Sr. Principal CardioVascular Surgery Clinical Specialist

Medtronic plc; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Medtronic is seeking a Clinical Specialist to support CardioVascular Surgery programs in Grand Rapids, MI. The role focuses on technical, clinical, and education support to ensure successful adoption of Medtronic Surgical Based Therapy products.

You will train physicians, residents, and OR staff and collaborate with Territory Managers to grow adoption. The ideal candidate has extensive cath lab or CVOR exposure, a strong educational approach, and willingness to travel within the territory.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma with extensive cath lab/CVOR exposure and clinical experience.
• Associate Diploma with 10+ years of experience in clinical settings.
• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of clinical experience.
• Nice to have: experience with cardiac implantable devices.
• Experience with education and training techniques.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical leadership regarding implantation and utilization of Medtronic Surgical Based Therapy products.
• Educates physicians, physician assistants, perfusionists, and OR staff on indications and techniques.
• Develops and maintains comprehensive clinical knowledge and supports physician adoption.
• Supports field teams with troubleshooting and complex procedural challenges.
• Lead education initiatives and post-training follow-up across the territory.

Skills

Cath lab experience

CVOR experience

Clinical experience

Education

High School Diploma

Associate Diploma

Bachelor's degree

Job description

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 20 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

We are seeking a dynamic and passionate Clinical Specialist to join our CardioVascular Surgery team. This is a high-level individual contributor role responsible for providing technical, clinical, educational, and field support to ensure the safe adoption and successful utilization of Medtronic Surgical Based Therapy (SBT) products and procedures.

The Clinical Specialist serves as a trusted clinical and technical partner to cardiac surgeons, physician assistants, residents, fellows, perfusionists, operating room staff, and the CardioVascular Surgery sales organization. This role works closely with customers and field partners to support physician education, procedural success, and drive adoption of Medtronic's Heart Valve, Left Atrial Appendage Management, Repair, Surgical Ablation, and Revascularization therapies.

We are seeking a committed professional to join our team, required to reside within the territory and drive to multiple accounts throughout the region. A valid driver's license is essential for this role, which also involves travel outside the territory, presenting opportunities for broader engagement

This individual will play a critical role in supporting physician training, first-case support, clinical education, market development initiatives, and ongoing physician adoption activities. Success in this role requires the ability to influence clinical practice, build strong physician relationships, and collaborate effectively with the sales team to achieve both clinical and business objectives.

The Clinical Specialist serves as the primary technical and clinical resource within the Southwest District and will partner closely with Territory Managers, District Managers, Area Leadership, Marketing, and Medical Affairs to support growth initiatives and strategic account development.

This position reports directly to the Southwest District Manager, Cardiac Surgery.

Territory Opportunity

The Clinical Specialist will support cardiac surgery programs throughout Grand Rapids, MI. This territory includes leading academic institutions, high-volume cardiac surgery centers, community hospitals, and strategic growth accounts.

This role offers the opportunity to: Partner directly with leading cardiac surgeons and physician assistants

• Drive physician adoption of innovative cardiac surgery technologies
• Support first-case and complex-case procedures
• Lead physician, resident, fellow, and advanced practice provider education initiatives
• Facilitate wet labs and hands-on training programs
• Collaborate with sales leadership to identify and develop growth opportunities
• Support strategic account development and physician engagement initiatives
• Develop expertise across Medtronic's Heart Valve, Left Atrial Appendage Management, Repair, Surgical Ablation, and Revascularization portfolios

Position Responsibilities

Technical and Clinical Support

• Provides technical leadership regarding implantation and utilization of Medtronic Surgical Based Therapy products and procedures.
• Educates physicians, physician assistants, perfusionists, and operating room staff on indications, procedural techniques, and appropriate use of SBT products.
• Develops and maintains comprehensive clinical and technical product knowledge.
• Assists and serves as a consultant to physicians, customers, and sales staff with troubleshooting and management of complex procedural challenges.
• Serves as a clinical resource during physician adoption and growth phases.
• May assist field and Medical Affairs teams with customer communication regarding device complaints, product evaluations, and explants.
• Provides technical expertise and leadership to support safe and effective adoption of Medtronic technologies.

Customer Education Support

• Collaborates with sales personnel on physician targeting and attendance at Medtronic-sponsored training programs.
• Engages with physicians and clinical teams before, during, and after attendance at educational events.
• Provides post-training follow-up, procedural reviews, in-servicing, and first-case support.
• Supports minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) and advanced procedural training initiatives.
• Participates in dissemination of peer-reviewed scientific and clinical information.
• Develops and maintains influential relationships with key customers and physician leaders.
• Provides procedural support and clinical coverage during physician adoption and growth phases.

Product Training Support

• Supports onboarding and development of new sales representatives and clinical specialists.
• Provides technical expertise for regional education and training activities.
• Assists with physician, resident, fellow, and advanced practice provider educational programs.
• Delivers competitive and product training to sales representatives and clinical specialists.

Resident and Early Career Surgeon Support

• Partners with District Managers and Territory Managers to communicate and execute resident and fellow development initiatives.
• Maintains relationships with attending surgeons and academic institutions throughout the territory.
• Supports early-career surgeon education programs and procedural training opportunities.
• Assists in development and execution of future physician education initiatives.

Competitive Intelligence and Clinical Evidence

• Maintains expertise in competitive technologies and therapies.
• Effectively communicates competitive information, market trends, and clinical evidence to field teams.
• Remains current regarding peer-reviewed publications, clinical data, and evolving standards of care.
• Delivers clinical and competitive training to field personnel.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Schedules travel arrangements to ensure multiple objectives are accomplished efficiently.
• Maintains hospital access and vendor credentialing requirements.
• Completes expense reports accurately and in a timely manner.
• Maintains all required training and compliance certifications.
• Effectively manages time, resources, and priorities across a large geography.

Communication

• Maintains a high level of communication with Territory Managers, District Managers, Area Leadership, Marketing, Medical Affairs, and key stakeholders.
• Ensures a professional standard of written and verbal communication at all times.
• Collaborates effectively across functions to support physician adoption, account development, and business growth initiatives.

Must Have

• High School Diploma with a minimum of 12 years experience including cath lab, CVOR, or Clinical experience

OR Associate Diploma with a minimum of 10 years experience

• Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 8 years of experience

Nice to Have: Experience with cardiac implantable devices.

• Experience with education and training techniques.
• Experience with cardiac implantable devices.
• Experience with education and training techniques.

Travel Requirements

• Ability to support occasional physician training programs, national meetings, wet labs, and educational events outside the assigned geography.
• Available and willing to work evenings and weekends as required to support customer needs and educational programs.

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