- Robot type
- Surgical and Medical
- Location
- SunnyvaleCaliforniaUSA
- Job type
- Hardware
- Posted
- Aug 5, 2026
Full-time
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Job description
The candidate will help to identify and evaluate new technologies in light of customer and company needs, establish design requirements to meet customer needs, work with suppliers and other outside companies and consultants to realize viable technical solutions, and refine designs for transfer to the New Product Development organization for commercialization. He/she/they 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.
Intuitive Surgical designs and manufactures highly complex mechanical systems for use in surgery.
Job responsibilities
- Work within cross-functional project teams to create, evaluate, and prove out new product architectures and refine them for hand off to new Product Development
- Collaborate with subject matter experts to understand the clinical, usability, and other needs of users of da Vinci systems as they relate to surgical instruments and accessories.
- Develop technical requirements for designs based on an understanding of customer needs, commercial objectives (e.g. cost of goods), regulatory requirements, and feasibility constraints .
- Perform conceptual design, detailed design, analytical modeling, prototyping, data analysis, and troubleshooting of novel instruments and accessories for the da Vinci robotic surgical system .
- Develop and perform early performance testing, with assistance from other functions as needed. Assist with evaluation of prototypes by supporting bench, ex-vivo, and in-vivo laboratory testing with clinical experts.
- Develop and manage relationships with key partners .
- Provide written protocols, reports, and presentations related to design activities on an ongoing basis .
- Review mechanical engineering designs of other Intuitive engineers in both a formal and informal capacity .
Job requirements
- Minimum five (5) years of experience taking products from concept to production (medical product experience preferred).
- At least eight (8) years of experience with precision mechanical design.
- Familiarity with all phases of the product development lifecycle including design, implementation, debug, verification, qualification, and transfer .
- Understanding of mechatronics, robotics, and servo-controlled systems strongly preferred. Experience developing software control algorithms a plus.
- Proven ability to apply the basic laws of physics to understand and achieve quick and reliable solutions to engineering problems .
- Exceptional mechanical aptitude and visual thinking skills .
- Strong analytical and problem- solving skills such as finite element analysis, statistics, and experimental designs .
- Strong understanding of design for reliability and manufacturability.