Staff Mechanical Design Engineer

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

Primary Function of Position

The Staff Mechanical Design Engineer will play a leading role in the technical definition, conception and detailed development of sensors for the Multiport Systems new product development team. This team is responsible for product development from concept through market launch and product stabilization, which was recently completed for the award winning da Vinci 5. Sensing solutions are critical to the safe and effective operation of our systems.

This role requires intensive collaboration with mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, system analysts and others to both compile the full sensor and system requirements set, as well as creating or sourcing a suitable solution.

Essential Job Duties

This position has responsibility to: 

• Develop, test and qualify sensors for robotic surgical systems, with an emphasis on force and torque sensing
• Author, collect and compile sensor requirements
• Work across all salient Engineering, Manufacturing and Product disciplines to guarantee the full requirements set is satisfied optimally
• Rapidly develop and iterate prototypes of candidate solutions
• Perform design FMEA
• Design for reliability, cost and manufacturability
• Exercise creativity and ruthless attachment to clear minded, first principles driven development
• Contribute to engineering process and community through design reviews, talks, mentoring and brainstorming
• Work with external suppliers and partners to source sensors

Qualifications

Required Education, Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of direct experience in mechanical development, with 5+ years in sensor development or a closely related field
• BS Mechanical Engineering
• Technical expertise with sensor mechanical structures, topologies, sensing methods such as strain gauges and associated manufacturing methods
• Multi-physics analysis and simulation
• Design of mechanical components and assemblies in SolidWorks or similar CAD software
• Selection and technical management of external sensor supplier

Preferred Education, Skills and Experience

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Passion for product quality and continuous improvement
• Self-driven with the ability to excel in a high-energy, small, focused team environment to maintain a strong sense of shared responsibility and reward
• MS Mechanical Engineering
• Surgical or medical device experience, regulated industry experience
• ANSYS, MATLAB, PYTHON

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.

This position may be filled at a different job level than listed here depending on
business need and/or on the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge and skills.
Compensation will be based primarily on the job level at which the role is filled and the
candidate’s qualifications, consistent with applicable law.

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.