Principal R&D Engineer, Active Implantable Medical Devices
About The Position
An established medical technology organization is seeking a Principal R&D Engineer to provide technical leadership in developing advanced active implantable medical devices and next-generation therapeutic technologies. This senior-level individual contributor role focuses on translating clinical needs into engineering solutions, defining system architecture, evaluating emerging technologies, and advancing product concepts through technical feasibility and early-stage development. The engineer will have significant technical ownership and influence over product direction while collaborating with engineering, clinical, product development, regulatory, quality, and external engineering partners. The role emphasizes technical leadership, systems-level integration, complex problem-solving, and innovation rather than traditional people management. The position is in the Houston, Texas area, with relocation available, and offers a stated base salary of $170,000 to $200,000 plus a bonus subject to confirmation.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
- At least 8 years of experience in medical device research, development, or product engineering.
- Experience developing complex medical devices, including active implantable systems, electronically driven therapeutic technologies, or comparable sophisticated medical devices.
- Demonstrated expertise in systems-level product development, technical architecture, and complex engineering problem-solving.
- Experience advancing medical device technologies through feasibility, development, verification, validation, and commercialization.
- Ability to translate clinical insights and therapeutic requirements into practical engineering solutions.
- Experience working in FDA-regulated medical device development environments.
- Strong technical leadership skills and demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional engineering teams.
- Excellent communication, technical documentation, and stakeholder management capabilities.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree in Engineering or a related scientific discipline.
- Previous experience at Principal Engineer, Senior Principal Engineer, or equivalent technical leadership level.
- Experience with electrical stimulation (e-stim), implantable pulse generators (IPGs), or related therapeutic technologies.
- Experience developing implantable electronic systems incorporating stimulation circuitry, sensing technologies, embedded software, power management, or wireless communication.
- Experience with complex Class II or Class III medical devices.
- Familiarity with medical device design controls, risk management, verification and validation, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Experience collaborating directly with physicians, clinical researchers, or medical professionals to develop therapeutic technologies.
- Experience guiding external development partners and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Experience evaluating emerging technologies and contributing to intellectual property development.
Responsibilities
- Provide technical leadership for complex medical device R&D initiatives, particularly active implantable devices and electronically driven therapeutic technologies.
- Define system architecture and technical direction across electrical, mechanical, software, sensing, and integrated device systems.
- Translate clinical requirements, physician feedback, and unmet patient needs into engineering specifications and product concepts.
- Lead technical feasibility assessments, evaluate design alternatives, and identify critical technical risks.
- Collaborate with R&D, clinical, regulatory, quality, and external engineering partners to advance new product development.
- Guide multidisciplinary engineering teams through complex technical decisions without direct managerial authority.
- Drive systems-level integration and ensure alignment among hardware, software, electronics, and overall product functionality.
- Support design reviews, risk management, technical investigations, and resolution of complex system-level challenges.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and contribute to intellectual property development and long-term innovation strategy.
- Provide technical oversight of external engineering partners and support integration of developed components and systems.
Benefits
- Relocation available
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
