Research & Development Engineer II - On-site

R&D Engineer

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.

The Cranial & Spinal Technologies (CST) Operating Unit develops technologies that support spine and cranial procedures, including spinal implants, navigation and robotic guidance systems, advanced imaging, biologics, and data-driven surgical planning tools. Within CST, this role supports research and development activities focused on bone graft technologies, graft delivery systems, spine-related products, and preclinical research. This position is based in Memphis, Tennessee, and follows an onsite work model, with a minimum of four days per week in the office or laboratory environment.

Limited travel may be required to support off-site laboratory activities, pre-clinical studies, and cross-functional collaboration.

As an R&D Engineer, you will contribute to the development of products and technologies used in spine surgery and biologic applications. This role supports engineering activities across product development programs, including design support, testing, data analysis, and verification activities related to bone graft materials, delivery instruments, and spine systems. The position offers opportunities to work within multidisciplinary teams while gaining experience in laboratory, cadaveric, and pre-clinical research environments.

Primary Responsibilities

• Support the design and development of bone graft technologies, graft delivery instruments, and spine-related products.
• Plan and execute laboratory testing, data collection, and engineering analyses to support product development activities.
• Conduct verification and validation activities, including bench, cadaveric, and pre-clinical studies.
• Assist with the execution and documentation of animal studies, including study coordination, sample handling, and data collection.
• Translate product requirements into design inputs, test methods, and performance evaluations.
• Document engineering activities through technical reports, test protocols, design records, and study summaries.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to support project objectives, quality requirements, and development timelines.
• Evaluate existing and competitive technologies to support product improvements and future development efforts.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 2+ years of relevant engineering experience, or a Master's degree in Engineering with 0+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience supporting engineering activities, including testing, data collection, analysis, or product development.
• Ability to document technical work through reports, protocols, and engineering records.
• Experience working within structured processes and complying with quality or regulatory requirements.
• Ability to work onsite in Memphis, Tennessee, a minimum of four days per week.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with in the medical device, biologics, healthcare, or other regulated industry environment.
• Experience with laboratory testing, biomaterials, tissue-based research, or engineering analysis.
• Knowledge of spinal anatomy, bone grafting technologies, graft delivery systems, or spine-focused therapies.
• Experience supporting verification and validation activities, including bench, cadaveric, or pre-clinical studies.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams in a product development environment.

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.

Physical Job Requirements

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position. 

The physical demands described within the Responsibilities section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For Office Roles:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile. The employee is also required to interact with a computer, and communicate with peers and co-workers. Contact your manager or local HR to understand the Work Conditions and Physical requirements that may be specific to each role.

U.S. Work Authorization & Sponsorship

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