Sr Controls Engineer

Medtronic; Lafayette (CO); On-site; USD 104,000 - 156,000; Full time

Job summary

Medtronic in Lafayette, Colorado, is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to lead the design, integration, and lifecycle support of automated manufacturing equipment. You will set requirements, architecture, and oversee PLC/HMI systems to ensure high performance and compliance.

The role focuses on producing scalable automation solutions for medical technologies, collaborating with cross-functional teams, suppliers, and manufacturing operations at the Lafayette site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 4+ years, or Master's with 2+ years, or PhD with 0 years in controls/automation/manufacturing engineering.
• Experience programming and troubleshooting PLC-controlled manufacturing equipment.
• Experience with HMI development and industrial automation systems.
• Experience leading automation equipment projects from spec through validation and production release.
• Experience in regulated manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, integration, validation, and lifecycle support of automated manufacturing equipment.
• Define equipment requirements, specs, and controls architecture for automation projects.
• Program and troubleshoot PLCs, HMIs, vision systems, and data acquisition systems.
• Oversee equipment suppliers to ensure design, timelines, and performance compliance.
• Lead factory/site acceptance testing and equipment qualifications/validation.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA/ANSI safety standards and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

PLC programming

HMI development

Industrial automation

Machine integration

Regulated manufacturing environments

Automation projects leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

Onsite

Lafayette, Colorado, United States of America

Full time

R79432

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 16 Oct 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 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering and Operations Sustaining team supports the development, launch, optimization, and long-term support of manufacturing systems used to produce medical technologies at the Boulder/Lafayette, Colorado manufacturing site. This team partners with Manufacturing, Quality, Operations, Research & Development, and external equipment suppliers to deliver scalable, reliable, and compliant automation solutions that support both new product introductions and existing production lines.

This position is based in Lafayette, Colorado and is an onsite role 5 days a week supporting manufacturing operations and engineering activities. Limited travel may be required to support equipment suppliers, acceptance testing, and project implementation activities.

The Senior Controls Engineer leads the design, development, integration, validation, and lifecycle support of automated manufacturing equipment and test systems. This role serves as a technical leader for controls architecture, industrial automation, machine safety, and equipment performance while collaborating with cross-functional teams and external suppliers to support manufacturing objectives and new product introduction initiatives.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead development, integration, and deployment of automated assembly and test equipment for new and existing manufacturing processes.
• Define equipment requirements, technical specifications, controls architecture, and project deliverables for automation projects.
• Program, troubleshoot, and optimize Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), vision systems, and data acquisition systems.
• Provide technical oversight of equipment suppliers, ensuring compliance with design requirements, project timelines, and performance specifications.
• Lead factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, equipment qualifications, and validation activities.
• Evaluate manufacturing equipment for compliance with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) safety standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve equipment reliability, process capability, throughput, and product quality.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Operations, and Research & Development teams to resolve complex equipment and process issues.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 4+ years OR Master's degree and 2+ years OR PHD and 0 years of controls engineering, automation engineering, or manufacturing engineering experience.
• Experience programming and troubleshooting PLC-controlled manufacturing equipment.
• Experience with HMI development, industrial automation systems, and machine integration.
• Experience leading automation equipment projects from specification through validation and production release.
• Experience supporting regulated manufacturing environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with medical device manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Experience integrating machine vision and automated inspection systems.
• Experience performing Measurement System Analysis (MSA) and Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (Gage R&R) studies.
• Knowledge of equipment validation, qualification protocols, and quality system requirements.
• Experience with machine safety risk assessments and ANSI/OSHA compliance requirements.

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.

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):$104,000.00 - $156,000.00

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).

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 (https://www3.benefitsolver.com/benefits/BenefitSolverView?page_name=signon&co_num=30601&co_affid=medtronic)

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 (https://www.medtronic.com/content/dam/medtronic-wide/public/united-states/employee-support-services/careers/la-county-legal-notice.pdf) 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.

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. 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 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.

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 (https://www.e-verify.gov/employees) .