Senior Mechanical 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 Position

The Ion™ endoluminal system is Intuitive's robotic platform for minimally invasive biopsy in the peripheral lung, with an initial goal of improving the early diagnosis of lung cancer.

Our New Product Development (NPD) team focuses on developing next generation capital equipment.

This role is an exciting opportunity to join a rapidly growing new business within Intuitive and contribute meaningfully to its future growth.

Essential Job Duties

In this role, you must utilize creativity and sound engineering judgment in the design of medical capital equipment, collaborating within highly cross-functional teams to ensure our products provide value to patients and customers. You will be expected to use design and analytical skills to conceptualize, develop, and productize mechanical designs. Making sound decisions when faced with the time constraints and ambiguous or incomplete information is essential.

• Lead multi-disciplinary technical teams to define requirements for new designs
• Rapidly develop and iterate full-scale prototypes of candidate architectures to satisfy requirements
• Lead problem solving and troubleshooting efforts
• Design components and produce mechanical drawings in a government regulated environment for volume manufacturing processes which may include cast metal, injection molded plastic, sheet metal stamped, and others
• Develop and commercialize mechanical assemblies, with careful consideration for key functions and safety
• Provide advice, mentoring, coaching and guidance to advance the technical and business expertise of colleagues.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• Minimum 7 years of experience designing and manufacturing electromechanical products, or relevant graduate education.
• Technical expertise with mechanism design with a preferrable focus on robotics and/or medical products.
  • Mechanical analysis, including statics, dynamics, kinematics, stress, fatigue, thermal, and reliability.
  • Design, analyze and document components, structures, and mechanical assemblies in SolidWorks or similar CAD software.
  • Release designs following good documentation principles and configuration control methods.
  • Comfortable with mechatronic systems such as motors, sensors, and brakes

Required Education and Training

• Minimum BS or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics or equivalent

Working Conditions

• None

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Ability to communicate effectively (written, oral) across all levels and organizations.
• Experience in a regulated environment (FDA, Military, FAA or equivalent). Comfortable with execution of design verification/validation test protocols, assessing risk (FMEA), providing inputs to regulatory agency approval including UL, CE and FDA is a plus.

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.

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.

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.

Client-provided location(s): Sunnyvale, CA

Job ID: 0d752913-8d97-46d9-ad89-a80d700dca5d

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-02-19T20:24:13