Principal Engineer, R&D

Innovation starts from the heart. At Edwards, we put patients first. We invest a significant proportion of our revenue towards research and development to drive and develop groundbreaking medical innovations for structural heart disease. As part of our R&D Engineering team, you’ll develop the latest tools and technologies to address significant, unmet clinical needs that impact patients’ lives around the world.

The Principal R&D Engineer position within the Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies (TMTT) division at Edwards Lifesciences offers a unique opportunity to contribute to early innovations while supporting the major therapies within the business unit. The successful candidate will play a critical role in leading the development of an early stage, highly novel catheter delivery system and provide on an as needed basis, support to the established therapies in next generation product development. This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, small team environment and who is self-sufficient and can handle product development tasks with minimal supervision.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Conceptualize, design, and develop complex interventional catheter delivery systems intended for the delivery of implantable devices, including establishing design requirements, generating concepts, and building prototypes.

• Develop and execute test methods and procedures to assess device prototype performance. 

• Analyze and interpret data to drive design decisions and to assess design risk.

• Present design concepts and test findings to peers and management to drive project decisions

• Collaborate closely with clinical, engineering, and physician partners in early-stage development, leveraging strong knowledge of cardiovascular anatomy, heart structure, and valve diseases.

• Collaborate with project team members to develop concepts and evaluate on the bench or in animal models.

• Mentor junior engineers, supporting their technical development and expertise.

What you’ll need (Required):

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or scientific field plus 6 years of related experience– or- Master's Degree or equivalent in engineering or scientific field plus 5 years of related experience -or- Ph.D. in engineering or scientific field plus 2 years of experience

• Extensive experience using CAD solid modeling in product development (e.g., Creo/ProE or SolidWorks.)

What else we look for (Preferred):

• Extensive experience in complex catheter shaft and/or handle design

• Expertise in mechanical design

• Extensive knowledge and understanding of principles, theories, and concepts relevant to Engineering

• Experience with catheter manufacturing processes such as extrusions, braiding, molding, reflow and bonding.

• Ability to effectively communicate with collaborating partners (strategy, marketing, physicians)

• Demonstrated ability to apply technical knowledge and judgement to complex engineering problems.

• Strong innovation and problem-solving skills, along with mentoring abilities for junior engineers.

• Experience in rapid product development and prototyping.

• Ability to quickly iterate and respond to feedback from stakeholders.

• Preferred background includes experience in interventional cardiovascular catheter-based devices

• Self-starting, energetic, and able to achieve results with minimal direction.

Aligning our overall business objectives with performance, we offer competitive salaries, performance-based incentives, and a wide variety of benefits programs to address the diverse individual needs of our employees and their families.
For California, the base pay range for this position is $121,000 - $171,000 (highly experienced).
The pay for the successful candidate will depend on various factors (e.g., qualifications, education, prior experience).  Applications will be accepted while this position is posted on our Careers website.  

Edwards is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer including protected Veterans and individuals with disabilities.

COVID Vaccination Requirement

Edwards is committed to protecting our vulnerable patients and the healthcare providers who are treating them. As such, all patient-facing and in-hospital positions require COVID-19 vaccination. If hired into a covered role, as a condition of employment, you will be required to submit proof that you have been vaccinated for COVID-19, unless you request and are granted a medical or religious accommodation for exemption from the vaccination requirement. This vaccination requirement does not apply in locations where it is prohibited by law to impose vaccination.