Staff Mechanical Engineer (Flexible Instruments)

Primary Function of Position

The Staff Mechanical Engineer Advanced Energy will serve as a technical and design lead for the development of advanced energy products and/or sub-systems at Intuitive. This role is responsible for driving early concept exploration through commercialization translating ambiguous clinical/technical needs into robust architectures and leading rapid prototype iteration to de-risk key technical challenges. They will have both the technical depth to resolve complex mechanical material and manufacturing design issues as well as the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team to troubleshoot and root cause higher level system issues. They must have strong technical depth in relevant areas and have a track record of successful product development efforts. Using their subject matter expertise exceptional communication skills and cross-functional collaboration they will investigate and develop advanced energy applications for novel clinical applications across our robotic surgical systems.

This person thrives in a small high-energy team takes end-to-end ownership and consistently delivers high-quality prototypes data-driven decisions and scalable designs. A strong sense of shared responsibility and shared reward is required as well as a commitment to high product quality.

Essential Job Duties

• Work in a small cross-functional project team to design develop and verify new concepts for advanced energy catheters and/or flexible electromechanical instruments
• Define early product architecture interfaces and design requirements; translate feasibility prototypes into scalable products
• Develop implement test and document new solutions processes and designs according to corporate standards and departmental operating procedures
• Hands-on assembly and testing of devices to support proof of concept design development pre-clinical and V&V activities
• Investigate and determine root cause of emerging design or manufacturing defects/failures.
• Development and documentation of design and manufacturing documentation including inspection procedures assembly instructions test methods purchase specifications BOMs part and assembly drawings using appropriate change control procedures
• Collaborate with clinical engineering team to assess product concepts and do tradeoff analysis of proposed designs and feature sets
• Partner with testing engineering and NPI to define verification approaches ensure design outputs are measurable and support design transfer
• Observe clinical cases and participate in interviews with clinical experts to inform designs; provide support for pre-clinical labs and clinical cases
• Establish individual goals consistent with overall project goals
• Performs other duties as required to support the companys overall strategy and goals

Qualifications :

Required Skills and Experience

• Typical minimum of 12 years of relevant experience minimum 8 years with a masters
• Demonstrated success as a technical lead (and/or design lead) in cross-functional R&D teams influencing decisions across engineering testing clinical quality and manufacturing.
• Demonstrated ability to originate novel concepts and rapidly convert ideas into functional prototypes to evaluate technical feasibility and clinical value
• Proven track record operating in highly ambiguous environments with limited data effectively identifying key risks and prioritizing experiments to accelerate learning
• Demonstrated ability to determine what to prototype versus what to analyze balancing speed risk reduction and long-term scalability
• Expertise in structured problem-solving and rapid design iteration cycles (buildtestlearn)
• Deep technical experience across multiple catheter and flexible instrument design domain such as shaft construction (coil/braids liners jackets) adhesives/bonding sealing/insulation strategies electrical component integration thermal management considerations etc.
• Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping methods for flexible instruments and associated components including 3D printing plastics processing metal fabrication and bench-level assembly
• Proficiency in CAD-based mechanical design (SolidWorks preferred)
• Experience with all phases of the product development lifecycle; including proof-of-concept design implementation debug verification qualification and transfer
• High autonomy and ability to work independently under limited supervision to determine and develop approach to solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to clearly present tradeoffs risks and technical rationale to varied audiences.
• Experience with FDA QSR 21 CFR Part 820 ISO 13485 ISO 14971 and other related standards

Required Education and Training

• Minimum education: BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering Mechatronics Biomedical Engineering or related engineering or scientific discipline or equivalent work experience

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with energy delivery devices is a strong plus
• Experience with flexible electromechanical device development is a strong plus
• Understanding of medical system integration and interfaces is a plus

Additional Information :

Working Conditions

• Must be available to work full-time and commute/relocate to Sunnyvale CA
• Up to 10% travel. Some international travel may be required.
• Primary Location: Sunnyvale CA

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 employeeswho 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 governments 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 employeesstart 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 candidates experience knowledge and skills.
Compensation will be based primarily on the job level at which the role is filled and the
candidates qualifications consistent with applicable law.

Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:

Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process please contact People Services at

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.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time