Sr Supplier Manufacturing Engineer, Plastics or Machining

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.

Primary Function of Position:

Engineer responsible for ensuring suppliers meet Intuitive specifications and produce high quality parts. With this senior role, the candidate can work independently with minimal guidance while qualifying multiple parts concurrently, and can effectively communicate status and risks to cross-functional teams and management.

The ideal candidate has in-depth working knowledge and experience on Plastic Injection Molding and/or Machining, including understanding key parameters, equipment, tools and process steps that is associated with design specifications. This engineer can influence updates to drawing requirements based on supplier manufacturing processes and capabilities, and can drive suppliers to establish process controls. This engineer can guide NPI Engineering to choose suppliers and lead DFM with those suppliers.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Select, evaluate, develop, and qualify suppliers for multiple new product components. Selecting the right process and supplier considering design intent and requirements, along with demand forecast.
• Understand supplier manufacturing processes in-depth, including test requirements and special process validations
• Part qualification including SpFMEAs, Control Plans, FAIRS, and process capability analysis, including ECO release
• In conjunction with purchasing/commodity team, create strategies to effectively optimize the supply chain
• Drive suppliers to continually improve their business and manufacturing process performance to meet Intuitive requirements using a collection of best practices in project management, Six Sigma, Lean, SPC and negotiation, and lead these efforts at several suppliers simultaneously.
• Lead resolution to complex problems by defining root cause analysis and Corrective/Preventive actions
• Drive changes to Intuitive specifications and drawings as necessary through data-driven analysis
• Work with suppliers and Intuitive engineering for new product introduction to:
  • Influence and guide Engineering in choosing suppliers through assessment criteria, including supplier technical and process capabilities, and preferred suppliers.
  • DFM by engaging suppliers early in the development cycle, and provide feedback on manufacturability improvements, Design gaps for manufacturing, supply continuity prior to production
  • Develop supplier ramp readiness plans based on forecast, supplier capacity, quality performance, and process capability.
  • Deliver the following deliverables: SpFMEA, Special Process Validations, FAI, and Cpk/Ppk by managing and mentoring suppliers through PPQP qualifications

Skills, Experience, Education, & Training:

• Minimum BS degree in Engineering, preference with Mechanical, Bio-Medical, Chemical, Materials, or Plastic engineering
• 8 or more years related experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Supplier Engineering or related field with medical or medical device experience preferred
• Proven ability to lead resolution to difficult technical and process problems
• Proven ability in New Product Introduction and rapid scaling in production
• Experience in supplier technology development and sourcing
• Outstanding analytical skills along with good judgment
• Proficient in pFMEA, process validation, root cause investigation, inspection, and test techniques
• Knowledge of document management system and ERP Systems, preferably Agile and SAP
• Knowledge of 21 CFR part 820 and ISO 13485 preferred
• Demonstrable knowledge of a wide range of manufacturing processes including understanding of key input variables for quality, cost and capacity
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including presentations to executives
• Demonstrated Project Management skills
• Experience in a high-volume medical device company is a plus
• Ability to travel to suppliers on an as needed basis – domestic and international (approx. 25%)

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

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.