P6P6 — Principal Professional
Principal R&D Engineer
An industry-recognized technical authority. Provides visionary leadership and overarching guidance for research and development.
What this level means
Top individual contributor; recognized authority with strategic impact, equivalent to a low executive level
- Scope
- Organization-wide architecture and the hardest problems
- Autonomy
- Defines direction; minimal oversight
- Complexity
- Strategic, open-ended problems shaping the technical future
- Impact
- Organization-wide
- Decision rights
- Sets technical strategy for a major area
- Leadership
- Recognized authority; multiplies many teams
- Typical experience
- 12–18 yrs
What you'd do
- Set strategic technical direction.
- Lead breakthrough research initiatives.
- Ensure consistency and coherence across all R&D projects.
- Set technical direction
- Lead research initiatives
- Ensure project coherence
Skills, knowledge & tools
- Visionary leadership
- Strategic direction setting
- Influential mentorship
- Communication excellence
- Resilience
- Visionary R&D leadership
- Strategic innovation
- Cross-project coherence
- Influential communication
- Resilience in leadership
- Visionary leadership
- Exceptional strategic thinking and communication
- Influential mentorship
- Resilience and flexibility
What good looks like
- Seasoned career professional with outstanding accomplishments in medical device R&D
- Often holds an advanced degree (PhD or equivalent)
Common titles
Medical Device Product Development VIMedical Device Product Development 6Principal Medical Device Product DevelopmentMedical Device Product Developer VIMedical Device Product Developer 6Principal Medical Device Product DeveloperPrincipal R&D Engineer
Where it sits & what it pays
O*NET / SOC: 19-0000 — Life, Physical, & Social Science Occupations(inferred · under review)
Market-pay benchmarks for this family × level are coming — JobFrame anchors pay to the family/level structure rather than the raw title.