Staff Mechanical Engineer (Advanced Energy)

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 

• At Intuitive, we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. We are looking for team members with exceptional character who have the capacity to simplify complex problems and the energy to urgently deliver solutions to our patients. We use creative techniques to solve hard problems in order to achieve optimal clinical performance, manufacturabilty and reliability.
• The Staff Mechanical Engineer is responsible for developing, documenting, and validating new product designs, as well as improving existing designs to meet the needs of our customers.  The successful candidate will understand user needs and requirements, balance individual product-level requirements with system-level requirements, resolve complex mechanical design issues, and commit to the highest product quality. Projects will include a mix of new product development, product improvements, and sustaining projects to mitigate challenges related to capacity improvements and supply chain. 

Essential Job Duties 

• Serve as a lead technical designer on cross-functional project teams.
• Design, develop and document components and assemblies for surgical devices.
• Perform risk analyses and develop design requirements. 
• Document, analyze, and test designs according to corporate standard and departmental operating procedures, including stringent Design Control activities.
• Develop automated scripts to test designs and analyze data in Matlab, Python, or other scripting languages.
• Help develop initial fixtures and assembly processes in collaboration with manufacturing and automation teams.
• Provide mechanical engineering sustaining support for resolution of supply chain, manufacturing, and field issues
• Support production of final product by troubleshooting process and component problems.
• Support the quality and regulatory processes.
• Translate clinical requirements and user needs to functional and technical specifications.
• Develop and collaborate on verification testing.
• Provide technical advice and mentoring to other mechanical engineers.
• Help establish individual and team goals aligned with overall project and company goals.
• Travel as needed to support projects.

Required Skills and Experience 

• Proficiency using 3D CAD software to design complex mechanical assemblies (SolidWorks preferred).
• Proficiency in GD&T, AGILE, SAP and Microsoft Office. 
• Proficiency using Finite Element Analysis software for design analysis.
• Strong mechanical design and analytical skills.
• Strong knowledge of materials (mainly metal and plastic) and material properties.
• Experience with high volume manufacturing processes such as injection molding, MIM, stamping, machining, etc.
• Experience with rapid prototyping processes
• Ability to design and redesign parts with an eye for scalability and economy.
• Self-motivated, hands-on, and the ability to work well within a fast-paced team-oriented environment.

Required Education and Training 

• Minimum BSME or similar required
• Relevant work experience: BS plus 12 years, MS plus 8 years, or PhD plus 5 years

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Master’s degree or higher preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience with medium to high volume product preferred.
• Experience with the full commercial design, development, and production lifecycle preferred.
• Experience leading projects and/or small teams preferred.
• Medical device experience preferred.
• Prior experience with the design and development of vessel sealing devices is desirable.
• Prior experience with the design and development of ultrasonic devices is desirable.

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.

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.