Senior Mechanical Engineer, Instruments - job 1 of 2

At Intuitive, we are united behind our mission: we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints.

As a pioneer and market leader in robotic-assisted surgery, we strive to foster an inclusive and diverse team, committed to making a difference. For more than 25 years, we have worked with hospitals and care teams around the world to help solve some of healthcare's hardest challenges and advance what is possible.

Intuitive has been built by the efforts of great people from diverse backgrounds. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere. We strive to foster an inclusive culture built around diversity of thought and mutual respect. We lead with inclusion and empower our team members to do their best work as their most authentic selves.

Passionate people who want to make a difference drive our culture. Our team members are grounded in integrity, have a strong capacity to learn, the energy to get things done, and bring diverse, real world experiences to help us think in new ways. We actively invest in our team members to support their long-term growth so they can continue to advance our mission and achieve their highest potential.

Join a team committed to taking big leaps forward for a global community of healthcare professionals and their patients. Together, let's advance the world of minimally invasive care.

Primary Function of Position
Intuitive Surgical designs and manufactures highly complex mechanical systems for use in surgery. These systems include both capital equipment and “consumables” in the form of surgical instruments and accessories.

The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer will develop robotic instruments for minimally invasive applications using both data-based and hands-on approaches. The candidate will have both the technical depth to resolve complex mechanical, materials and manufacturing design issues and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team to troubleshoot and root cause higher level system issues. They must excel in a high-energy, focused, and small-team environment. The candidate will help identify and evaluate new technologies in light of customer and company needs, help establish design requirements to meet customer needs, work with suppliers and consultants to realize viable technical solutions, and refine designs for transfer to the New Product Introduction organization for commercialization.

The successful candidate will have a commitment to high quality prototypes and concepts, and a demonstrated record of developing, creating, and debugging innovative engineering solutions. An exceptional sense of shared responsibility and shared reward is required.

Essential Job Duties

• Work in a small, cross-functional project team to design and develop robotic surgical instruments.
• Observe clinical cases and participate in interviews with clinical experts to inform designs.
• Document, prepare, and review patent submissions.
• Create and maintain SolidWorks CAD databases, including assemblies, components, and detailed drawings.
• Hands-on design, assembly, and testing of instruments to support proof of concept, design development, pre-clinical, and V&V activities. Support defining and developing technical specifications and requirements for robotic instruments.
• Support the documentation of design and manufacturing processes, including: working with suppliers to create components, inspection procedures, assembly instructions, manufacturing processes, test methods, purchase specifications, bills of materials, component / assembly drawings per the company’s operating procedures.
• Provide support for pre-clinical and clinical labs.
• Generate and execute test methods to characterize designs and to establish root cause of design challenges, manufacturing variation, or material defects. Critically examine test results and make design changes or recommendations to the team.
• Provide written protocols, reports, presentations, and perform technical design reviews to solicit feedback on design activities.
• Provide mechanical engineering support for resolution of field and manufacturing issues.
• Establish individual goals consistent with overall project goals.

Required Skills and Experience

• A passion for solving tough technical problems – solid mechanical intuition and persistence to identify the root cause of a problem, solving problems using first principles.
• Ability to learn rapidly and quickly prototype creative and practical solutions from rough requirements.
• Solid aptitude for experimental design, testing, and data analysis; experience with design of experiments (DoEs) and statistical analysis.
• Ability to think at a systems level, interface between multiple design groups, and negotiate conflicting requirements.
• Highly proficient using CAD to design and document complex mechanisms and systems; SolidWorks preferred.
• Familiar with all phases of product development lifecycle including design, implementation, debug, verification/validation, qualification, and design transfer.
• Understanding of material and component selection criteria as well as design for reliability and manufacturability best practices.
• Experience with a variety of fabrication methods for metals and plastics, working with suppliers and their processes; including multi-axis machining, MIM, plastic injection molding, overmolding, stamping, extrusions, 3D printing, and laser cutting.
• Experience with medical devices including FDA QSR 21 CFR Part 820, ISO 13485, IEC 60601, and other related external standards.
• Excellent documentation and communication skills.
• Comfortable operating machine shop equipment

Required Education and Training

• Minimum BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Biomedical Engineering or related engineering or scientific discipline
• Minimum 6 years designing mechanical engineering products or relevant experience

Working Conditions

• None

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience using SolidWorks, Matlab, and Finite Element Analysis (such as Ansys/ Pro Mechanica)
• Experience with electromechanical design, including cable driven systems and small mechanisms, is preferred.
• Experience and skills in design of high volume (e.g. injection molded, MIM) components, and design for manufacturability strongly preferred
• Medical device design experience
• Experience developing manufacturing processes and assembly instructions

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

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 salary ranges are listed.

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

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 salary ranges are listed.