Amgen Inc. Posted November 11, 2026

Principal Engineer - Complaint Technical Investigations

Thousand Oaks, United States Full time
Notify me about similar jobs

Amgen Inc. is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Career Category

Engineering

Job Description

Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are. Our shared mission, to serve patients living with serious illnesses, drives all that we do.

Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline and portfolio of medicines to treat heart disease, obesity and obesity-related conditions, rare diseases, inflammatory conditions and cancer.  As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, you’ll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Principal Engineer - Complaint Technical Investigations

What you will do

Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. Amgen is currently seeking a Principal Engineer – Complaints Technical Investigations within our Complaints Technical Investigation (CTI) organization. In support of Amgen's mission to serve patients, our team is dedicated to continuously improving clinical and commercial products and drug delivery devices to enhance product quality, ensure supply continuity, and optimize the patient experience.

The Principal Engineer – Complaints Technical Investigations will serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Root Cause Analysis (RCA), providing technical leadership for complex complaint investigations across Amgen's product and device platforms.

This role requires exceptional investigative capabilities, critical and analytical thinking, structured problem-solving skills, and technical writing expertise. The successful candidate will independently lead complex investigations, critically evaluate technical evidence, challenge assumptions, and ensure scientifically sound and defensible root cause conclusions.

The individual will establish strong cross-functional partnerships with Device Engineering/Development, Manufacturing, External Supply, Quality, and other technical organizations to drive investigation outcomes and identify opportunities for product and process improvements.

Additionally, the Principal Engineer will champion the integration of digital tools, advanced data analytics, automation, and AI-enabled technologies into RCA processes, improving investigation efficiency, consistency, and technical rigor.

Job Responsibilities

Serve as an RCA Subject Matter Expert, providing technical leadership, guidance, and oversight for complex product and device complaint investigations.

Independently lead complex technical investigations, applying critical thinking, structured problem-solving methodologies, and scientific and engineering principles to identify root causes and contributing factors.

Develop and execute robust investigation strategies, including hypothesis development, technical assessments, failure analysis, and evaluation of manufacturing, design, and product performance data.

Critically evaluate investigation findings, challenge assumptions, identify gaps in technical evidence, and ensure root cause conclusions are scientifically sound, data-driven, and defensible.

Author and critically review complex technical investigation reports, ensuring clear, concise, and accurate documentation of investigation methodologies, supporting evidence, technical rationale, and conclusions.

Establish and maintain strong cross-functional partnerships with Device Engineering/Development, Manufacturing, External Supply, Quality, and other stakeholders to facilitate comprehensive investigations and drive alignment on root cause determinations and corrective actions.

Lead the integration of digital tools, advanced analytics, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities into RCA workflows, identifying opportunities to improve investigation quality, efficiency, data interpretation, and technical documentation.

Apply advanced RCA methodologies, including 5 Whys, Fishbone Analysis, FMEA, Fault Tree Analysis, tolerance analysis, statistical analysis, and other structured problem-solving techniques.

Leverage complaint trending, consolidated investigations, and product performance data to identify emerging issues, systemic failure mechanisms, and opportunities for product and process improvements.

Drive continuous improvement of RCA methodologies, investigation procedures, technical standards, and knowledge-sharing practices to strengthen organizational investigation capabilities.

Provide technical coaching and mentorship to investigators, promoting critical thinking, scientific rigor, effective problem-solving, and technical writing excellence.

Communicate complex technical findings, investigation outcomes, and recommendations to cross-functional stakeholders and management to support risk-based decisions and timely resolution of product quality issues.

Support functional objectives, quality system improvements, and initiatives focused on enhancing product reliability, patient experience, and operational excellence.

What we expect of you

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The dynamic professional we seek is an individual with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications:

Doctorate degree and 2 years of operations experience OR

Master’s degree and 4 years of operations experience OR

Bachelor’s degree and 6 years of operations experience OR

Associate’s degree and 10 years of operations experience OR

High school diploma / GED and 12 years of operations experience

Preferred Qualifications:

Advanced degree in Science.

Extensive experience conducting and leading complex technical investigations, failure analysis, and root cause investigations within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, or combination-product environments.

Demonstrated subject matter expertise in RCA methodologies, including structured problem-solving, hypothesis development, failure mechanism identification, and scientifically defensible root cause determinations.

Exceptional critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and problem-solving capabilities, with demonstrated ability to evaluate complex technical information, challenge assumptions, and develop evidence-based conclusions.

Excellent technical writing skills, with proven experience independently authoring and critically reviewing complex investigation reports, technical assessments, scientific justifications, and regulatory-quality documentation.

Strong technical knowledge of medical devices, combination products, manufacturing processes, product design, and associated failure mechanisms.

Demonstrated ability to establish strong technical networks and influence cross-functional stakeholders across Engineering, Manufacturing, External Supply, Quality, and related organizations.

Experience integrating digital tools, automation, advanced analytics, or AI-enabled solutions into technical investigation processes or quality workflows.

Strong knowledge of statistical analysis, Six Sigma methodologies, risk management principles, ISO 14971, and relevant quality system requirements.

Experience leading continuous improvement initiatives to enhance investigation effectiveness, standardization, technical quality, and operational efficiency.

Demonstrated ability to mentor technical professionals, share best practices, and influence technical decisions without direct reporting authority.

Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex technical findings into clear recommendations for technical and management audiences.

 

What you can expect of us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well-being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way.

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising of health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts

A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan

Stock-based long-term incentives

Award-winning time-off plans

Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

Apply now and make a lasting impact with the Amgen team.

careers.amgen.com

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities, consistent with legal requirements. Please contact us to request accommodation.

. Salary Range

140,334.15USD -189,863.85 USD

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Thousand Oaks, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 640 comparable Principal Manufacturing & CMC roles across 90 biopharma companies.

640Comparable roles tracked
606Currently active
90Companies hiring similar roles
28Countries represented

Salary context

232 of 640 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Senior Technician Calibration - Maintenance · Mylan Technologies, Inc. $37,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Peer group range $58,500 – $288,000 (median $149,863)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 640 comparable roles

United States420
India45
Ireland31
Netherlands16
Germany15
China13

+ 22 more countries

Seniority mix

640 of 640 peers have a known seniority level

Senior408
Principal128
Director104

Therapeutic area mix

6 of 640 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease3
Oncology1
Dermatology & Aesthetics1
Respiratory1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Merck West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Sanofi US Services Inc. Waltham, United States Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) Tarrytown, United States Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) Renss, United States Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Manufacturing & CMC job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Associate Principal Scientist/Engineer, Medical Device and Combination Products, Analytical
Merck · West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Project Engineer
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Renss, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Automation Engineering, Sr. Principal Engineer – Pharmaceutical Manufacturing - Lilly Medicine Foundry
Lilly · Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Research Scientist I - Process Engineering
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.