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A Day in the Life
The Senior Principal Engineer – FEA & CFD provides thought leadership in advanced simulation to support product design, development, and verification of medical devices. This role acts as a recognized technical authority for structural and fluid simulations, driving modelling strategy, solving complex engineering problems, and influencing product and technology decisions across R&D teams. The role partners closely with cross functional stakeholders to enable simulation driven development and to support regulatory compliance.
Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned:
- Lead advanced FEA and CFD analyses for complex medical device systems, including nonlinear structural, dynamic/impact, and advanced material modelling.
- Plan, execute, and review CFD simulations for internal and external flows, multiphase flows, heat transfer, fluid–structure interaction (FSI), and particle tracking.
- Define, communicate, and drive simulation strategies aligned with product requirements, design objectives, risk management, and verification needs.
- Provide actionable design guidance based on structural, thermal, and fluid behaviour insights to improve performance, reliability, and manufacturability
Model Development, Verification and Validation - Develop, calibrate, and maintain robust FEA/CFD models, including material models, contact definitions, and boundary conditions.
- Establish and maintain simulation verification and validation (V&V) frameworks and procedures to ensure model credibility and appropriate use.
- Correlate simulation results with bench testing, animal studies, clinical data, and relevant historical data, and document evidence in DHF and regulatory submissions.
- Support design verification, risk mitigation, and root cause investigations using simulation to explain failure modes and inform corrective actions.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement - Drive innovation in simulation methodologies, including automation, reduced‑order models, surrogate models, and digital twin approaches.
- Evaluate and implement emerging simulation technologies, tools, and workflows to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
- Develop and promote best practices, standards, and templates for FEA/CFD within the organization.
Collaboration and Influence - Partner with systems engineering, design engineering, test, quality, manufacturing, and regulatory teams to integrate simulation into end‑to‑end product development.
- Communicate complex simulation results and trade‑offs clearly to technical and non‑technical stakeholders, influencing design and program decisions.
- Represent simulation in design reviews, technical forums, and regulatory interactions as required.
Coaching and Capability Building - Mentor and coach engineers in FEA/CFD methods, tools, and best practices, building a strong simulation community of practice.
- Lead technical reviews of simulation work products, providing guidance and feedback to elevate quality and consistency.
- Contribute to talent development by identifying skill gaps and supporting training plans in advanced simulation.
Required Knowledge and Experience:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree/ Phd in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline from a recognized institution (IITs, NITs, IISc or other premier institutes preferred).
- Must have 15+ years of experience in simulation‑driven product development, preferably in highly regulated industries.
- Deep, hands‑on expertise in FEA tools such as LS Dyna, ANSYS, Abaqus and CFD tools such as Fluent, Star‑CCM+ (or equivalent).
- Proven track record of leading complex, high‑fidelity structural and CFD analyses and translating insights into design decisions.
- Demonstrated ability to independently drive multiple projects, manage priorities, and deliver high‑quality work in ambiguous, fast‑paced environments.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, with experience influencing stakeholders and driving alignment across cross‑functional teams.
- Knowledge of simulation credibility frameworks and model risk assessment (for example ASME V&V 40), with experience contributing to regulatory submissions and technical reviews.
- Familiarity with ISO 13485, design controls, risk management, and product verification processes in a regulated environment.
- Strong understanding of materials such as metals, polymers, hyperelastic materials, and composites, and their application in simulation models.
Nice‑to‑Have - Experience across multiple medical device domains (implants, disposables, capital equipment, or other relevant product categories).
- Experience in design exploration and design optimization, including robust design techniques and multi‑objective optimization.
- Exposure to or experience with digital twin technologies and integration of simulations with test/field data.
- Experience defining or implementing automated simulation workflows, scripting, and data management for large‑scale analyses.
Leadership Expectations: - Recognized subject matter expert (SME) in simulation within the organization
- Provides technical leadership across programs and influences portfolio-level decisions
- Drives capability development, standardization, and adoption of simulation best practices
- Mentors and coaches engineers, fostering a high-performance, growth-oriented team culture
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.
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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.
This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).