We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 26 Jun 2026

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

The Senior Principal IP Legal Counsel will provide intellectual property legal support to the Medtronic Cardiac Ablations Solutions business. This highly visible role is responsible for the creation and execution of a global IP strategy, developing and maintaining a strategic patent portfolio, providing counseling and education to product development teams, performing due diligence for merger and acquisition opportunities, drafting and negotiating complex agreements, and advising business clients on various intellectual property matters. The ideal candidate is a trusted advisor who delivers clear, concise, and actionable legal guidance and communicates complex intellectual property concepts with confidence to technical and non-technical audiences.

We believe that when people from different cultures, genders, and points of view come together, innovation is the result – and everyone wins. Medtronic walks the walk, creating an inclusive culture where you can thrive.

Protect Medtronic’s Pipeline and Ability to Compete

Execute all aspects of the creation, protection, and management of intellectual property assets.
Manage a global patent portfolio in support of a global business through management of patent preparation and prosecution by outside counsel, global filing strategy, and patent maintenance decisions.
Operate within budget constraints for outside counsel and third-party vendor spend.
Interface with the business to develop and communicate strategies that define priorities and objectives for a global intellectual property strategy.
Manage internal invention disclosure processes to maximize intellectual property protection for Medtronic’s key technologies.
Leverage existing patent applications to develop intellectual property assets in a quickly evolving competitive landscape.
Support management of intellectual property risk for Medtronic’s pipeline, including performing global freedom-to-operate evaluations and overseeing the preparation of opinions of counsel.
Support patent litigation, pre-suit assessments, and patent office proceedings, including USPTO post grant proceedings and EPO patent oppositions.
Support IP due diligence for mergers and acquisitions with a pragmatic, business-oriented mindset.
Draft and negotiate contracts with a focus on intellectual property considerations.
Direct, develop, and analyze thoughtful patent searching strategies for patentability, invalidity, and competitive landscape.
Ensure ongoing awareness of competitors’ products, activities, and intellectual property portfolios.

Be a Strategic and Inclusive IP Partner

Partner closely with business leaders in marketing, business development, and research and development to provide clear advice and counsel.
Assess competitive intelligence by working with cross-functional partners to identify opportunities and risks.
Collaborate with other functions to ensure compliance in heavily regulated and global environments.
Direct brainstorms to prioritize protection of key technologies and therapies, working closely with research and development teams.
Provide training and counseling to internal stakeholders on intellectual property activities, competition, and outcomes relating to intellectual property strategy.
Prioritize resources and manage outside counsel to efficiently deliver key objectives on time and within budget.
Partner across the intellectual property team to share and leverage insights and best practices.
Partner with commercial legal to provide strategic advice and develop a cohesive legal strategy for the business.
Model the Medtronic Mindset – act boldly; compete to win; move with speed and decisiveness; foster belonging; and deliver results the right way.

Must Have: Minimum Requirements- To be considered for this role, please ensure the minimum requirements are evident in your applicant profile:

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from a nationally accredited law school with strong academic credentials
8+ years of experience as an Attorney in intellectual property law discipline
Licensed to practice in at least one US state or the District of Columbia
Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Nice to Have:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or similar scientific disciplines

Medical device experience
Both in-house and law firm experience
Excellent judgment supported by strong strategic and analytical thinking.
Ability to prioritize across multiple tasks and demands while remaining organized.
Able to thrive in ambiguity and make decisions amidst multiple, competing demands and activities.
Proficiency in engineering and scientific principles
Understanding of basic business concepts, strategies, and risks
Broad intellectual property experience, including patent prosecution, litigation, trademark, contracts, freedom-to-operate, opinion preparation, licensing, and intellectual property negotiations.
Software, algorithms, data science and AI experience
Ability to develop compelling presentations, engage senior leaders with confidence, and distill complex information into business language
Strong commitment to company values

About Medtronic

Together, we can change healthcare worldwide. At Medtronic, we push the limits of what technology, therapies and services can do to help alleviate pain, restore health and extend life. We challenge ourselves and each other to make tomorrow better than yesterday. It is what makes this an exciting and rewarding place to be.

We want to accelerate and advance our ability to create meaningful innovations - but we will only succeed with the right people on our team. Let’s work together to address universal healthcare needs and improve patients’ lives. Help us shape the future.

Physical Job Requirements

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. (ADA-United States of America)

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. Learn more about our benefits here.

This position is eligible for a short-term incentive plan. Learn more about Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP) here.

The base salary range is applicable across the United States, excluding Puerto Rico and specific locations in California. The offered rate complies with federal and local regulations and may vary based on factors such as experience, certification/education, market conditions, and location. Compensation and benefits information pertains solely to candidates hired within the United States (local market compensation and benefits will apply for others).

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.

Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD):$199,200.00 - $298,800.00

This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).

This position is eligible for an annual long-term incentive plan.

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.

Intellectual Property Counsel III, Mounds View, MN or Lafayette, CO