Principal Controls Engineer - Advanced Manufacturing Engineering

The Principal Controls Engineer serves a critical role within Medtronic’s Advanced Manufacturing Engineering organization, providing technical leadership and expertise for complex automation, controls, and manufacturing systems. This position is being added to ensure adequate support for current and future manufacturing initiatives.

Based at Medtronic’s North Haven, CT site, this individual will play a key role in advancing the next generation of medical device and robotic-assisted surgical technologies. Working closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations, the Principal Controls Engineer will lead the development, integration, optimization, and support of automation and control systems that enable new product introduction, manufacturing scalability, equipment reliability, and operational excellence. This role requires deep expertise in controls architecture, PLCs, robotics, machine vision, motion control, and equipment integration, along with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive technical solutions from concept through implementation.

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 5 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 may include the following and other duties may be assigned.

• Provide technical leadership to engineers, suppliers, and system integrators to ensure automation solutions meet performance, safety, quality, and business requirements.
• Design, develop, implement, and support control systems for manufacturing equipment, automated assembly systems, test equipment, and material handling systems.
• Lead the integration and optimization of PLCs, HMIs, robotics, motion control systems, machine vision systems, sensors, and industrial networks.
• Develop controls architectures, software, and technical requirements to support new equipment, automation projects, and manufacturing process improvements.
• Troubleshoot complex automation and equipment issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions to improve reliability, quality, and performance.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, and Operations teams to support equipment development, qualification, new product introduction, and manufacturing scale-up activities.
• Develop and implement automation, process control, and data collection solutions that improve equipment uptime, operational efficiency, and product quality.
• Ensure control systems, equipment, and processes comply with applicable quality, safety, and regulatory requirements.

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience
• OR Master’s degree with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience
• OR PhD with a minimum of 3 years relevant experience.
• Experience programming and troubleshooting PLCs (Allen Bradley), HMIs (Allen Bradley), and vision systems, including Cognex In-Sight Spreadsheet, Cognex VisionPro, and Keyence technologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting automated manufacturing equipment utilizing PLCs, robotics, machine vision systems, or motion control technologies.
• Experience supporting new product introduction (NPI), equipment qualification, manufacturing scale-up activities, and validation experience.
• Experience in medical device, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Experience leading controls or automation projects from concept through implementation.
• Experience performing root cause investigations and implementing corrective actions for complex equipment or process issues.
• Experience working with equipment suppliers, system integrators, or contract manufacturers.
• Experience applying risk management or process control tools such as PFMEA, DFMEA, control plans, or hazard analyses.
• Experience mentoring engineers or serving as a technical lead for cross-functional engineering teams.

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):$123,200.00 - $184,800.00

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., 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.