Sr. Principal Mechanical Engineer

This is where you save and sustain lives

At Baxter, we are deeply connected by our mission. No matter your role at Baxter, your work makes a positive impact on people around the world. You’ll feel a sense of purpose throughout the organization, as we know our work improves outcomes for millions of patients. 

Baxter’s products and therapies are found in almost every hospital worldwide, in clinics and in the home. For over 85 years, we have pioneered significant medical innovations that transform healthcare.

Together, we create a place where we are happy, successful and inspire each other. This is where you can do your best work. 

Join us at the intersection of saving and sustaining lives— where your purpose accelerates our mission. 

Your Role at Baxter

This is where your work saves lives.

As the Senior Principal Engineer for Infusion Pumps- Pumping Mechanism, you will lead the end-to-end architecture, development, and integration of the mechanical pumping mechanisms used in smart drug delivery systems. You will be responsible for defining requirements, evaluating actuation and pumping strategies, and ensuring regulatory and reliability compliance in high-precision, life-critical applications. The successful candidate will possess strong technical capabilities, an excitement and energy for product development, and a passion for their work and the impact it has on saving and sustaining the lives of patients.

Relocation assistance will be considered.

What you'll be doing:

• Own the mechanical pumping subsystem architecture—from concept to production—for next-gen infusion pumps (syringe, peristaltic, or rotary pump mechanisms).
• Define functional and non-functional requirements in alignment with clinical needs, human factors, and system performance targets (e.g., flow rate accuracy, occlusion detection).
• Evaluate and select actuation mechanisms (DC motors, stepper motors, piezoelectric actuators), and pumping strategies (peristaltic, linear actuator/syringe, rotary vane).
• Collaborate with electronics, firmware, systems, and manufacturing teams to ensure tight integration and optimized performance of the pump drive system.
• Conduct DFMEA / FTA to ensure subsystem safety and reliability over use cycles and varying environmental conditions.
• Utilizes knowledge of Plastics Injection Molding, Sheetmetal & casting part designs as per mfg. guidelines. Strong knowledge on DFM, DFA is needed.
• Guide design validation and V&V of the pumping subsystem against ISO 28620, IEC 60601, and IEC 62304 as applicable.
• Support regulatory submissions (FDA, CE) by contributing to risk management files and design history documentation.
• Lead technology scouting and feasibility evaluations for next-generation or wearable pump designs.
• Serve as a technical mentor to cross-functional teams and review critical design decisions.
• Performs and leads in-depth mechanical analysis and calculations including tolerance analysis, load and fatigue life analysis, and thermal and heat transfer modeling to ensure consistent performance in safety critical applications.
• Leads troubleshooting and problem solving efforts related to mechanical aspects of the design and interfaces with other design constituents.
• Creates and communicates design/test plans, tasks, deliverables and status. Manages time and resources to meet committed schedule milestones.

 What you'll bring:

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in medical device development, with at least 5 years in infusion pump or drug delivery systems.
• Strong expertise in micro-mechanical systems, motor-driven actuation, and fluidic pumping technologies.
• Experience with design for reliability, miniaturization, and high-precision motion control.
• Deep knowledge of materials, tolerance stack-up, and designing for manufacturability (DFM) in high-volume production.
• Familiarity with regulatory standards: IEC 606061, ISO 13485, ISO 14971, FDA QSR.

Preferred

• Experience working on wearable or ambulatory infusion pumps
• Knowledge of sensor integration for pressure, flow, air-in-line, and occlusion detection
• Hands-on with MATLAB, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or similar simulation tools
• Patent contributions or publications in medical systems .

What Success Looks Like

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