Engineering Program Manager-Supplier Excellence at Medtronic
Medtronic · Lafayette, United States Of America · Onsite
- Senior
- Office in Lafayette
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
At Medtronic, we not only get the opportunity to manage strategic projects for the largest medical device company in the world, but we also get to experience the immense sense of purpose that comes from knowing that the projects we drive enable reinvestment directly into technology that helps alleviate pain, restore health, and extend the lives of millions of patients across the world. The work we do supports the Medtronic Mission, and it matters.As the Engineering Program Manager, Supplier Excellence, you will be a key member of Medtronic’s Engineering and Supplier Excellence team, where you will lead the Supplier Excellence (SE) program through process initiatives that drive strategic supplier performance, cost savings/optimization, and process efficiency across the enterprise. In this exciting role, you will provide critical program oversight — primarily in the ideation and concept phases — while also ensuring a seamless transition to execution. This oversight will enable early engagement with Commodity Management, Cost Excellence, Suppliers, and Supplier Optimization teams, ultimately delivering measurable and sustainable results. You will establish governance, performance tracking, and risk management frameworks to align supplier goals with business objectives, while embedding Lean and Six Sigma principles to strengthen operational excellence. Acting as the key liaison between leadership, project teams, and suppliers, this role will champion a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement to advance long-term organizational value.
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.
As the Engineering Program Manager, Supplier Excellence, you will:
Oversee and manage the operational aspects of ongoing Supplier Excellence initiatives, acting as the primary liaison between project management, planning, cross-functional vertical and category teams, and supplier partners.
Drive strong process ownership during the early project phases — Ideation and Concept — to ensure timely engagement with Commodity Management (CM), Cost Excellence (CE), and Supplier Optimization (SO) stakeholders, as well as suppliers.
Maintain tight control over pre- and post-Gemba activities to ensure a smooth transition from ideas to executable projects. Also, support the ADP team in reaching their annual performance metrics/milestones.
Manage the development and implementation of projects focused on process optimization, cost reduction, yield improvement, and delivery performance across departmental or cross-functional teams.
Review project status, performance metrics, and budgets; manage schedules and prepare executive-level status reports.
Monitor projects from initiation through delivery, ensuring adherence to scope, budget, and timeline.
Identify project risks, issues, and barriers; develop and implement resolutions to meet productivity, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction goals.
Develop mechanisms and dashboards for monitoring project progress, enabling proactive intervention and problem-solving with project teams, line managers, and suppliers.
Bridge gaps between OUs, mfg sites, and GDM teams to drive collaboration and resolution of common issues.
Drive best practices in Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies to improve supplier performance and strengthen supply chain resilience.
Partner with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment with business priorities, compliance standards, and customer requirements.
Support the establishment of supplier-level performance goals, KPIs, and governance processes.
Champion a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across teams and suppliers.
Serve as a strong advocate for Supplier Excellence, unlocking value through collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and decisive leadership that drives results.
Demonstrate a proactive, “go-getter” mindset, leading by example and effectively managing up, down, and across the organization with professionalism and influence.
Collaborate with a high-performing team of project leads, engineers, and analysts responsible for ideating and executing Supplier Excellence projects.
Define and communicate team objectives, establish priorities, and monitor progress toward strategic and operational milestones.
Promote inclusion, collaboration, and innovation across a diverse, global team.
Must Have: Minimum Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering plus a minimum of 5 years of experience in related lean principles, supplier controls, manufacturing transfer, or equivalent lean/supplier development initiatives, or an advanced degree plus a minimum of 3 years of experience in related lean principles, supplier controls, manufacturing transfer, or equivalent lean/supplier development initiatives.
Nice to Have
PMP, Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification, or equivalent experience in continuous improvement.
Experience leading supplier-facing initiatives in a regulated or high-technology manufacturing environment (medical device, aerospace, automotive, etc.). Mfg shop floor experience is an advantage.
Demonstrated success in managing complex, cross-functional programs from concept to implementation.
Strong analytical, financial, and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
Excellent communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills across all organizational levels.
Proven ability to drive engagement, foster innovation, and deliver measurable results in quality, cost, and delivery performance.
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.
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.
The following benefits and additional compensation are available to those regular employees who work 20+ hours per week: Health, Dental and vision insurance, Health Savings Account, Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Life insurance, Long-term disability leave, Dependent daycare spending account, Tuition assistance/reimbursement, and Simple Steps (global well-being program).
The following benefits and additional compensation are available to all regular employees: Incentive plans, 401(k) plan plus employer contribution and match, Short-term disability, Paid time off, Paid holidays, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Employee Assistance Program, Non-qualified Retirement Plan Supplement (subject to IRS earning minimums), and Capital Accumulation Plan (available to Vice Presidents and above, or subject to IRS earning minimums).
Regular employees are those who are not temporary, such as interns. Temporary employees are eligible for paid sick time, as required under applicable state law, and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Please note some of the above benefits may not apply to workers in Puerto Rico.
Further details are available at the link below:
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.
