Sr Mechanical Design Engineer

Company Description

At Intuitive, we are united behind our mission: we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints.

As a pioneer and market leader in robotic-assisted surgery, we strive to foster an inclusive and diverse team, committed to making a difference. For more than 25 years, we have worked with hospitals and care teams around the world to help solve some of healthcare's hardest challenges and advance what is possible.

Intuitive has been built by the efforts of great people from diverse backgrounds. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere. We strive to foster an inclusive culture built around diversity of thought and mutual respect. We lead with inclusion and empower our team members to do their best work as their most authentic selves.

Passionate people who want to make a difference drive our culture. Our team members are grounded in integrity, have a strong capacity to learn, the energy to get things done, and bring diverse, real world experiences to help us think in new ways. We actively invest in our team members to support their long-term growth so they can continue to advance our mission and achieve their highest potential.

Join a team committed to taking big leaps forward for a global community of healthcare professionals and their patients. Together, let's advance the world of minimally invasive care.

Job Description

Primary Function of Position

The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer will lead design, development, and testing of components and sub-systems for next generation Endoluminal instruments and accessories.  This role is primarily focused on rigid components (particularly injection molded parts) but it may also include opportunities for the design of flexible structures. The candidate will work within a technical team and with outside suppliers to develop and evaluate new technology solutions for customer and company needs, establish design requirements to meet customer needs, prototype and refine designs and advance them through the product development process to commercialization. The successful candidate must excel in a high-energy team environment and be capable of creative problem solving when faced with the time pressures and incomplete information typical of early-stage product development.

Essential Job Duties

• Design, develop, prototype, evaluate, troubleshoot, and optimize  rigid components for next generation products.  These include parts made via plastic injection molding, MIM, machining, stamping, forming, etc.  There may also be opportunities for the design of flexible structures.
• Collaborate cross functionally to understand and drive clarity on clinical, usability, and business needs, and decompose these needs into design requirements.
• Explore new materials, manufacturing processes, and technologies that meet all stakeholder needs.
• Develop test methods and assembly fixturing to support building and testing on prototypes.
• Drive rigorous understanding of design risk by learning not just how a design behaves, but why. Advance understanding of safety, performance, manufacturability, and associated tradeoffs to optimize the overall design. 
• Collaborate cross functionally with supplier engineers, manufacturing process development engineers.
• Prepare protocols/reports/summaries/readouts to capture and communicate design progress and defend / propose design decisions.
• Complete detailed drawings and conduct tolerance analysis statistical best practices appropriately.
• Drive failure investigations using rigorous but efficient experimental plans.
• Develop and manage relationships with external vendors.
• Collaborate with process and supplier engineering to drive design for manufacturing and support successful design transfer.  
• Mentor and guide technicians and junior engineers.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• Minimum 6 years of experience in a mechanical design role.
• Expert in designing plastic and metal injection molded parts.
• Proficiency using CAD to create, fabricate, and document mechanical designs.
• Expert in design for manufacturability and design for assembly.
• Experience with a range of other fabrication methods, including 3D printing , extrusion, machining, wire EDM, heat treatment, electropolishing, laser welding, US welding, etc.
• Experience working within the product development process (concept phase to production). Familiarity with the product development lifecycle.
• Proven ability to apply (or learn where needed, then apply) engineering first principles to understand and achieve quick and reliable solutions to engineering problems.
• Exceptional mechanical aptitude and visual thinking skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills such as finite element analysis, statistics, and experimental designs.
• Proven ability to iterate prototypes and mock-ups rapidly.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills. Ability to present to a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to interface with customers and potential business partners in a highly professional manner.
• Proven ability to work well in a team environment as well as “solo” assignments.
• Experience leading technical peers in small team projects.
• Demonstrated ability to follow through / sense of urgency.
• Self-starting, hands-on, and habitually curious.
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple priorities of moderate complexity as a matter of routine.

Required Education and Training

• Minimum BS or higher in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• MS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• Understanding of mechatronics, robotics, and servo-controlled systems.
• Medical device product experience.
• Catheter design experience
• Experience in other highly regulated industries (automotive, aerospace, etc.).
• Experience with Matlab, python, and/or LabView.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis.
• Familiarity with six sigma concepts and associated statistical tools.
• Firsthand machining experience.
• Experience developing requirements and performing risk assessment of candidate designs.
• Experience collaborating with multi-disciplinary functions like clinical, human factors, industrial design, interaction design, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to be resilient, creative, and make progress when faced with organizational and project complexity and constraint.

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 Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action 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.

EEO and AA Policy

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 salary ranges are listed.