Principal R&D Engineer (MedTech)

Location: Irvine, California, United States; on-site five days a week. Up to 15% domestic and international travel may be required.

Salary: $117,000–$201,250 per year

Company

Johnson & Johnson MedTech develops healthcare solutions and medical devices, including technologies for cardiovascular care, electrophysiology, stroke, and heart recovery.

What you will do

• Lead electrophysiology catheter projects from concept through commercialization, aligning technical decisions with clinical needs and regulatory pathways.
• Architect prototypes, tools, and fixtures for pre-clinical testing and implement design validation protocols.
• De-risk designs and support development, manufacturing, process characterization, risk assessment, and early process validation.
• Prepare technical documentation, design controls, validation records, and materials supporting regulatory submissions and first-in-human activities.
• Collaborate with internal and external research partners on technology transfer and knowledge transfer.
• Mentor junior engineers, present project findings to senior management, and contribute to process improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Biomedical, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline; a relevant master’s degree is preferred.
• At least 8 years of experience in medical device R&D, including prototyping, validation, and support for early clinical use.
• Expertise in electromagnetically navigated devices, advanced catheter materials, miniaturization, advanced manufacturing, design validation, and process development.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD and SolidWorks; familiarity with statistical software such as Minitab.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance, manufacturing technologies, problem-solving, analytical reasoning, and project economics.
• Strong English communication skills and ability to work on-site in Irvine, California five days per week.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree focused on medical device development or materials science.
• Experience with flexible electronics, advanced materials, DTV/DTQ, or electromagnetically navigated devices.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering, SAP Product Lifecycle Management, scripting languages, or software quality assurance.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a fast-paced R&D environment focused on rapid prototyping, iterative testing, scientific excellence, and patient impact.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and external research partners.
• Eligible employees receive vacation, sick time, holidays, parental leave, caregiver leave, bereavement leave, and volunteer leave.
• Inclusive work environment with accommodation support during the interview process.