Sustaining Engineer

Job Title: Principal Sustaining Engineer - Medical Devices (Contract)
Job Description
This Principal Sustaining Engineer contract role leads the support and continuous improvement of existing medical device products throughout their lifecycle. The engineer ensures ongoing performance, safety, and regulatory compliance while driving design enhancements, cost reductions, and process optimizations in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment. The role requires deep technical expertise, strong cross-functional collaboration, and leadership within R&D and sustaining engineering activities.
Responsibilities

• Lead sustaining engineering activities for existing medical devices, including design modifications, process improvements, and component or material changes to maintain and enhance product quality and reliability.
• Provide advanced technical expertise to investigate and resolve product performance issues, field complaints, and non-conformances in a timely and systematic manner.
• Conduct thorough root cause analysis of product issues and implement effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to prevent recurrence.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Quality, Manufacturing, Regulatory, and other stakeholders, to assess, plan, and implement design changes while maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Support internal manufacturing teams and contract manufacturing partners by troubleshooting production issues, resolving technical problems, and optimizing manufacturing processes.
• Evaluate, select, and qualify alternate materials, suppliers, and manufacturing processes to ensure continuity of supply, cost-effectiveness, and product performance.
• Prepare, review, and maintain technical documentation such as engineering change orders (ECOs), risk assessments, test protocols, and validation reports to support design and process changes.
• Ensure compliance with applicable medical device regulations and standards, including FDA 21 CFR Part 820, EU MDR, and other relevant requirements, and contribute to internal and external audits and regulatory submissions as needed.
• Apply rigorous design control practices and oversee verification and validation activities to ensure changes meet functional, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Use engineering tools such as CAD (SolidWorks), FMEA, and statistical analysis to support design decisions, risk assessments, and process improvements.
• Lead product improvement initiatives within R&D and sustaining engineering, focusing on performance, reliability, cost reduction, and manufacturability.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers, sharing best practices and fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the engineering team.
• Stay current on industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving regulatory requirements, and incorporate these insights into continuous improvement initiatives and long-term product strategies.
• Collaborate with research and development teams to ensure that sustaining activities align with broader product development and lifecycle management goals, particularly in structural heart and catheter-based technologies.

Essential Skills

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in R&D, sustaining engineering, or product development within the medical device industry.
• Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Extensive experience with medical device sustaining activities, including design changes, process improvements, and lifecycle support.
• Deep understanding of medical device regulations and quality system requirements, including FDA 21 CFR Part 820 and EU MDR.
• Strong knowledge of risk management practices in accordance with relevant ISO standards, including application of FMEA and other risk analysis tools.
• Demonstrated experience with design control processes, including requirements management, design verification, and design validation.
• Hands-on experience with verification testing and validation engineering for medical devices.
• Proficiency with CAD tools, particularly SolidWorks, for mechanical and product design activities.
• Strong capability in statistical analysis to support verification, validation, and process improvement activities.
• Proven expertise in root cause failure analysis and implementation of effective CAPA solutions.
• Experience with manufacturing processes for medical devices, including collaboration with internal and contract manufacturing organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a cross-functional environment and to lead product improvement initiatives.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a practical, hands-on approach to technical challenges.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to prepare clear technical documentation and interact with diverse stakeholders.
• Solid project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, regulated environment.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field is preferred.
• Experience with structural heart, catheter-based technologies, or similar complex medical devices.
• Work history in research and development or product development engineering for medical devices.
• Familiarity with ISO-based quality and risk management standards applicable to medical devices.
• Experience supporting audits and regulatory submissions related to design changes and sustaining activities.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor junior engineers and contribute to building a high-performing engineering team.
• Interest in and awareness of emerging technologies, industry trends, and advancements in cardiac care and medical device innovation.

Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Maple Grove, MN.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $80.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Maple Grove,MN.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jul 21, 2026.
About Actalent


Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.


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