Senior Principal Robotics & AMR Automation Platforms Engineer

Medtronic • Fridley, MN

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Our Automation Platforms team develops and scales reusable technologies that improve safety, quality, and productivity across Medtronic’s global manufacturing network. We're working onsite 4 days a week as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross-functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary. The person in this role will work from the Medtronic facility located in Fridley, Minnesota. This role will require 25% of travel to enhance collaboration and ensure successful completion of projects. The Sr Principal Robotics & AMR Automation Platforms Engineer will serve as the enterprise technical authority for autonomous mobile robotics, collaborative robotics, and emerging intelligent automation technologies, advancing reusable platforms from technology development through factory validation and global deployment. This role will define technical strategy, platform architectures, roadmaps, standards, and reusable capabilities while partnering with manufacturing sites, engineering teams, IT/OT, suppliers, system integrators, and Medtronic’s Surgical Robotics organization. The successful candidate will combine deep robotics expertise with systems thinking and a platform-first approach to accelerate adoption of advanced robotics and enable scalable replication across applications, product families, and manufacturing sites.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience with a bachelor’s degree or 8+ years of experience with an advanced degree
• 10+ years of experience developing and deploying AMRs, cobots, industrial robots, mobile manipulators, or other advanced automation technologies in production manufacturing environments.
• Recognized technical expertise in robotics, autonomous systems, or advanced manufacturing technologies, with demonstrated technical leadership across complex, multidisciplinary programs.
• 10+ years of experience developing reusable robotics platforms, architectures, standards, or solutions deployed across multiple applications or manufacturing sites.
• Experience with AMR fleet management, autonomous navigation, facility and traffic assessment, interoperability, and material-flow optimization.
• Experience with advanced robotic manipulation, including force/torque sensing, vision-guided robotics, flexible end-of-arm tooling, or human-robot collaboration.
• Knowledge of applicable robotics safety standards and working knowledge of cybersecurity, equipment validation, and lifecycle management in regulated manufacturing environments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience architecting and integrating robotic systems incorporating machine vision and 3D perception, end-of-arm tooling, safety systems, industrial controls, fleet-management software, and IT/OT systems.
• Experience with emerging robotics technologies including AI-enabled perception and manipulation, machine-learning-based motion planning, simulation and digital twins, and robotic foundation models.
• Experience developing automation technologies in medical-device manufacturing or another regulated environment and providing technical direction to suppliers, system integrators, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Advanced degree in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, controls, computer science, mechatronics, or a related technical field.
• 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

• Serve as the enterprise technical authority for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), collaborative robots (cobots), mobile manipulators, and emerging intelligent robotics technologies across Medtronic’s global manufacturing network.
• Define the long-term technical vision, strategy, roadmaps, platform architectures, and standards for autonomous material movement and flexible robotic automation.
• Lead the development and maturation of reusable robotics platforms that reduce deployment cost and implementation time while enabling replication across manufacturing sites and applications.
• Architect advanced robotic systems integrating AMRs, cobots, mobile manipulators, machine vision and 3D perception, end-of-arm tooling, safety systems, industrial controls, fleet-management software, and manufacturing IT/OT infrastructure.
• Partner with manufacturing sites and cross-functional stakeholders to identify high-value opportunities and lead technology development from feasibility and prototyping through integration, factory validation, and deployment.
• Collaborate with Medtronic’s Surgical Robotics organization and other internal robotics experts to leverage technologies, architectures, simulation capabilities, perception and controls expertise , and development practices across Medtronic.
• Evaluate and mature emerging technologies including autonomous navigation, AI-enabled perception and manipulation, robotic foundation models, simulation and digital twins, and advanced fleet-management technologies.
• Establish robotics platform governance and technical practices for safety, cybersecurity, validation, reliability, and lifecycle management appropriate for regulated manufacturing environments.
• Convert learning from factory implementations into standardized designs, architectures, documentation, and deployment methodologies that enable enterprise replication.
• Provide technical direction to engineers, manufacturing teams, suppliers, and system integrators; lead technical reviews and resolution of complex multidisciplinary engineering challenges.
• Build strategic relationships with robotics suppliers, technology companies, system integrators, research institutions, and other external partners to identify and evaluate technologies that can advance Medtronic manufacturing.
• Lead the establishment and ongoing development of an Automation Platforms laboratory for technology development, prototyping, integration, simulation, testing, and demonstration.
• Mentor engineers, strengthen organizational robotics capabilities, and represent Manufacturing Technology in enterprise and external robotics forums.
• Influence engineering and business leadership through recommendations on robotics strategy, technology investments, technical risk, platform maturity, and long-term manufacturing capabilities.

Benefits

• 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)

What This Job Offers

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