience in implantable medical devices or other regulated, high‑reliability products.
• Experience with hermetic sealing, helium leak testing, package integrity assessment, laser‑material processing, tooling/fixture design, or computer‑aided design