Principal Process Engineer - Automated Optical Inspection

Principal Process Engineer

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 onsite 5 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 Principal Process Engineer will be responsible for the development, integration, and optimization of wafer scale Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) systems from concept through release to manufacturing at our Medtronic Tempe Campus.

This role will lead the definition of inspection strategies, platforms, and validation methods to ensure robust, scalable, and cost-effective inspection solutions that enable high-yield wafer scale manufacturing.

The Principal Process Engineer will drive system-level integration by deeply understanding interactions between wafer fabrication processes, inspection hardware, optics, illumination, algorithms, data systems, and manufacturing operations. They will lead risk identification, mitigation, and burn-down activities using Design for Reliability Manufacturing (DRM) and data-driven methodologies. This role will also be responsible for managing validation activities, including requirements flow-down, control and monitoring strategies, and ensuring compliance with quality system and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned.

• Lead the innovation, development, and optimization of wafer scale AOI processes and systems for transfer to manufacturing operations
• Champion the use of Design for Reliability Manufacturing (DRM) and data-driven methods throughout AOI system development
• Define and integrate inspection strategies, process flows, and design rules aligned with wafer fabrication and product requirements
• Collaborate with process owners, product development teams, equipment suppliers, and manufacturing to define robust, scalable AOI solutions
• Own requirements flow-down from product and quality requirements to AOI system capabilities, including inspection sensitivity, defect classification, throughput, and false-call management
• Develop, implement, and disposition control and monitoring strategies to ensure inspection effectiveness and manufacturability
• Own and manage AOI-related process validation deliverables at the product and system level
• Lead risk assessments and risk burn-down activities associated with inspection coverage, detection limits, data integrity, and system reliability
• Provide input to product and process design based on inspection capability, integration risks, and cost-of-quality considerations
• Apply statistical methods and science-based decision making to design experiments, optimize inspection parameters, and implement improvements
• Implement and own inspection performance and yield monitoring systems, including defect density, trend analysis, and excursion detection during development
• Monitor, root-cause, and resolve inspection-related yield and escape issues during development and ramp
• Review product development requirements for compatibility with inspection methods, influencing cost, cycle time, and schedules
• Ensure alignment between product design, wafer processes, and AOI system capabilities
• Generate and maintain technical and quality documentation in compliance with quality system regulations
• Ensure AOI processes, data systems, and procedures comply with applicable regulatory and quality requirements

Must Have:
Minimum Qualifications

• Requires a Baccalaureate degree and minimum of 7 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience OR PhD with 3 years relevant experience.
• Hands-on experience with Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) systems, including optics, illumination, image acquisition, defect detection, and classification

Nice to Have

• Experience with Design for Reliability Manufacturing (DRM), Design for Six Sigma, or Lean Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt preferred)
• Strong knowledge of DOE, statistical analysis, and data analysis tools (e.g., Minitab, JMP, Python, SQL)
• Demonstrated…