Supplier 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:

In this role, a Supplier Engineer is responsible for ensuring suppliers meet ISI requirements for quality, service, delivery, and cost. Drive suppliers to continuously improve business and manufacturing processes. Evaluate and select suppliers. Guide Engineering in choosing suppliers for new products and provide DFM input to new designs to support NPI projects. Executes detailed projects with suppliers to ensure excellence across quality, cost, capacity, risk management, and sub-supplier management.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Drive PCBA manufacturing qualification at contract manufacturers, including readiness requirements and milestone reviews.
• Provide PCB/PCBA DFM feedback and escalate manufacturability risks early in product development.
• Complete project/ part qualification deliverables including: Supplier pFMEA, Process Validations (IQ/OQ/PQ), Inspection Reports, Gage R&R, and Process Capability Analysis
• Develop and implement manufacturing technologies and process improvements to enhance quality, reliability, throughput, and cost.
• Work with suppliers to execute cost reductions, capacity improvements, and risk mitigation
• Select the right process and supplier for the part, considering long term fit and total ownership cost
• Manage supplier changes including manufacturing process changes, production optimization, facility changes, new equipment qualification, and new line validations
• Drive changes to ISI requirements as necessary by initiating and managing changes to specifications and drawings through the engineering change order process
• Own and drive to closure supplier variances from symptom through root cause analysis to corrective action, including careful CAPA documentation
• Effectively prioritize and advance multiple concurrent projects and tasks
• Clearly communicate project status to key stakeholders
• Build, own, and relentlessly pursue a vision for developing suppliers
• Understand proper level of documentation detail for tracking of actions and justification of decisions
• Generate key metrics for the team and suppliers, and continually drive for timely achievement of those metrics
• Drive suppliers to continually improve their business and manufacturing process performance to meet Intuitive’s requirements for supplier excellence using a collection of best practices in project management, Six Sigma, Lean, SPC and negotiation. Lead these efforts without managerial guidance at several suppliers simultaneously
• Implement corrective and preventive actions for supplier process by driving supplier’s investigations and root cause analysis
• Provide effective and timely supply base health information and recommendation to management by creating and delivering data-driven supply base information to any level of management at ISI with little or no guidance
• Prepare and deliver supplier communications as required by independently working with suppliers on scorecard creation

• Work with suppliers and ISI design engineering for the new product introduction to:

• Create product supplier landscapes to determine launch readiness and report to management
• Develop supplier ramp readiness plans by judging business risk based on forecast, supplier capacity, quality performance, and process capability.
• DFM by engaging suppliers early in development cycle to feedback manufacturability improvements in the designs prior to production
• Influence and guide Design Engineering in choosing suppliers by determining selection criteria for preferred suppliers and leading the team effort to evaluate preferred suppliers

• Review, analyze and close customer complaints, manufacturing variance requests, and first article inspections by judging risk analyses and justifications
• Evaluate corrective and preventive actions at suppliers, looks for opportunities with suppliers to eliminate recurrence

Skills/Job Requirements:

• Minimum 3 yrs related experience in engineering/manufacturing of Electronics (PCBA, PCA, cable assemblies, wiring harnesses, etc.) preferred.
• Experience with board assembly processes and equipment, including stencil, paste print, SPI, pick and place, SMT reflow, AOI, AXI, selective solder, flying probe, wash, and conformal coating.
• PCBA DFM experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including presentations to executive level management
• Excellent Interpersonal, team building and project management skills
• Demonstrable knowledge in evaluating and challenging supplier technical, quality, and business capabilities
• Demonstrable knowledge of a wide range of manufacturing processes including understanding of key input variables for quality, cost, and capacity
• Excellent knowledge of 21 CFR part 820 and ISO 13485
• Significant computer experience using Windows, Word, Excel, Project, Access, and ERP Information Systems, preferably SAP or Agile

Required Education and Training

• Minimum Education: BS degree in Engineering or equivalent experience, advanced degree preferred

• Experience with SMT/PCBA manufacturing and process development
• Experience in a high-volume medical device company is a plus

Working Conditions

• Ability to travel to suppliers on an as-needed basis - domestic and international.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Medical Device experience is a plus
• Supplier management experience is a plus
• Advanced degree preferred

• DFM tools experience, such as Valor or Allegro, is a plus.
• Experience with statistical analysis software such as Minitab is a plus
• Experience in a high-volume medical device company is a plus

Intuitive is an Equal Employment 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.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

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.

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.