Staff R&D Engineer

The Opportunity

This position works out of our Plymouth, MN location in the EP division. In Abbott's Electrophysiology (EP) division, we're advancing the treatment of heart and vascular disease through breakthrough medical technologies. As Staff R&D Engineer, you will be part of our Electrophysiology catheter research and development team focused on delivering the future in therapy and diagnostic catheters.

This role will involve a range of responsibilities including design concept development, prototyping and testing, requirements development, material research, design of test fixtures and test method development, manufacturing support and collaboration with the process development team. A critical aspect of this role is deep expertise in the design, characterization, and processing of flexible circuits for use in medical devices. You will serve as a subject-matter expert in design and process development of advanced flexible circuit solutions.

What You'll Work On

• Lead the design and development of single- and multi-layer flexible circuits, including rigid-flex designs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers) to define design requirements and constraints.
• Create and review detailed flex circuit layouts, stack-ups, and material selections using industry-standard CAD tools (e.g., Altium, Mentor Graphics, Cadence).
• Perform design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) reviews with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain documentation including the source ECAD design data, Gerber files, BOMs, and risk assessments in accordance with design control procedures.
• Support prototype builds, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis of flex circuit issues.
• Interface with flex circuit suppliers to ensure quality, cost, and delivery targets are met.
• Select materials suitable for medical device applications, considering sterilization, biocompatibility, and long-term reliability.
• Stay current with industry trends, materials, and technologies in flexible electronics.
• Leads technical teams through problem solving based on a structured approach rooted in engineering fundamentals.
• Effectively communicate with internal stakeholders, cross functional team members, external consultants, and physician customers.
• Actively participate in preclinical evaluations and physician engagement activities.
• Writes and submits intellectual property.
• Ensure quality system compliance for medical device development.
• Champions design for manufacturability as part of the development process.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Material Science, or related field.
• 6+ years of hands on experience in flexible circuit design and development.
• Strong understanding of flex circuit materials, flexible conductor materials, stack-ups, impedance control and signal integrity.
• Strong verbal and written communications with ability to effectively communicate at multiple levels in the organization.
• Experience leading and managing complex technical workstreams within a large program.
• Ability to leverage and/or engage others to accomplish projects and influence without authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of thermal management and mechanical stress considerations in flex designs.
• Experience with 3D modeling tools for mechanical integration (e.g., SolidWorks, Creo).
• Experience using industry-standard CAD tools (e.g., Altium, Mentor Graphics, Cadence).
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., medical devices, aerospace) is a plus.
• Familiarity with supplier qualification and flex circuit manufacturing processes.
• Knowledge of sterilization methods (e.g., EtO, gamma, autoclave) and their impact on materials.
• Experience working in a regulated design control environment (e.g., DHF, FMEA, risk management).
• Experienced and knowledgeable in the design of electromechanical systems.
• Experienced with a variety of manufacturing processes and design for manufacturability.