{"id":3899775,"url":"https://alion.io/job/intuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer","title":"Staff Optical Engineer","company":{"id":3128,"name":"Intuitive Surgical","domain":"intuitive.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/intuitive","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"SmartRecruiters","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":63,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":30,"computed_at":"2026-11-08T05:47:12Z"}},"role":"Semiconductors","role_family":"Semiconductors","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Sunnyvale, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-06T19:32:02Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-06","last_verified_at":"2026-11-08T17:31:39Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"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.\nWe’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.\nThe 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.\nIf you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.\n Job Description:\nSurgeons need to see clearly in order heal their patients. Surgeons use the daVinci Surgical System for extended continuous duration under the intense stress of a surgical environment. Visual clarity and precise representation of the surgical field along with ease of use and optical comfort across the broad spectrum of surgeons are pillars of Intuitive’s vision products.\nThe primary responsibility of this position is to model, test and demonstrate new display concepts developed by the Viewer Engineering team for the DaVinci system. This position will be perform hands-on modeling and experimental validation all of the key display metrics that the Viewer must deliver: brightness and contrast, image sharpness and resolution, white point and color gamut\nIt is desired that this position maintain an awareness of developing optical imaging techniques related to surgical imaging, augmented reality, and human perception.\nThis role will provide critical technical assistance when working with outside development partners for custom components and sub-assemblies. Our development partners should know about and share in Intuitive’s mission so they can feel and understand the need for high quality and operational excellence. Strategic development of the supply chain must be a priority.\nSkill/Job Requirements:\nMasters Degree with 5 years of experience or PhD with 3 years of experience in Optical Engineering or Sciences, EE or Physics, with 3 years of display industry experience\n\nSkill in the use of at least one standard optical CAD package such as Zemax or Code V\n\nExperience in optical and opto-mechanical tolerance analysis\n\nExperience in designing molded plastic optics and light pipes, using non-sequential ray trace CAD tools\n\nFamiliar with light sources such as LEDs and laser diodes and designing optics to process those light sources\n\nUnderstanding of standard lens fabrication technologies and their limits\n\nStrong analytical skills and the ability to meaningfully engage deeply technical individual contributors on specific activities\n\nExperience in practical lab methods to test optical phenomena associated with light sources, spatial light modulators, and complex optical systems\n\nExperience in data acquisition methods for gathering critical empirical data on prototypes of 3D display systems\n\nBasic familiarity with human visual perception, sources of visualize discomfort in 3D vision systems and evaluation methods\n\nundefined We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.\n\n 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.\nIntuitive 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.\nMandatory Notices\nU.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.\nCertain 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).\nFor 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.\nWe will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.\nPreference 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.\nThis position may be filled at a different job level than listed here depending on\nbusiness need and/or on the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge and skills.\nCompensation will be based primarily on the job level at which the role is filled and the\ncandidate’s qualifications, consistent with applicable law.\nAccommodation & Accessibility Notice:\nIntuitive 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 .\nWe 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6699,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":false}]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"},{"name":"Iowa","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Florida","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Missouri","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Pennsylvania","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Maryland","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Oklahoma","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Arkansas","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Delaware","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Alabama","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Louisiana","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"South Carolina","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Mississippi","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Indiana","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Tennessee","iso":null,"kind":"city"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Medical & Healthcare Robotics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-07T00:21:14Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"adverts_offering_sponsorship_24m":3,"sanctioned_now":false,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 251 · green card filings: 131","filings_12m":251,"filings_prev_12m":325,"green_card_filings_12m":131,"median_offered_wage_usd":158521,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-08T10:45:15+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)","Alion: sponsorship offered in the employer's own job adverts (24 months)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.632,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:0","stale_co","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-08T05:47:12Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/intuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/intuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-08T18:55:05Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":39563,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-09T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3128},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3128"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fintuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fintuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fintuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/intuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fintuitive-surgical-staff-optical-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3899775}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"intuitive.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3899775},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}