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

Intuitive Surgical designs and manufactures highly complex mechanical systems for use in surgery. We are looking for a hands-on, technically strong mechanical engineer to sustain and improve existing instruments to meet the needs of our customers and our business, and to support development, testing, and documentation of new product designs. 

The Sr. Mechanical Engineer will work focus on sustaining and improving product performance, reliability and capacity, identifying and developing cost reductions, addressing supply chain challenges, as well as contributing to new product development of complex surgical instruments.  The successful candidate will have the technical depth to resolve complex mechanical, materials and manufacturing design issues and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team to troubleshoot and determine root cause of higher-level system issues.  A strong sense of ownership, shared responsibility and shared reward is required as well as a commitment to high product quality.

Essential Job Duties

• Work individually and collaboratively within cross-functional project teams to deeply understand product performance, supply chain, manufacturing, cost, field issues and opportunities. 
• Design and develop mechanical parts and assemblies, with careful consideration for mechanical design, kinematics, materials (plastics & metals), and manufacturability
• Create product functional requirements and design specifications
• Perform design FMEA and support other risk analyses (clinical, process, supplier)
• Provide engineering support to Manufacturing, Clinical, and Test Engineering teams to facilitate transfer of designs.
• Identify and research new vendors/processes to manufacture components

• Identify, develop, test and document solutions that meet customer and business needs, while meeting design requirements and according to corporate standard and documented Design Control procedures.
• Analyze and test instruments and their components, including development of DOEs, data collection, data analysis and reports.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing and suppliers by reviewing processes, assemblies, test procedures, and test/inspection fixtures.
• Support in driving anomalies and non-conformances to closure.
• Perform root cause investigation of both latent and emerging design, manufacturing or material defects
• Support CAPA and Continuous Improvement processes as well as quality/regulatory audits as required.

• Develop and collaborate on product and component verification and validation testing.

Required Skills and Experience

• Comfortable with all phases of the product development lifecycle including design, analysis, debug, verification, and transfer to manufacturing.
• Understand concepts of design input, design output, requirement traceability, and FMEA risk analysis
• Technical expertise with mechanism design, robotics and/or medical products
• Mechanical analysis including statics, dynamics, kinematics, stress, fatigue, thermal, and reliability
• Design, analyze and document components, structures, and mechanical assemblies in SolidWorks or similar CAD software
• Strong understanding of component or material selection criteria, and design for reliability and manufacturability
• Demonstrated knowledge of a wide variety of manufacturing processes with emphasis on high-volume processes
• Technical communication skills with suppliers
• Proficient in GD&T and tolerance stack analysis
• Strong hands-on prototyping skills such as 3D Printing and machine shop equipment
• Designing and executing experiments on strength or function
• Proficiency in failure analysis tools
• Experience leading portions of departmental and cross-functional projects and strategic initiatives from concept through completion
• Detail oriented and meticulous in documentation
• Ability to communicate effectively (written, oral) across all levels and organizations
• Skilled in digital collaboration tools in hybrid team environment
• Ability to lead and mentor other engineers
• Demonstrated knowledge of high-volume manufacturing processes such as injection molding, MIM, stamping, extrusion and machining. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of materials (preferably metals and plastics) and material properties.  Ability to apply knowledge of engineering materials and component selection criteria to product designs through strong concept development, design analysis, hands-on prototyping, and reliability testing skills.
• Knowledge of design for reliability, scalability, economy and manufacturability
• Proficiency using 3D CAD software to design complex mechanical assemblies and drawing modification and support (SolidWorks preferred).
• Demonstrated knowledge of documenting components for medium to high volume manufacturing processes, including GD&T.

Required Education and Training

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Biomedical or other engineering discipline may be acceptable with appropriate mechanical experience
• Minimum 8 years of experience designing and manufacturing electromechanical products (6 years with Master’s degree or 3 years with PhD). Work experience in an FDA or other regulated industry preferred.

Working Conditions

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

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with robotics
• Familiarity with electromechanical design, PCBAs, sensors and flexible circuits

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.