Principal Mechanical Engineer, R&D - NPD

Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies and is dedicated to helping healthcare professionals perform their jobs more efficiently while enhancing patient care. The Company offers a diverse array of innovative medical technologies, including reconstructive, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products to help people lead more active and more satisfying lives.

We are currently seeking a Principal Design Engineer- Mechanical for our Interventional Spine [IVS] business unit within Stryker Instruments. This position will be located at our division headquarters in Portage, Michigan.

As a Principal Engineer, you will work with and lead team members from R&D, Quality, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Clinical, Marketing and Project Management to ensure project success.

Learn more about our business here: Stryker IVS (

What You Will Do:

• Lead and mentor technical teams in the research, design, development, evaluation, and correction of complex product architectures, applying advanced engineering theories to translate user needs into system‑ and platform‑level designs across the business.

• Assess and advance new technologies and capabilities (e.g., prototyping, testing), while navigating the intellectual property landscape to support innovation, filings, and protection.

• Leverage deep industry and competitive landscape knowledge to partner with customers and internal/external key opinion leaders, shaping technical strategies aligned with clinical and market needs.

• Lead and execute customer‑facing initiatives (e.g., Voice of Customer, customer‑centric design) while collaborating on financial and business modeling and supporting business reviews to validate technical approaches.

• Serve as a divisional subject‑matter expert in applying industry standards and regulations for medical device development, ensuring best practices across programs.

• Act as an independent technical reviewer and advisor for engineering documentation (e.g., Design History Files) and lead the development and refinement of standards and regulatory approaches in collaboration with cross‑functional and cross‑business partners.

• Lead cross‑functional collaboration across R&D, Quality, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Clinical, Marketing, and Project Management to drive complex product development, influence multiple technical domains, and ensure sustained design and process solutions.

• Develop, improve, and deploy tools, processes, systems, and technologies while holding teams accountable for high‑quality execution, mentoring talent, and building strong divisional relationships aligned to business priorities.

What You Need

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Biomedical, or related discipline).

• Minimum 8 + Years of Work Experience.

• Experience working in a regulated industry (Medical Devices Strongly Preferred)

Preferred qualifications

• Broad base of experience in implementing design methodologies such as DFM, Reliability, and Systems Design.

• High degree of experience in medical device design (or designing in a highly regulated industry) and ability to utilize Solid Modeling and CAE tools to optimize the design.

• In-depth knowledge of materials, manufacturing, and processing methods and technologies to support complex product development.

• Ability to communicate complex plans and technical information to team members within and across businesses.

$118,000 - $196,700 USD Annual

Health benefits include: Medical and prescription drug insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, critical illness insurance, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, personalized healthcare support, wellbeing program and tobacco cessation program. Financial benefits include: Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), 401(k) plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), basic life and AD&D insurance, and short-term disability insurance. Stryker offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually. Depending on customer requirements employees and new hires in sales and field roles that require access to customer accounts as a function of the job may be required to obtain various vaccinations as an essential function of their role.

Stryker Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Stryker is an EO employer – M/F/Veteran/Disability.