Principal Sourcing Engineer-Global Supplier Optimization

At Medtronic you can begin a life-long career of exploration and innovation, while helping champion healthcare access and equity for all. You’ll lead with purpose, breaking down barriers to innovation in a more connected, compassionate world.

A Day in the Life

Join our Global Supplier Optimization team as a Principal Sourcing Engineer, where you utilize your strong track record of delivering results in a matrixed organization, where collaboration with diverse individuals, teams, and skill sets is essential for success. As the Principal Sourcing Engineer, you will lead, direct, plan, and execute cross-functional projects, focusing on driving strategic decisions, managing business risks, applying technical rigor, and ensuring effective communication. You will lead the execution of supplier transfer projects on schedule and within budget while enhancing supplier capabilities and driving operational excellence.

In this critical role, you will implement comprehensive operational strategies to achieve process capability through Six Sigma methodologies, collaborating with our suppliers to ensure value stream stability, optimize lead times, and eliminate waste. Additionally, you will lead supplier optimization initiatives, driving robust supply chain resilience, cost reduction, and continuous quality improvement.

As a Principal Sourcing Engineer, you will utilize Lean Six Sigma tools to work as a strategic problem solver with deep expertise in process improvement methodologies, supplier management, project leadership, and data analysis. Utilizing your strong communication skills, you will drive sustainable performance improvements within the supplier base while fostering a collaborative, continuous improvement culture.

At Medtronic, we bring bold ideas forward with speed and decisiveness to put patients first in everything we do. In-person exchanges are invaluable to our work. We’re working a minimum of 4 days a week onsite as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross-functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary. We offer flexibility for internal candidates regarding location as defined by the job posting; however, relocation support is not available for this role.         

As the Principal Sourcing Engineer, you will:

• Develop and manage comprehensive business cases, including project plans, major deliverables, milestones, and financial calculations, covering capital, direct, and labor expenses.
• Support the Supply Management team in identifying and executing cost-saving opportunities across key initiatives such as manufacturing transfers, Advanced Sourcing ideation program, VA/VE, and Value Stream Improvement, leveraging Lean-Sigma tools and PMP best practices to drive current and future cost savings pipelines.
• Lead and provide direction to cross-functional teams on project transfers, ensuring commitments are met through effective organization, leadership, stakeholder engagement, risk management, issue resolution, and execution.
• Develop and communicate project strategies, including budget development, detailed scheduling, and KPI tracking. Contribute to establishing objectives, timelines, milestones, and budgets.
• Establish and manage a structured reporting framework to track and communicate project progress to stakeholders and management teams.
• Utilize project management tools and risk management techniques to enhance project planning and execution rigor.
• Develop and oversee Supplier Excellence programs, including performance monitoring, capability improvement initiatives, and strategic partnerships to strengthen supply chain resilience and quality. Evaluate supplier performance using Lean Six Sigma tools and key metrics such as on-time delivery, quality, cost, and lead time.
• Collaborate with suppliers to assess capabilities, drive continuous improvement, and implement supplier development initiatives, mapping processes, and recommending solutions for performance enhancement.
• Lead supplier engagement programs focused on innovation, cost efficiency, and optimizing supplier processes using Lean Six Sigma methodologies, driving quality consistency, cost savings, and improved efficiency.
• Cultivate strong supplier relationships and instill a culture of continuous improvement, advancing quality, cost, and delivery over time.
• Work with suppliers to implement best-in-class manufacturing and quality control processes, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations.
• Champion continuous improvement programs within the supplier base, fostering collaboration, innovation, and alignment with organizational goals.

Must Have: Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of relevant product, process manufacturing, supply chain, and/or quality engineering experience, or an advanced degree with a minimum of 5 years of relevant product, process manufacturing, supply chain, and/or quality engineering experience.

 
Nice to Have

• 7+ years of experience in product, process manufacturing, supply chain, and/or quality engineering, leading cross-functional projects
• Proven track record in successfully delivering large and complex product and/or supplier transfer projects on time, within budget, and a regulated environment
• Strong understanding of supplier quality management, risk mitigation strategies, and supplier capability development
• Lean and/or Six Sigma Black Belt certification
• PMP certification
• Experience in medical device technology
• Experience managing multidisciplinary project teams across different sites and geographies
• Experience in designing, implementing, and managing Supplier Excellence programs, including performance metrics, scorecards, and supplier development initiatives
• Broad knowledge of medical device development processes compliant with QSR and ISO 13485
• Proficient in Microsoft Project for developing schedules, allocating resources, and establishing program budgets
• Experience implementing supplier performance metrics, scorecards, and continuous improvement programs

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.

Join us in our mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life—where your unique background and perspective are valued.

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).

Medtronic benefits and compensation plans

About Medtronic

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.

Learn more about our business, mission, and our commitment to diversity here
 

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.