Principal R&D Engineer Jobs
Principal R&D Engineer jobs are open across aerospace, biotech, semiconductor, and industrial automation companies, from senior individual contributor to distinguished engineer and fellow, with specializations in systems engineering, hardware development, and advanced materials research. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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The R&D Principal Engineer – Quantum owns quantum interconnect manufacturing development and support. This engineer will support all engineering aspects of the quantum interconnect market from innovation through production readiness. An early focus for this role will be creating and executing quality criteria, product and process optimization, capital equipment strategy, and a quantum-specific new part introduction process. The engineer in this role will use their expertise to advise on product and process materials, technology roadmaps, timelines, and costs that will help inform the strategic benefit of future products, processes, and capabilities. They will write reports, papers, and patent applications to document and protect research efforts while contributing to the training and development of the R&D team.
Essential Job Duties
- Main contact for internal stakeholders on the development of quantum interconnect materials and processes.
- Develop new products, technologies, and processes for All Flex with input from product managers.
- Collaborate with engineers, quality, sales, and operations in other groups to drive action and resolution for issues that arise.
- Participate in cross-functional activities to support the execution of critical quantum projects.
- Identify risks and develop mitigation plans for new materials, products, processes, and technologies
- Support R&D and Operations on quantum interconnects with specific process, equipment, instruction, material, and part number challenges.
- Fully document Standard Operating Procedures, Control Plans, Risk Mitigations, Environmental Health & Safety Requirements. Photo and video-based instructions are desired.
- Write test reports to document development work.
- Advise on development costs and lead times associated with project activities
- Create strategic plans and road maps for multi-process improvements using Voice of the Customer and industry best practices.
- Design and execute experiments to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of new materials, processes, and products that may be internal or external to All Flex.
- Create new systems and partner with Operations, Engineers and Quality to overhaul existing systems.
- Introduce new products and entire work centers.
- Advise on external suppliers and manufacturing partners.
- Own daily root cause analysis on development part failures, and corrective and preventative actions.
- Lead or support audits and customer visits.
- Collaborate with and travel to other AFS factories, to adopt best practices.
- Attend tradeshows to stay up to date with advancements in the quantum interconnect space.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s of Science degree in an engineering field: manufacturing, mechanical, chemical, electrical, or industrial, or similar studies.
Experience and/or Training
- Significant process expertise
- Design-For-Manufacturability expertise.
- Experienced in mistake prevention methods such as poka-yoke.
- Process Engineering or design experience with circuit manufacturing.
- Experience with resistive foils or superconducting materials desired.
Technology/Equipment
- Knowledge of vendor fabrication methods.
Travel
- Up to 5% travel
Additional Skill Set
- Effective project management skills.
- CAM and machine code skill.
- Six Sigma, GR&R, FMEA, PPAP, IQ OQ PQ, Poka-Yoke, Minitab, statistical analysis skills. Lean Facilitator skill.
- Self-motivated and detail oriented.
- Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong technical writing skills.
- Strong Microsoft Office skills.
- Effective change management skills.
We offer a competitive base salary in the $106,000 to $131,000 range, based on experience and qualifications, along with annual bonus and profit-sharing opportunities tied to performance.
Beyond pay, our market-leading benefits are designed to support your wellbeing. These include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as short- and long-term disability coverage. We also provide a health savings account with company match, a retirement plan with employer contributions through Vanguard, and access to the Granite Assistance Fund for support when it’s needed most. We value time for rest and personal growth, offering generous paid time off, including volunteer time off and paid holidays.
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Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
- Electronics & Hardware
- Education
- Manufacturing
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal R&D engineer jobs.
- Advanced degree in engineering, materials science, physics, or a closely related technical field
- 10 or more years of hands-on R&D experience with demonstrated ownership of full development cycles
- Proficiency in simulation and modeling tools such as MATLAB, ANSYS, or equivalent domain software
- Experience translating research findings into manufacturing-ready specifications or regulatory submissions
- Authorship or co-authorship of patents, peer-reviewed publications, or technical standards contributions
- Ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and present complex findings to executive stakeholders
Tips for Your Principal R&D Engineer Job Search
Tailor your resume to stage gates
Principal R&D roles expect evidence of moving projects from concept through prototype to production. For each project on your resume, name the phase you owned, the technical decision you made, and the outcome. Reviewers scan for that arc, not just a list of tools.
Highlight cross-functional technical leadership
Job postings for principal r&d engineer positions consistently ask for influence without direct authority. Show where you aligned manufacturing, regulatory, or software teams around your design decisions. That differentiates you from senior engineers who only own individual deliverables.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists principal r&d engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that match your IP portfolio
Many principal r&d engineer openings screen for patent authorship in a specific domain. If you hold patents, list them in a dedicated section with the technology area and filing year. It signals depth that a job title alone can't convey.
Prepare a whiteboard session for technical interviews
Expect at least one live technical deep-dive where you defend a design choice or walk through a failure mode analysis. Practice narrating your reasoning out loud, not just arriving at an answer. Interviewers at this level are evaluating your engineering judgment as much as your knowledge.
Negotiate scope before accepting an offer
At the principal level, the team size, budget authority, and product roadmap ownership vary widely between companies. Before you accept, ask what the role controls versus what it advises on. That determines whether the title matches the actual seniority in practice.
Principal R&D Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most principal r&d engineers?
Kraft Heinz, Axon, and Riot Games are hiring the most principal r&d engineers right now, with openings concentrated in California, Illinois, and Texas, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is strongest in aerospace, semiconductor, and medical device companies scaling new product lines.
How many principal r&d engineer jobs are remote?
About 61% of principal r&d engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though the share varies sharply by specialization. Software-heavy R&D roles in areas like algorithm development and data science tooling tend to offer more remote flexibility than roles requiring lab access, prototype builds, or cleanroom work.
How do you become a principal r&d engineer?
Most principal r&d engineers start with an advanced degree in a core engineering or science discipline, then spend several years as a senior engineer owning increasingly complex projects. The step up to principal typically requires leading a technically novel effort from concept to delivery, building a record of cross-functional influence, and contributing to patents or published research that demonstrates original work beyond execution.
Can you get a principal r&d engineer job without direct principal-level experience?
Some candidates move into the principal title from a strong senior engineer background if they can demonstrate scope equivalent to the role. Focus your application on projects where you set the technical direction, not just carried it out. Smaller companies and startups are more likely to promote based on demonstrated capability than strict years-in-title requirements.
What does the principal r&d engineer interview process look like?
The process usually includes an initial recruiter screen, a technical phone or video interview with an engineering manager, a deep-dive session where you walk through a past project in detail, and a final loop with senior engineers and cross-functional stakeholders. Some companies add a live design or problem-solving exercise. The entire process often runs across multiple weeks.
Where can I find and apply to principal r&d engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to principal r&d engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from companies across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your background and apply directly to each one that fits.
See All 73 Principal R&D Engineer Jobs
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