Principal Packaging Engineer

Onsite

Irvine, California, United States of America

Full time

R76119

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 2 Oct 2026

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.

A Day in the Life

The Packaging & Labeling Engineering function is responsible for the development, validation, commercialization, and continuous improvement of medical device packaging systems. The team partners with research and development, operations, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, and supply chain organizations to deliver packaging solutions that protect product integrity, support patient safety, and meet global regulatory requirements. Packaging Engineering plays a critical role in advancing packaging technologies, developing technical standards, and driving innovation across the product portfolio.

This position is based in Irvine, CA. The role follows a hybrid work arrangement with an on-site presence expected four days per week and one remote workday per week. Some travel may be required.

The Principal Packaging Engineer serves as a technical leader within the Packaging & Labeling Engineering organization, driving innovation, strategy, and execution across packaging development initiatives. This role provides advanced technical expertise throughout the product lifecycle, from concept generation through commercialization, while influencing cross-functional teams, establishing best practices, and leading complex packaging and labeling programs. The position serves as a subject matter expert in packaging technologies, materials, processes, and regulatory requirements, helping shape the future direction of packaging engineering capabilities.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for packaging and labeling innovation initiatives across product development, manufacturing, and operational improvement programs.

• Lead the design, development, analysis, validation, and commercialization of medical device packaging systems, components, and assemblies.

• Establish and execute technical strategies, standards, and best practices that align packaging engineering capabilities with businessobjectives.

• Serve as a subject matter expert on cross-functional and cross-divisional teams, providing guidance on packaging design, technologyselection, materials, and manufacturing processes.

• Lead material evaluation, sourcing, testing, qualification, and implementation activities to support new products and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Develop and review technical documentation, including design requirements, specifications, validation plans, protocols, reports, and quality system deliverables.

• Drive investigation, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement activities to improve packaging performance, reliability, and compliance.

• Mentor, coach, andprovidetechnical guidance to packaging engineers while fostering knowledge sharing and engineering excellence across the organization.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Scienceand 8+ years of packaging engineering, product development engineering, research and development, or related engineering experience.

• Experience leading complex packaging development projects from concept through commercialization within a regulated manufacturing environment.

• Experience developing packaging validation strategies, technical documentation, design requirements, and quality system deliverables.

• Demonstratedexpertisein packaging materials, packaging technologies, manufacturing processes, and product development methodologies.

• Experience leading technical initiatives and influencing cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Packaging Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, ora relatedtechnical discipline.

• Experience in medical device packaging, biomedical materials, sterilization processes, and medical packaging design practices.

• Knowledge of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and medical device packaging validation requirements.

• Proventrack recordleading large-scale technical initiatives, engineering strategy development, and cross-functional innovation programs.

• Experience mentoring engineers,establishingtechnical standards, and driving adoption of engineering best practices across an organization.

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

At Medtronic, we are committed to fostering an environment where employees can thrive and make a meaningful impact. In alignment with our enterprise-wide workforce planning approach, U.S. work authorization sponsorship (H-1B, TN, J, etc.) is offered exclusively for Principal-level roles and above, where specialized expertise aligns with long-term business needs. Roles below the Principal level require candidates to possess unrestricted U.S. work authorization at the time of hire and for the duration of employment.

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Apply only through official Medtronic channels. All legitimate Medtronic recruiting communications come from approved Medtronic platforms and official @medtronic.com email addresses.

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If you have any questions, concerns regarding the authenticity of a communication alleged to have been made by or on behalf of Medtronic, please contact us immediately at View email address on click.appcast.io .

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Benefits & Compensation

Medtronic offers a competitive Salary and flexible Benefits Package

A commitment to our employees lives at the core of our values. We recognize their contributions. They share in the success they help to create. We offer a wide range of benefits, resources, and competitive compensation plans designed to support you at every career and life stage.

Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD):$124,000.00 - $186,000.00

This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).

The base salary range is applicable across the United States, excluding Puerto Rico and specific locations in California. The offered rate complies with federal and local regulations and may vary based on factors such as experience, certification/education, market conditions, and location. Compensation and benefits information pertains solely to candidates hired within the United States (local market compensation and benefits will apply for others).

The following benefits and additional compensation are available to those regular employees who work 20+ hours per week: Health, Dental and vision insurance, Health Savings Account, Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Life insurance, Long-term disability leave, Dependent daycare spending account, Tuition assistance/reimbursement, and Simple Steps (global well-being program).

The following benefits and additional compensation are available to all regular employees: Incentive plans, 401(k) plan plus employer contribution and match, Short-term disability, Paid time off, Paid holidays, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Employee Assistance Program, Non-qualified Retirement Plan Supplement (subject to IRS earning minimums), and Capital Accumulation Plan (available to Vice Presidents and above, or subject to IRS earning minimums).

Regular employees are those who are not temporary, such as interns. Temporary employees are eligible for paid sick time, as required under applicable state law, and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Please note some of the above benefits may not apply to workers in Puerto Rico.

Further details are available at the link below:

Medtronic benefits and compensation plans (

It is the policy of Medtronic to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Medtronic will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

If you are applying to perform work for Medtronic, Inc. ("Medtronic") in any position which will involve performing at least two (2) hours of work on average each week within the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, you can find here ( a list of all material job duties of the specific job position which Medtronic reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. Medtronic will consider for employment qualified job applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

We lead global healthcare technology and boldly attack the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions.

Our Mission - to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life - unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people.

We are engineers at heart- putting ambitious ideas to work to generate real solutions for real people. From the R&D lab, to the factory floor, to the conference room, every one of us experiments, creates, builds, improves and solves. We have the talent, diverse perspectives, and guts to engineer the extraordinary.

We change lives . Each team member, each day, helps to improve and redefine how the world treats the most pressing health conditions, from heart disease to diabetes. Our industry leadership comes from the passion and ingenuity of our people. That's who we are. Working alongside one another, we use science, medicine, and a profound understanding of the human body to build extraordinary technologies that can transform lives.

We build extraordinary solutions as one team . With one Medtronic Mindset defining how we work. Speed and decisiveness run through our DNA. Diverse perspectives inspire our bold answers to any challenge that comes our way. And we deliver results the right way, breakthrough after patient breakthrough.

This life-changing career is yours to engineer . By bringing your ambitious ideas, unique perspective and contributions, you will...

• Build a better future, amplifying your impact on the causes that matter to you and the world

• Grow a career reflective of your passion and abilities

• Connect to a dynamic and inclusive culture that welcomes the challenge of life-long learning

These commitments set our team apart from the rest:

Experiences that put people first . Respect for people is the hallmark of our humanity. It fuels our team to positively impact even a single life. And it means we put our people first at Medtronic as well, creating a culture of belonging and always pushing to get you the career-building resources you need.

Life-transforming technologies . No matter your role, you contribute to technologies that transform lives. What we build empowers patients to live life on their terms.

Better outcomes for our world . Here, it's about more than the bottom line. Our Mission to improve human welfare drives us. We advance healthcare, society, and equity with every design, inside and outside our walls.

Insight-driven care . Fresh viewpoints. Cutting-edge AI, data, and automation. You're shaping the future of healthcare technology and defining the next generation of breakthroughs in care

It is the policy of Medtronic to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Medtronic will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

For sales reps and other patient facing field employees, going into a healthcare setting?is considered an essential function of the job and we expect our employees to comply with all credentialing requirements at the hospitals or clinics they support.

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