Principal Mechanical R&D Engineer

Cardinal Health•Hazelwood, MO

About The Position

The Principal Engineer is an individual contributor who leads mechanical and electromechanical design for medical device development programs. This role is intended for a hands-on technical leader with strong mechanical aptitude, advanced SolidWorks capability, and practical injection molded plastic part design experience. The successful candidate will guide complex designs from concept through launch while mentoring engineers, improving design quality, and supporting manufacturable, reliable, and compliant products.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or similar preferred
4+ years of relevant mechanical or electromechanical product development experience.
Advanced SolidWorks skills are required
Strong mechanical aptitude with demonstrated ability to solve complex mechanism, assembly, tolerance, material, manufacturing, and system integration problems.
Experience creating engineering drawings and applying GD&T and tolerance analysis to support robust product performance.
Ability to work independently, influence technical direction, mentor others, and communicate complex technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree is desired
Preferred certifications: DFSS, SolidWorks (CSWA, CSWP, etc.)
Knowledge of FDA Quality System Regulations (21 CFR 820), ISO 13485, and GMP standards preferred
Experience with motor integration, torque analysis, mechanism design, drive systems, durability, reliability, DOE, and test method development preferred
Significant injection molding experience, including production-intent plastic part design and direct interaction with tooling, molding, or manufacturing partners.
Experience with supplier collaboration, first article inspections, process validation support, and production transfer.

Responsibilities

Lead mechanical architecture and detailed design of electromechanical medical device systems, mechanisms, housings, plastic components, and assemblies.
Create, review, and release production-intent CAD models, assemblies, and engineering drawings using SolidWorks and applicable drafting standards, including GD&T.
Apply design-for-manufacturing principles for injection molded plastic components, including draft, wall sections, ribs, bosses, snap-fits, parting lines, gating considerations, shrinkage, ejection, and cosmetic requirements.
Lead technical reviews, tolerance analysis, design risk assessment, DFMEA input, root-cause investigations, and engineering change activities.
Collaborate with Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, suppliers, molders, toolmakers, and contract manufacturers.
Support prototype builds, verification and validation testing, reliability activities, production transfer, and launch readiness.
Act as a technical mentor for engineers and designers in mechanical design, SolidWorks modeling discipline, drawing quality, GD&T, DFM, and production-focused problem solving.