Senior Principal Engineer

Vantive • Plymouth, MN

3d • $128,000 - $176,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

This position is part of the Drug Products – Americas R&D Team, within the Product Development Lifecycle Management and Sustaining Product Organization. This role serves as a Senior Principal Engineer and packaging material SME (subject matter expert) within the Solutions & Containers R&D organization, with responsibility for leading pharmaceutical packaging material development, critical issue investigation, and high-impact technical initiatives associated with container closure systems. The position requires deep technical expertise combined with strategic leadership, cross-functional influence, and end-to-end ownership across the full product lifecycle. The role is accountable for defining technical direction, driving innovation, managing risk, and ensuring alignment with business and regulatory objectives across kidney care modalities and product platforms.

Requirements

• PhD (preferred) or master’s degree (required) in Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field
• Minimum 8+ years of industrial experience in polymer materials, container closure systems, pharmaceutical packaging or related fields
• Demonstrated leadership of global, cross-functional technical programs and multiple workstreams
• Deep expertise in polymeric materials, structure–property relationships, and container systems for medical/pharmaceutical applications, hands-on experience with polymer performance evaluation instruments (DSC, DMA, FT-IR etc)
• Strong experience in product lifecycle management, spanning development, commercialization, and sustaining phases
• Extensive knowledge of manufacturing processes and process optimization, particularly for parenteral or combination products
• Proven success in technical risk assessment, mitigation, and execution
• Working knowledge of global regulatory requirements and quality systems (FDA, ICH, ISO, cGxP)
• Strong analytical capabilities, including statistical methods and Six Sigma tools
• Demonstrated ability to translate customer and clinical needs into product and technical solutions
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with ability to engage technical and business stakeholders at all levels

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple container material–related workstreams and initiatives, demonstrating accountability for delivery of scope, timelines, and technical excellence across regions and programs
• Serve as a recognized SME, providing authoritative guidance and influencing technical decisions at program and organizational levels
• Establish and govern risk-based decision-making frameworks, ensuring proactive identification, prioritization, and mitigation of technical risks
• Influence organizational technical direction and business strategy, aligning R&D initiatives with long-term product, therapy, and innovation priorities
• Translate complex and ambiguous technical challenges into actionable strategies and execution plans
• Lead evaluation, selection, development and qualification of polymer materials and container systems based on structure–property relationships and application requirements
• Lead failure investigations and root-cause analysis for material-related issues, ensuring robust resolution and prevention
• Oversee design and interpretation of complex material characterization studies (mechanical, thermal, chemical, functional performance, etc)
• Drive material selection decisions impacting product performance, cost, safety, and regulatory compliance
• Integrate material science insights into system-level design and product realization across therapies
• Support container material–related sustaining and lifecycle management activities, ensuring continuity and compliance
• Drive application of analytical tools, data-driven decision making, and scientific rigor in problem solving and design decisions
• Promote continuous improvement, innovation, and adoption of new technologies or methodologies across programs
• Apply critical thinking to identify optimal solutions under competing constraints and ambiguity
• Strengthen technical standards and practices to enhance product quality, robustness, and performance outcomes
• Collaborate effectively across global, cross‑functional, and multicultural teams, adapting leadership and communication styles to drive alignment and results
• Mentor, coach, and develop engineers, strengthening technical depth, strategic thinking, and problem‑solving capabilities within the team
• Communicate clearly and effectively, influencing technical and business stakeholders at all organizational levels
• Contribute to building organizational capability and a high-performance technical culture

Benefits

• medical coverage
• dental coverage
• vision coverage
• basic life insurance
• accident insurance
• short-term disability insurance
• long-term disability insurance
• business travel accident insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• educational assistance programs
• paid holidays
• paid time off ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service
• family and medical leaves of absence
• paid parental leave
• commuting benefits
• Employee Discount Program
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• childcare benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior