Human Factors Design Engineer

Company 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.

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.

Job Description

Primary Function of the Position  

As part of the Intuitive Human Factors team, the Senior Human Factors Engineer works closely with designers, clinical engineers, system and software engineers, technical product managers, regulatory affairs, and other important functional teams. The Senior Human Factors Engineer is a key contributor in informing and guiding development of new products, and ensuring that those products are feasible, viable and desirable.  

The Human Factors Design Engineer will serve as the Human Factors (HF) Lead on new and/or sustaining product development teams within Intuitive. Within the project team, the Human Factors Design Engineer (HFDE), works closely with designers, clinical engineers, system and software engineers, product managers, regulatory affairs, and other cross functional teams. They have primary responsibility to conduct research to gain a deep understanding of users, uses and use environments; perform task analysis, analyze and characterize usability considerations and use-related risks; conduct iterative formative evaluations with end-users to realize the impact of design concepts on user workflow, behavior and performance; translate user
needs into usability requirements to inform design; and be accountable for final usability validation. The Human Factors Design Engineer also works closely with the regulatory, quality and design controls teams to define the submission strategy from HF perspective and be accountable for the usability engineering documentation
required for submission to medical device regulatory agencies. The Human Factors Design Engineer position reports to a Manager within the broader Human Factors (HF) organization at Intuitive.
 

Essential Job Duties 

Research:  

• Plan, collect and synthesize data to generate insights on how and why users interact with Intuitive products through various techniques including interviews, simulations, direct observations, workflow labs, human performance research, persona development, usability testing, mixed methods research, discovery from known use problems, etc.
•  Represent Intuitive during interactions with end-user clinicians and customers in multiple international markets to gather design insights in a highly professional manner, during formative research activities.
• De-risk design strategies by identifying root causes and conduct root cause analyses that account for human performance influencers underlying the user experience

Design:  

• Analyze, define and evaluate workflow and user interface designs. Negotiate design recommendations and improvements to prevent hazardous situations related to use errors and improve usability.
• Accountable for establishment, authoring and management of usability design inputs. Translate findings from formative research activities into insights that are used to define evidence- based user requirements and user interface design requirements to inform user interface design, labeling and training.
• Develop conceptual prototypes that reflect performance influencers for showcasing and translating for stakeholders
• Advocate strongly and consistently for the clinical caregiver experience for safety and usability, with understanding of the nuance and balance of user/customer needs and business needs.  

Test:

• Design, execute, and report on usability evaluations at various stages of product development, from explorative co-creation of design with end users, to formal usability studies to evaluate usability and risk with prototypes of varying degrees of fidelity.
• As HF Lead on projects, accountable for summative usability
  validation and design validation of usability design inputs.
  Collaborate closely with internal human factors partners to
  define and execute validations.

Analyze:

• Write and revise highly accurate, clear, and concise usability engineering documents in a timely manner for multiple projects. (i.e. task analysis, usability risk analysis, use specifications, test reports and root cause analyses).
• Compile, organize and assess results of field observations and research, surveys, and usability testing into transferable data formats.
• Synthesize complex information into internal communications and presentations for product teams and broader organization leadership audiences.
• Prepare and review documentation for submission to regulatory agencies and notified bodies, including supporting the response to questions from regulatory agency reviewers for additional justification and rationale.

Sustain and Improve:

• Collaborate closely with internal human factors partners to analyze complaints from on-market products, update usability risk assessment, and escalate usability-related issues as necessary
• Keep current of MDR regulations and best practices for medical device human factors (e.g. IEC 62366, AAMI HE75, FDA Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Medical Devices) and advise management regarding potential improvements to internal processes and regulatory issues related to usability engineering.

Collaborate:  

• Coordinate human factors efforts across projects involving
  several sub-systems.

• Manage usability engineering activities within development projects and provide schedules and status to product managers and engineering project managers.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience 

• Minimum 3-5 years relevant HF experience in industry.
• Excellent communication (verbal, written, and formal presentation) and collaboration skills.
• Ability to analyze and synthesize large quantities of information into usable communications.
• Ability to work with and across various groups and levels of management within the organization, including other engineering groups, marketing, clinical engineering, and regulatory.
• Ability to apply user-centered design and usability engineering principles to product research, development, and design.
• Ability to travel internationally, as well as domestically (up to 25%). 

 

Required Education and Training 

• Minimum BS or MS in Human Factors Engineering, Cognitive Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Human-Centered Design, or a related field, with emphasis in Interaction Design and User Interface Design. 

Working Conditions

• Ability to travel internationally as well as domestically (up to 25%).
• Primarily office-based set schedule working model

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience in medical device, or similar regulated industry.
• Experience with design engineering in product development.
• Ability to empathize with people and to understand the human condition.
• Ability to interface with customers in a highly professional manner.

 

Additional Information

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.

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 base compensation ranges are listed.

Client-provided location(s): Sunnyvale, CA

Job ID: fc24005d-f007-4186-ac8d-22db4856813b

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-03-19T15:48:46