Principal Electrical Engineer (St Paul)

The Principal Electrical Engineer will be a key technical resource. This individual will support all phases of new platform development ranging from concept and technology development through commercialization and post-market support.

The Principal Electrical Engineer will be responsible for helping the team architect, design, select and evaluate critical system components, prototype, test and release to production electronics for needles and consoles. In additional to electronic circuit board design using embedded processors, RF communications, display technologies, pump and motor technologies this individual will develop test techniques to test amplifiers, antennas, high frequency interconnects etc. Additionally, the Principal Electrical Engineer will collaborate with other engineers in creating and improving designs based on test results and optimize performance.

Architect, design, develop, test and transfer to production electromechanical systems and disposables for product development activities. This includes system diagrams, architecture development, component selection and sub-system design, prototype creation, V&V activities, production tool planning and design and test fixtures for class 2 medical devices.

Specific tasks to include electronic architecture design, block diagram creation, patient isolation design, power distribution design, component and processing platform selection, schematic entry, layout support / oversight, prototype build oversight, prototype testing, transfer to production support.

Research product development solutions and provide analysis for product direction.

Consult and solicit feedback from internal stakeholders to identify customer needs and translate these requirements into engineering designs.

Optimize design and work collaboratively with other design engineers to optimize design based on test results.

Work with external vendors and partners to speed up product development and testing.

Develop necessary fixtures and use off the shelf equipment to create test environments for evaluating performance of new ablation systems. This may include testing in phantoms, ex-vivo tissue testing, in-vivo testing, SAR field mapping etc.

Create related documentation and support materials in conjunction with design and development activities.

Ensure that all interactions and engagements are carried out with the highest ethical and professional standards and that all work is accomplished with quality and in accordance with Varian values

Be a hands-on technical resource for mechanical, electrical and software engineering teams by contributing to design ideas, problem solving and leading by example

Exemplify Varian Cultural Beliefs

Perform other related duties as assigned

Minimum Required Skills and Knowledge

Minimum of a B.S. degree in Electrical or related engineering degree.

10+ years experience in electronics design and system design for new product development.

Technical competencies : Experience developing software driven electromechanical medical devices. Having previous experience with ablation devices is a strong plus.

Experience with electrical engineering design process & tools (Altium Designer) : schematic capture, PCB layout, circuit simulation, component selection, patient / user safety, power distribution architecture and design.

Experience with various wireless communications technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID.

Expert at using spectrum analyzer, high frequency scopes and other test instrumentation.

Hands-on prototyping and troubleshooting experience.

Experience working in an ISO 13845 quality management system desired. Experience working with Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) for IEC 60601 compliance desired.

Experience designing equipment for MRI-compatibility desired.

Ability to create clear product design documentation such as concept diagrams, specifications, requirements, test plans, V&V reports.

Experience working in a team-distributed, collaborative environment.

Extensive hands-on experience with building, testing and debugging prototype devices.

Experience transferring new product designs into production.

Highly self-motivated with keen attention to detail.

Ability to adapt and learn new technologies with proven analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion by effectively prioritizing, planning, tracking and executing team activities in a high-pressure environment.