Senior Human Centered Design Researcher

Medtronic • Mounds View, MN

1d • Onsite

About The Position

At Medtronic, you can begin a life-long career of exploration and innovation, while helping champion healthcare access and equity for all. You’ll lead with purpose, breaking down barriers to innovation in a more connected, compassionate world. The Innovation Lab is an internal experience, design, and strategy consulting team that partners globally to solve complex challenges and drive growth using Human-Centered Design (HCD). As a Senior Human Centered Design Researcher, you will work with designers, strategists, and cross-functional partners to lead research sprints, build deep user empathy, and translate insights into actionable direction. The role focuses on early-stage research—such as contextual inquiry, interviews, and concept evaluation—to uncover unmet needs and inform product design. Your work supports innovative healthcare solutions and enables a smooth transition into development by clearly defining user needs, experience principles, and value for both users and Medtronic. Medtronic is a market leader in medical technology and healthcare solutions, with a long history of mission-driven innovation. The company fosters an inclusive culture where employees can thrive, with an unwavering commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity (ID&E). Employees are empowered to shape their own careers with training, mentorship, and guidance.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience with a bachelor’s degree or 2+ years of experience with an advanced degree

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in healthcare, medical devices, or other regulated environments with exposure to healthcare systems, clinical workflows, and medical device regulatory context
• Consulting experience desired
• Bachelor’s degree in Design Research, Human Centered Design, Human Factors, Psychology, Marketing, Anthropology, Sociology, Biomedical Engineering, Service Design or a related field, or equivalent professional experience OR Master's degree in human-centered design or behavioral science discipline
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead end-to-end research initiatives, including scoping, method selection, field execution, synthesis, and delivery of actionable insights
• Strong familiarity and execution of human centered and qualitative research methods including team facilitation / moderation, contextual inquiry, ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews, usability or concept evaluation
• Proven ability to synthesize qualitative data into clear insights that inform design decisions, experience principles, and product strategy
• Professional experience conducting qualitative design research within product, service, or experience design teams
• Familiarity with front end innovation, upstream product development, early phase concept exploration, and identifying emerging trends in medical practice and technology
• Ability to influence decision-making through clear and compelling communication, with experience presenting research findings to diverse audiences and facilitating workshops and working sessions
• Ability to communicate ideas and insights visually through deliverables such sketches, workflows, concepts, features, functions of devices, etc.
• Experience supporting global or cross-cultural research initiative
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Scope, plan, and align research and Human Centered Design (HCD) activities with Medtronic Operating Unit (OU) marketing, R&D, and technology leaders, ensuring alignment on objectives, approach, deliverables, and impact
• Lead and execute multiple concurrent research sprints in partnership with OU teams, working independently in the field and/or providing strategic guidance for execution
• Develop and drive research methods that explore conceptual use scenarios, workflows, and unmet needs through contextual inquiry, observation, and qualitative engagement with users and stakeholders
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to design and refine research materials, including recruitment criteria and processes, screeners, interview guides, and concept stimuli
• Synthesize complex qualitative data into clear, actionable insights and research outputs, with a strong emphasis on linking findings to user experience implications, product strategy, and Medtronic business objectives

Benefits

• competitive Salary and flexible Benefits Package
• 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
• Simple Steps (global well-being program)
• 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)
• Capital Accumulation Plan (available to Vice Presidents and above, or subject to IRS earning minimums)
• paid sick time (for temporary employees, as required under applicable state law)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees