Mechanical Design Engineer

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 successful candidate will steer early assessment, design, development, and testing of novel concepts for instrument and accessory products. The candidate will work within a technical team and with outside suppliers to develop and evaluate new technology solutions for customer and company needs, establish design requirements to meet customer needs, and refine designs for transfer and commercialization. The successful candidate must excel in a high-energy team environment and be capable of creative problem solving when faced with the time pressures and incomplete information typical of early-stage product development.

Job Duties

• Develop, prototype, evaluate, troubleshoot, and optimize new Ion endoluminal platform instrument and accessory mechanical designs
• Capture and communicate design progress and defend / propose design decisions
• Explore new materials, manufacturing processes, and technologies that could benefit existing products or enable new product designs
• Collaborate cross functionally to understand and drive clarity on clinical, usability, and business needs, and decompose these needs into design requirements
• Complete detailed drawings and conduct tolerance analysis
• Drive failure investigations using rigorous but efficient experimental plans.
• Communicate and drive activity with external vendors
• Collaborate with process and supplier engineering to drive design for manufacturing and support successful design transfer.
• Develop test methods as needed for design evaluations

Required Skills and Experience

• 2+ years’ experience in a mechanical design role, 0+ years with MS or PhD.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and visual thinking skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience / ability to iterate engineering prototypes and mock-ups
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills within functional team.
• Proven ability to work well in a team environment as well as “solo” assignments.
• Proficiency using CAD to create, fabricate, and document mechanical designs.
• Demonstrated ability to follow through / sense of urgency
• Self-starting, hands-on, and habitually curious
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results on schedule while maintaining responsibility across multiple tasks.

Required Education and Training

• BS (Mechanical Engineering or related engineering field)

Working Conditions

• None

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Medical device product experience.
• Catheter design experience a plus.
• Familiarity with design for manufacturability approaches.
• Any experience with various fabrication methods, both rapid and conventional with a variety of metallic and non-metallic materials. E.g. injection molding, extrusion, machining, wire EDM, MIM, heat treatment, electropolishing, laser welding, braiding, etc.
• Understanding of mechatronics, robotics, and servo-controlled systems
• Experience with Matlab, python, and/or LabView.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis
• Familiarity with six sigma concepts and associated statistical tools
• Firsthand machining experience
• Demonstrated ability to be resilient, creative, and make progress when faced with organizational and project complexity and constraint

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.

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 [email protected].

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.