Sr Director Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE)

Medtronic•Minneapolis, MN

2d•$223,200 - $334,800•Onsite

About The Position

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 18 Sep 2026 Careers that change lives start here. Medtronic is a global leader in healthcare technology with a Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. Our 95,000 employees work across more than 150 countries to put patients first — developing innovative medical technologies that improve the lives of 72+ million patients each year. Your unique talents will help shape the future of healthcare while building a career grounded in purpose, growth, and impact. A Day in the Life At Medtronic, we lead global healthcare technology and boldly attack the most challenging health problems facing humanity. As the Senior Director of Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE), you will lead enterprise-level initiatives that improve product cost, strengthen gross margin, and enhance customer value while preserving the quality, safety, and performance patients depend on. The VAVE leader will develop and drive a global VAVE strategy across Medtronic's operating units, partnering closely with R&D, Operations, Quality, Supply Management, Marketing, Regulatory, and Finance to identify and execute high-impact value engineering opportunities. The role requires an engineering leader who can lead a high performing team of 40+ people, but also influence without direct authority, build organizational capability, and embed Design-for-Value principles throughout the product lifecycle – from New Product Development to Released Product Management. At Medtronic, we must work with a sense of purpose, and ownership, knowing there is a human life on the other side of every decision. This position is ideal for an experienced engineering senior leader who combines deep technical expertise with exceptional business acumen and a passion for transformational change. At Medtronic, we bring bold ideas forward with speed and decisiveness to put patients first in everything we do. In-person exchanges are invaluable to our work. We’re working 4 days a week onsite as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross-functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
Minimum of 15 years of progressive engineering, operations, or product development leadership experience or an advanced degree with a minimum of 13 years of progressive engineering, operations, or product development leadership experience
Minimum of 10 years of people and program leadership experience.
Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide cross-functional initiatives in a highly matrixed global organization.
Strong financial acumen with the ability to connect engineering decisions to business outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or MBA.
Extensive experience leading Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE), Design-for-Value, Product Cost Engineering, or Cost Optimization programs.
Experience leading engineering organizations within the medical device, life sciences, aerospace, automotive, or other highly regulated industries.
Strong background in New Product Development (NPD), product lifecycle management, and commercialization.
Demonstrated success driving significant gross margin improvement through engineering innovation.
Experience with Lean Product Development, Six Sigma, Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design to Cost (DTC), and supplier collaboration.
Strong financial acumen with the ability to connect engineering decisions to business outcomes.
Experience influencing executive leadership and leading organizational transformation.
Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
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

Develop and execute an enterprise VAVE strategy aligned with Medtronic's financial and innovation objectives.
Architect and lead a high-performing global VAVE organization focused on sustainable margin expansion and increased customer value.
Partner with Business Unit leadership to develop and prioritize VAVE portfolios that deliver measurable financial impact in alignment with business and product strategies.
Partner with Operations and OU teams to determine funding and execute design improvements in our plants and through the supply base.
Drive cross-functional execution across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, and Finance.
Establish Design-for-Value and Design for Manufacturability principles that become standard practice across the product lifecycle.
Influence new product development programs to incorporate cost optimization from concept through commercialization.
Champion value engineering methodologies including functional analysis, component optimization, supplier collaboration, manufacturing simplification, and technology insertion.
Lead enterprise governance for VAVE opportunity identification, prioritization, execution, and benefit tracking.
Develop KPIs and dashboards measuring project execution, cost savings, margin improvement, speed of implementation, and organizational capability.
Build organizational capability through training, coaching, and development of engineering teams across Medtronic.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability while maintaining uncompromising standards for quality, patient safety, and regulatory compliance.
Serve as a strategic advisor to senior executives on margin expansion opportunities and enterprise engineering excellence.