Embedded Software Engineer - Platform

Location: Sunnyvale, CA, us

Company Description

It started with a simple idea: what if surgery could be less invasive and recovery less painful? Nearly 30 years later, that question still fuels everything we do at Intuitive. As a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, our technologies—like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion—have transformed how care is delivered for millions of patients worldwide.

We’re a team of engineers, clinicians, and innovators united by one purpose: to make surgery smarter, safer, and more human. Every day, our work helps care teams perform with greater precision and patients recover faster, improving outcomes around the world.

The problems we solve demand creativity, rigor, and collaboration. The work is challenging, but deeply meaningful—because every improvement we make has the potential to change a life.

If you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.

Job Description

Our team designs and builds the embedded platform software infrastructure that supports critical performance, safety and user-facing features of the da Vinci™ Surgical System, Intuitive’s flagship product. We’re looking for a high energy, talented, engineer to contribute broadly to the embedded software stack. In this role, you will focus on board bring-up and software development for our next-generation based platforms supporting video networking, UI display, and machine learning applications capabilities of Da Vinci 5 while improving robustness, reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability.

Essential Job Duties 

• Assist in board bring-up activities for NVIDIA-based platforms including bootloader configuration, BSP customization and peripheral driver integration
• Support development and testing of embedded software for video networking, UI display, and machine learning applications on Linux-based systems
• Develop and execute test plans to validate board functionality, peripheral interfaces, and system performance metrics
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to identify and resolve board-level issues during early development phases
• Contribute to the development of automated test frameworks for board validation and regression testing

Qualifications

Required Education, Skills & Experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field and 5 year's of experience; or Master's degree and 3 year's of experience; or a PhD without experience; or equivalent experience
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems development
• Understanding of embedded Linux fundamentals, including kernel, device drivers, and user space applications
• Familiarity with embedded development tools such as GDB, JTAG, and cross-compilation toolchains
• Knowledge of hardware interfaces and protocols (i2c, SPI, UART, USB, Ethernet, CAN)
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills with a systematic approach to troubleshooting
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and team collaboration

Preferred Skills & Experience 

• Experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms or similar ARM-based SOCs
• Knowledge of GPU acceleration (CUDA) and machine learning frameworks (TensorRT)
• Experienced with Python and bash scripting for test automation and bootup design
• Demonstrated experience in and comfort with all phases of the product development lifecycle including design, implementation, debug, verification, validation, and transfer to manufacturing
• Experience designing software products in an FDA or other regulated industry or for mission critical applications; comfortable with concepts of design input, design output, traceability, risk analysis, and mitigations

Additional Information

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19.  Details can vary by role.

Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

Mandatory Notices

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer:  In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees
who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).  

For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s
start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

Preference will be given to qualified candidates who do not reside, or plan to reside, in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, benefits, and equity. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including experience, skills, and qualifications. The target compensation ranges are listed.