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

The Industrial Designer 2 will help create intuitive, safe, and meaningful product experiences for robotic-assisted surgical systems. This role translates user, clinical, technical, and business needs into thoughtful physical product solutions.

Working within a multidisciplinary design organization, the Industrial Designer 2 will independently own defined design problems while collaborating closely with Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Human Factors, Clinical Development, Engineering, Product Management, and other cross-functional partners.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on designer who can move fluidly between research, sketching, CAD, physical prototyping, user evaluation, and detailed design execution.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Own defined industrial design projects, subsystems, or product features from early exploration through design implementation.
• Develop a strong understanding of clinical users, workflows, environments, and unmet needs.
• Translate user insights and technical requirements into clear design opportunities and product concepts.
• Generate a broad range of concepts through sketching, CAD, visualization, and physical prototyping.
• Build rapid, low-resolution prototypes to evaluate product architecture, ergonomics, usability, and workflow.
• Refine selected concepts into thoughtful, high-quality product solutions aligned with Intuitive’s design language.
• Plan and support user research, workflow simulations, ergonomic evaluations, and formative studies.
• Gather actionable feedback and use evidence to guide design decisions.
• Collaborate with engineering partners to balance usability, aesthetics, manufacturability, cost, safety, and technical feasibility.
• Communicate design intent clearly through presentations, prototypes, CAD models, renderings, and design documentation.
• Incorporate feedback from cross-functional partners while maintaining a strong point of view on the user experience.
• Support the development and documentation of design requirements, specifications, and implementation details.
• Manage assigned work, communicate risks, and deliver against program schedules with guidance from senior designers.
• Contribute to a collaborative design culture through critiques, brainstorming sessions, prototyping, and knowledge sharing.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design or a related design discipline.
• Typically 2–5 years of professional industrial design experience.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating user-centered problem-solving, concept development, prototyping, and refined design execution.
• Strong sketching, visualization, form-development, and storytelling skills.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and rendering tools such as Creo, SolidWorks, Rhino, KeyShot, or equivalent software.
• Experience building physical prototypes using foam, cardboard, 3D printing, machining, or other rapid-prototyping methods.
• Working knowledge of ergonomics, anthropometrics, materials, manufacturing processes, and design for assembly.
• Ability to independently manage defined assignments while seeking guidance when appropriate.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with designers, engineers, researchers, clinicians, and program stakeholders.
• Curiosity, humility, initiative, and comfort working through ambiguity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing medical devices, robotic systems, capital equipment, or other complex physical products.
• Experience observing or designing for clinical environments and workflows.
• Familiarity with human-factors engineering, usability testing, and regulated product-development processes.
• Experience developing products that combine physical controls, digital interfaces, and complex electromechanical systems.
• Experience carrying designs from early concept development through detailed design and production.

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.