Senior Mechanical Engineer - NPD

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.

Essential Job Duties
This role works closely with clinical, electrical, industrial design, supplier engineering, quality and
manufacturing teams to ensure designs of medical capital equipment meet clinical and user
needs and perform reliably and effectively in the field. In this position, you will be part of a team
of talented engineers in a focused, high energy, collaborative work environment, challenged to
make sound decisions when faced with time pressures and ambiguous or incomplete
information typical of issue troubleshooting and product development. You will be expected to
use design and analytical skills to conceptualize, develop, and productize mechanical designs.
Making sound decisions when faced with the time constraints and ambiguous or incomplete
information is essential.

• Lead multi-disciplinary technical teams, working closely with Product Management and Clinical Development to translate clinical and user needs into requirements and specifications for new and current designs.
• Rapidly develop and iterate full-scale prototypes of candidate architectures to satisfy requirements
• Design components and produce mechanical drawings in a government regulated environment for volume manufacturing processes which may include cast metal, thermoforming, sheet metal, and others.
• Develop and commercialize mechanical assemblies, with careful consideration for key functions and safety.
• Perform risk analyses and develop design requirements. Document and test design according to corporate and departmental operating procedures.
• Provide technical expertise to assist with the development of initial fixtures and assembly processes in collaboration with manufacturing and automation teams.
• Support production of final product by troubleshooting process and component problems.
• Support the quality and regulatory processes.
• Help establish individual and team goals aligned with overall project and company goals.

Required Skills and Experience
 Experience with mechanical design, including
    o Mechanical analysis, including statics, dynamics, kinematics, stress, fatigue,
thermal, and reliability.
    o Proficiency at failure analysis.
    o Design, analyze and document components, structures, and mechanical
assemblies in SolidWorks or similar CAD software.
    o Release designs following good documentation principles and configuration
control methods.
    o Experience designing for volume manufacturing processes such as metal casting,
plastic injection molding, sheet metal stamping, compression molding,
thermoforming, etc.
 Self-driven with the ability to excel in a high-energy, small, focused team environment
and maintain a strong sense of shared responsibility and shared reward. Contributes to
a positive and fun work environment.
 Capacity to lead multiple complex projects in parallel. Independently prioritizes activities
across projects, ensuring high quality and delivery of the projects.
 Comfortable with all phases of the product development lifecycle including design,
implementation, debug, verification, qualification, and transfer.
 Ability to communicate effectively (written, oral) across all levels and organizations.

Required Education and Training
 BS ME or similar with 6 years of experience or Master’s
degree plus 4 years or PhD plus 1 year

Working Conditions
 Ability to travel up to 10% time

.
Preferred Skills and Experience
 Experience in designing with a focus on robotics and/or medical products.
 Experience in a regulated environment (FDA, Military, FAA or equivalent). Comfortable
with execution of design verification/validation test protocols, assessing risk (FMEA),
providing inputs to regulatory agency approval including UL, CE and FDA is a plus.
 Experience designing for injection molding and extrusion.
 Curiosity and excitement to learn new subjects and get to the bottom of tough technical
problems.
 Proven ability to lead teams, manage stakeholders, and mentor other engineers.
 

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.