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
Interaction Design is a key role at Intuitive Surgical, with responsibilities that cut across multiple
technical disciplines. We bring a human-centered design process to healthcare innovation and
the development of physical and digital interfaces that are safe, effective, and delight our users.
As a Senior Interaction Designer at Intuitive, you will lead the definition and design of various
elements, often extending across multiple touchpoints. You will work collaboratively with other
designers, Product Management, Human Factors engineers, Clinical experts, and Engineering
teams to help develop new digitally enabled solutions, including robotic control systems, medical
image processing, data visualization, and other applications.
You will be involved in various stages of the product development and exploration from early
concepts to final design and implementation. Intuitive has many exciting opportunities ahead, and
we are excited to welcome you as a team member as we build the future of minimally invasive
care.

This role will report directly into the Director of Interaction Design.

Essential Job Duties 

• Design world class physical and digital interactions
• Working in an environment where the product definition is still being defined and articulated
• Uphold superior standards and methods throughout the product development life cycle
• Collaborate with Product Management, Human Factors, Clinical, and Engineering teams throughout the product development process to ensure your designs are safe, effective, and feasible
• Document, maintain and share your project plans to ensure proper coordination with cross-functional partners
• Has experience working in an iterative environment closely collaborating with diverse stakeholders
• Participate and Facilitate discovery and research activities to develop and apply a strong understanding of end-users and the problem space
• Balance prioritized trade-offs that consider user, product, engineering and business needs as you iterate quickly through various design to narrow the solution space
• Think systemically to create holistic design solutions that reinforce and contribute to the interaction design language of the product
• Propose clear and compelling designs with sound rationale addressing identified problems and opportunities
• Participate in the validation of product usability through informal and formal testing with representative users in lab and clinical settings
• Write clear, comprehensive and detailed user interface specifications for others to build and test against

Required Skills and Experience
You are a flexible and dynamic professional who strives for innovative and elegant solutions in all
endeavors. The ideal candidate is passionate about intentional aesthetics and behavior and how
they both play in product continuity. This candidate should have a breadth of experience across
all design phases and expertise in building design specifications with engineering teams and
stakeholders

Required Education and Training 

• 8+ years of experience in a product design role – experience beyond traditional web and native app UI is preferred
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in design, human sciences (e.g., Cognitive Science,
• Psychology, Human Factors, Product Design, UX Design) or equivalent
• Proven record of bringing products to market that contain complex user interactions, especially products with physical interactions that are not solely web- or software-based
• Professional experience using industry standard design tools (i.e. Figma, Creative Suite)

Working Conditions

• This position is scheduled on-site in Sunnyvale, CA

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Ability to synthesize nuanced interactions between hardware and software into essential UI
• Excellent UX documentation writing skills
• Ability to articulate their design concisely to leadership and stakeholders
• Experience working in 3D/AR/VR environments is an advantage, and can use them creatively for prototyping is an advantage. Also, familiar with associated software tools.
• Ability to prototype using a variety of methods digital and sketching (e.g., Figma, Proto-pie)
• Experience using design systems to create consistency and cross product fluency

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.