Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

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.

Primary Function of Position

The Sr. Mechanical Engineer will conceptualize, develop, and verify new mechanical design concepts for next generation of minimally invasive surgical robot systems. You will apply your product development expertise to next generation da Vinci designs leveraging your creativity and engineering analysis to the design of kinematics, robotic actuation and sensing solutions.  The successful candidate will have both the technical depth to resolve complex mechanical, materials and manufacturing design issues and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team to troubleshoot to root cause higher level system issues.  This requires in-depth collaboration with cross-functional teams that will routinely leverage your technical and interpersonal skills as you develop a shared understanding of the new product requirements.

Essential Job Duties

• Designing components and producing mechanical drawings for prototype assemblies and builds.  Design and development of testing and assembly fixtures and methods to support the product development cycle.
• Should have familiarity with volume manufacturing processes which may include cast metal, injection molded plastic, sheet metal stamping, and others.
• Analyze and test product prototype designs, critically analyze results, for structure, dynamics, and thermal issues and share results with the engineering team.
• Provide written protocols, reports, drawings, specifications, presentations, and perform technical design reviews to solicit feedback on design activities on an ongoing basis.
• Development and documentation of mechanical design and manufacturing documentation including: inspection procedures, assembly instructions, new manufacturing processes, test methods, purchase specifications, BOMs, component / assembly drawings per the company’s operating procedures.
• Create and maintain SolidWorks CAD databases, including assemblies, components, and detailed drawings.
• Contribute to and make decisions based on risk assessments, industry standards, and regulatory frameworks.
• Observe pre-clinical and clinical cases and interface with clinical experts to inform designs and identify user needs.
• Document, prepare and review patent submissions.
• Familiarity with working in a government regulated environment such as for FDA filings. Exposure to design controls and component verifications.  for volume manufacturing processes which may include cast metal, injection molded plastic, sheet metal stamped, and others.
• Working within multi-disciplinary teams to define requirements for new and current product designs.
• Rapid development and iteration of full-scale prototypes of candidate architectures to satisfy requirements.

Required Skills and Experience

•     Minimum 6 years of experience developing commercial medical products.

•     Demonstrated ability to work in cross-functional research and development teams and lead sub-system activities coordinating with other team members.

•     Evaluate designs via prototype testing and rigorous mathematical analysis.

•     Investigating and determining root cause failures in both latent and emerging designs.

•     Experience with metals, plastics, fabrication methods, plastics molding, MIM, castings, extrusions, sheet metal, bonding and adhesives.

•     Proficiency using CAD to design and document designs; SolidWorks preferred.

•     Experience with GD&T and other related ASME/ISO drafting standards and tolerance stack analysis.

•     Experience with all phases of the product development lifecycle including design, implementation, debug, verification, qualification, and transfer.

•     Experience with FDA QSR 21 CFR Part 820, ISO 13485, IEC 60601 and other related external standards.

•     Experience with electromechanical design, motors, cables, brakes, cables and PCAs.

Required Education and Training

•     Minimum BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Materials Science or related engineering or scientific discipline, or equivalent work experience.

Working Conditions

• Office environment
• Must be able to lift, carry and move 50 lbs.
• Routinely lifts, carries and moves 10lbs.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Required Minimum BSME, or similar.
• Minimum 6 years of experience.
• Demonstrated ability to design precision mechanisms with complex tolerance stack-ups.
• Experience in several of these areas: concept development, design analysis, hands-on prototyping, hands on fabrication, and performance and reliability testing.
• Curiosity in driving scientific first principles and root cause understanding.
• Self-driven to achieve individual and collaborative results in a high-energy, small, focused team environment, to maintain a strong sense of shared responsibility and shared reward, and to foster a positive and encouraging group culture.
• Flexible to changing priorities and able to balance and prioritize multiple and competing demands based on organizational goals and needs.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to build clarity and consensus among cross-functional stakeholders.
• Robotics design experience.
• Medical product development process and product launch experience are a plus.
• Coding in Python, Matlab, C/C++, Labview, Arduino or similar.

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.