Principal Control & Automation Engineer

This role will require 20% of travel to Grand Rapids, MI to enhance collaboration and ensure successful completion of projects.

The Principal Controls & Automation Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for driving automation strategy and execution across the Dexter and Grand Rapids, Michigan manufacturing sites. This role focuses on PLC-based controls engineering, industrial automation systems, robotics integration, and equipment validation within a regulated manufacturing environment. The position will play a key role in transitioning manual processes to automated solutions, strengthening controls architecture standards, ensuring robust system validation, and representing Medtronic’s technical and quality expectations with vendors and internal stakeholders.

We believe that when people from different cultures, genders, and points of view come together, innovation is the result -and everyone wins. Medtronic walks the walk, creating an inclusive culture where you can thrive. Our unwavering commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity (ID&E) means zero barriers to opportunity within Medtronic and a culture where all employees belong, are respected, and feel valued for who they are and the life experiences they contribute. We know equity starts beyond our workplace, and we must play a role in addressing systemic inequities in our communications to achieve long-term sustainable impact. Anchored in our Mission, we continue to drive ID&E forward both to enhance the well-being of Medtronic employees and to accelerate innovation that brings our lifesaving technologies to more people in more places around the world.

Bring your talents to an industry leader in medical technology and healthcare solutions - we’re a market leader and growing every day. You can be proud to be a part of technologies that are rooted in our long history of mission-driven innovation. You will be empowered to shape your own career. We encourage and support your growth with the training, mentorship, and guidance you need to own your future success. Together, we can transform healthcare. Join us for a career that changes lives.

CAREERS THAT CHANGE LIVES

• Lead automation initiatives from concept through design, FAT/SAT, validation, and production deployment.

• Architect, program, and maintain PLC-based automation systems using industry-standard controls platforms.

• Develop and standardize controls architectures for automated manufacturing equipment.

• Integrate industrial robots with PLC control systems, including communication protocols, safety interlocks, and motion coordination.

• Troubleshoot and optimize automation equipment to improve uptime, throughput, reliability, and product quality.

• Support equipment commissioning, system debugging, and start-up activities for new and modified automation systems.

• Execute equipment validation activities (IQ/OQ/PQ) and ensure automation systems meet regulatory and quality requirements.

• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering, quality, and operations teams to deploy scalable automation solutions.

• Provide technical oversight and hold vendors accountable for controls design, programming quality, and project execution.

• Identify opportunities to automate manual manufacturing processes and improve production efficiency.

• 7+ years of experience with a bachelor’s degree or 5+ years of experience with an advanced degree

NICE TO HAVE (Preferred Qualifications)

• Strong PLC programming and troubleshooting experience (ladder logic, structured text, or similar controls languages).

• Hands-on controls engineering experience in automated manufacturing environments.

• Experience integrating robotics and automated equipment within production lines.

• Background in equipment commissioning, controls debugging, and production support.

• Experience supporting validation and regulated manufacturing environments.

• Vendor coordination or technical leadership experience in automation projects.

• Automation development, equipment design, or deployment experience in medical device or comparable industries (automotive, aerospace, defense, etc.)

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.

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, 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)

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 onsite 4 days a week as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross-functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary. The person in this role will work from the Medtronic facility located in Dexter, Michigan., 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

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.

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