Principal Systems Engineer - Imaging

Job description

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 17 Aug 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 LifeA Day in the Life • Lead cross-functional teams to design, develop, test, and document innovative imaging system solutions utilizing software and hardware components. • Oversee large-scale Systems Engineering efforts, driving successful delivery of highly-impactful projects from concept through launch. • Lead the characterization and optimization of image quality performance at the system level, including imaging hardware, software, reconstruction, and image processing pipelines. • Define and develop user needs, business needs, use cases, requirements, and system architecture; optimize and select system-level concepts to fulfill the overall system vision. • Develop project goals, provide strategic input, and drive decision-making within project teams while setting expectations for technical rigor and design/quality standards. • Develop innovative solutions to complex, undefined problems through detailed information gathering, comprehensive engineering analysis, and root cause isolation. • Pioneer the application of emerging technologies in product and process development; drive cross-departmental collaboration and innovation initiatives. • Partner with surgeons, surgical staff, hospital administrators, and Medtronic field teams to translate clinical and operational needs into seamlessly integrated solutions. • Collaborate with Chief Engineers, program leaders, product managers, and R&T leaders to align technical decisions across platforms and portfolios. • Plan and execute user evaluations in lab-based surgical environments to gain insightful feedback on system concepts. • Lead teams in identifying and mitigating technical risks, product hazards, and failure modes; troubleshoot system component and surgical procedure integration. • Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in computer-assisted and robotic-assisted surgery to internal and cross-business development teams. • Develop and implement Systems Engineering improvement actions that enhance team capabilities and effectiveness. Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned. Performs technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, evaluates alternatives including cost and risk, supportability and analyses for total systems. Analyses are performed at all levels of total system product to include: concept, design, fabrication, test, installation, operation, maintenance and disposal. Ensures the logical and systematic conversion of product requirements into total systems solutions that acknowledge technical, schedule, and cost constraints. Performs functional analysis, timeline analysis, detail trade studies, requirements allocation and interface definition studies to translate customer requirements into hardware and software specifications. TECHNICAL SPECIALIST CAREER STREAM: An individual contributor with responsibility in our technical functions to advance existing technology or introduce new technology and therapies. Formulates, delivers and/or manages projects assigned and works with other stakeholders to achieve desired results. May act as a mentor to colleagues or may direct the work of other lower level professionals. The majority of time is spent delivering R&D, systems or initiatives related to new technologies or therapies – from design to implementation - while adhering to policies, using specialized knowledge and skills. DIFFERENTIATING FACTORS Autonomy: Recognized expert, managing large projects or processes. Exercises considerable latitude in determining deliverables of assignments, with limited oversight from manager. Coaches, reviews and delegates work to lower level specialists. Organizational Impact: Contributes to defining the direction for new products, processes, standards, or operational plans based on business strategy with a significant impact on work group results. May manage large projects or processes that span outside of immediate job area. Innovation and Complexity: Problems and issues faced are difficult, moderately complex and undefined, and require detailed information gathering, analysis and investigation. Develops solutions to moderately complex problems, and/or makes moderate to significant improvements of processes, systems or products independently to enhance performance of job area. Implements solutions to problems. Communication and Influence: Represents organization as a primary contact for specific projects and initiatives; communicates with internal and external customers and vendors at various levels. May negotiate with others to reach understanding or agreement, and influence decision-making. Leadership and Talent Management: Typically provides guidance, coaching and training to other employees within job area. Typically manages major / moderately complex projects, involving delegation of work and review of work products, at times acting as a team leader. Required Knowledge and Experience Requires a Baccalaureate degree and minimum of 7 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience OR PhD with 3 years relevant experience. Nice to Have • Recognized expert in Systems Engineering with full knowledge of industry practices and Medical Device development across hardware and software products. • Experience in the medical device industry, surgical techniques, and/or clinical domains (e.g., spine, cranial, ENT). • Experience with X-ray imaging systems, including system performance characterization, image quality optimization, and troubleshooting artifacts and performance limitations. • Expertise analyzing end-to-end imaging pipelines, including detector behavior, acquisition, calibration, reconstruction, image processing, and display. • Experience applying AI tools effectively, while exercising sound engineering judgment and appropriate review of outputs. • Expertise leading cross-functional or multi-platform engineering activities across product definition, specification, test, and launch. • Experience in Systems Engineering practices: stakeholder needs definition, use case workflows, requirements decomposition, functional architecture, and system design. • Experience planning and conducting user evaluations, analyzing data, and presenting design recommendations to product teams. • Experience with software design, algorithm design, GUI design, and iterative development practices; familiarity with Matlab, Linux, C++, or scripting languages. • Experience with mechanical and/or electrical design, drawings, tolerance analysis, and CAD. • Project management skills including leading teams, planning tasks, milestones, resources, and budget. • Strong leadership, mentoring, and collaboration skills with the ability to influence across the organization. • Ability to solve complex problems creatively, quickly prototype new concepts, and drive change. • Ability to assess new technologies via comprehensive reviews of the state-of-the-art. 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 thi