Sr Director Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE)

MED Medtronic Inc; Shoreview (MN); On-site; USD 223,000 - 335,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan with employer match

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Medtronic is seeking a Senior Director of Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE) to lead a global, 40+ person organization. You will shape enterprise VAVE strategy, drive cost optimization, and partner with R&D, Operations, Quality, and Finance to deliver measurable margin improvements while preserving safety and quality.

This role requires strong financial acumen, executive communication, and the ability to influence without direct authority across a matrixed global company.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
• 15+ years in progressive engineering/operations leadership.
• 10+ years of people/programme leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute enterprise VAVE strategy with financial objectives.
• Lead a global VAVE organization focused on margin expansion.
• Partner with BU leadership to prioritise value-focused portfolios.
• Drive cross-functional execution across engineering, ops, supply chain, and finance.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Financial acumen

Executive communication

Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VA

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/ Biomedical/ Electrical/ Manufacturing Engineering

Master's degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or MBA

Tools

DFM/DFMA knowledge

Job description

Job Overview

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 18 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

As the Senior Director of Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE), you will lead enterprise-level initiatives that improve product cost, strengthen gross margin, and enhance customer value while preserving the quality, safety, and performance patients depend on. The VAVE leader will develop and drive a global VAVE strategy across Medtronic's operating units, partnering closely with R&D, Operations, Quality, Supply Management, Marketing, Regulatory, and Finance to identify and execute high-impact value engineering opportunities. The role requires an engineering leader who can lead a high performing team of 40+ people, but also influence without direct authority, build organisational capability, and embed Design-for-Value principles throughout the product lifecycle – from New Product Development to Released Product Management. At Medtronic, we must work with a sense of purpose, and ownership, knowing there is a human life on the other side of every decision. This position is ideal for an experienced engineering senior leader who combines deep technical expertise with exceptional business acumen and a passion for transformational change. 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 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.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an enterprise VAVE strategy aligned with Medtronic's financial and innovation objectives.
• Architect and lead a high‑performing global VAVE organization focused on sustainable margin expansion and increased customer value.
• Partner with Business Unit leadership to develop and prioritize VAVE portfolios that deliver measurable financial impact in alignment with business and product strategies.
• Partner with Operations and OU teams to determine funding and execute design improvements in our plants and through the supply base.
• Drive cross‑functional execution across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, and Finance.
• Establish Design-for-Value and Design for Manufacturability principles that become standard practice across the product lifecycle.
• Influence new product development programs to incorporate cost optimisation from concept through commercialization.
• Champion value engineering methodologies including functional analysis, component optimisation, supplier collaboration, manufacturing simplification, and technology insertion.
• Lead enterprise governance for VAVE opportunity identification, prioritisation, execution, and benefit tracking.
• Develop KPIs and dashboards measuring project execution, cost savings, margin improvement, speed of implementation, and organisational capability.
• Build organisational capability through training, coaching, and development of engineering teams across Medtronic.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability while maintaining uncompromising standards for quality, patient safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior executives on margin expansion opportunities and enterprise engineering excellence.

Must Have

• Minimum Requirements Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive engineering, operations, or product development leadership experience or an advanced degree with a minimum of 13 years of progressive engineering, operations, or product development leadership experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of people and programme leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise‑wide cross‑functional initiatives in a highly matrixed global organization.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to connect engineering decisions to business outcomes.
• Nice to Have Master's degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or MBA.
• Extensive experience leading Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE), Design‑for‑Value, Product Cost Engineering, or Cost Optimisation programmes.
• Experience leading engineering organisations within the medical device, life sciences, aerospace, automotive, or other highly regulated industries.
• Strong background in New Product Development (NPD), product lifecycle management, and commercialisation.
• Demonstrated success driving significant gross margin improvement through engineering innovation.
• Experience with Lean Product Development, Six Sigma, Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design to Cost (DTC), and supplier collaboration.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to connect engineering decisions to business outcomes.
• Experience influencing executive leadership and leading organisational transformation.
• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
• For Baccalaureate degrees earned outside of the United States, a degree that satisfies the requirements of 8C.F.R. §214.2(h)(4)(iii)(A) is required.

Nice to Have

• Master's degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or MBA.
• Extensive experience leading Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE), Design‑for‑Value, Product Cost Engineering, or Cost Optimisation programmes.
• Experience leading engineering organisations within the medical device, life sciences, aerospace, automotive, or other highly regulated industries.
• Strong background in New Product Development (NPD), product lifecycle management, and commercialisation.
• Demonstrated success driving significant gross margin improvement through engineering innovation.
• Experience with Lean Product Development, Six Sigma, Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design to Cost (DTC), and supplier collaboration.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to connect engineering decisions to business outcomes.
• Experience influencing executive leadership and leading organisational transformation.
• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills.

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.
• Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD):$223,200.00 - $334,800.00
• This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).
• This position is eligible for an annual long-term incentive plan.
• Base pay is based on numerous factors and may vary by job-related knowledge, skills, experience, etc.
• 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.
• Please note some of the above benefits may not apply to workers in Puerto Rico.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

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

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, 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 lifelong learning.

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.