Senior Principal Robotics & AMR Automation Platforms Engineer

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 10 Nov 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

• Our Automation Platforms team develops and scales reusable technologies that improve safety, quality, and productivity across Medtronic’s global manufacturing network.
• We're working onsite 4 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 person in this role will work from the Medtronic facility located in Fridley, Minnesota.
• This role will require 25% of travel to enhance collaboration and ensure successful completion of projects.
• The Sr Principal Robotics & AMR Automation Platforms Engineer will serve as the enterprise technical authority for autonomous mobile robotics, collaborative robotics, and emerging intelligent automation technologies, advancing reusable platforms from technology development through factory validation and global deployment.

This role will define technical strategy, platform architectures, roadmaps, standards, and reusable capabilities while partnering with manufacturing sites, engineering teams, IT/OT, suppliers, system integrators, and Medtronic’s Surgical Robotics organization. The successful candidate will combine deep robotics   expertise   with systems thinking and a platform-first approach to accelerate adoption of advanced robotics and enable scalable replication across applications, product families, and manufacturing sites.

Primary Responsibilities

Serve as the enterprise technical authority for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), collaborative robots (cobots), mobile manipulators, and emerging intelligent robotics technologies across Medtronic’s global manufacturing network.

Define the long-term technical vision, strategy, roadmaps, platform architectures, and standards for autonomous material movement and flexible robotic automation.

Lead the development and maturation of reusable robotics platforms that reduce deployment cost and implementation time while enabling replication across manufacturing sites and applications.

Architect advanced robotic systems integrating AMRs, cobots, mobile manipulators, machine vision and 3D perception, end-of-arm tooling, safety systems, industrial controls, fleet-management software, and manufacturing IT/OT infrastructure.

Partner with manufacturing sites and cross-functional stakeholders to   identify   high-value opportunities and lead technology development from feasibility and prototyping through integration, factory validation, and deployment.

Collaborate with Medtronic’s Surgical Robotics organization and other internal robotics experts to   leverage   technologies, architectures, simulation capabilities,   perception   and controls   expertise , and development practices across Medtronic.

Evaluate and mature emerging technologies including autonomous navigation, AI-enabled   perception   and manipulation, robotic foundation models, simulation and digital twins, and advanced   fleet-management   technologies.

Establish robotics platform governance and technical practices for safety, cybersecurity, validation, reliability, and lifecycle management   appropriate for   regulated manufacturing environments.

Convert learning from factory implementations into standardized designs, architectures, documentation, and deployment methodologies that enable enterprise replication.

Provide technical direction to engineers, manufacturing teams, suppliers, and system integrators; lead technical reviews and resolution of complex multidisciplinary engineering challenges.

Build strategic relationships with robotics suppliers, technology companies, system integrators, research institutions, and other external partners to   identify   and evaluate technologies that can advance Medtronic manufacturing.

Lead the establishment and ongoing development of an Automation Platforms laboratory for technology development, prototyping, integration, simulation, testing, and demonstration.

Mentor engineers, strengthen organizational robotics capabilities, and represent Manufacturing Technology in enterprise and external robotics forums.

Influence engineering and business leadership through recommendations on robotics strategy, technology investments, technical risk, platform maturity, and long-term manufacturing capabilities.

Required Qualifications ​

10+ years of experience with a   b achelor ’ s   d egree   or 8 + years of experience with a n advanced d egree

10+   years of experience developing   and deploying AMRs, cobots, industrial robots, mobile manipulators, or other advanced automation technologies in production manufacturing environments .

Recognized technical   expertise   in robotics, autonomous systems, or advanced manufacturing technologies, with   demonstrated   technical leadership across complex, multidisciplinary programs.

10+ years of experience developing reusable robotics platforms, architectures, standards, or solutions deployed across multiple applications or manufacturing sites .

Experience with AMR fleet management, autonomous navigation, facility and traffic assessment, interoperability, and material-flow optimization.

Experience with advanced robotic manipulation, including force/torque sensing, vision-guided robotics, flexible end-of-arm tooling, or human-robot collaboration.

Knowledge of applicable robotics safety standards and working knowledge of cybersecurity, equipment validation, and lifecycle management in regulated manufacturing environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience architecting and integrating robotic systems incorporating machine vision and 3D perception, end-of-arm tooling, safety systems, industrial controls, fleet-management software, and IT/OT systems.
• Experience with emerging robotics technologies including AI-enabled   perception   and manipulation, machine-learning-based motion planning, simulation and digital twins, and robotic foundation models.
• Experience developing automation technologies in medical-device manufacturing or another regulated environment and providing technical direction to suppliers, system integrators, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Advanced degree in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, controls, computer science, mechatronics, or   a related   technical field.
• 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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• Recruitment Fraud Alert
• We are aware of phishing scams targeting job seekers. Please keep the following in mind:
• Apply only through official Medtronic channels. All legitimate Medtronic recruiting communications come from approved Medtronic platforms and official @medtronic.com email addresses.
• Medtronic will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information (such as bank account or Social Security details) during early stages of the hiring process. Any such requests are not legitimate.
• If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from Medtronic, do not respond, click links, or open attachments.
• 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 AskHR@medtronic.com .
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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.

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