Staff Value 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 
At Intuitive, we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. We are looking
for team members with exceptional character who have the capacity to simplify complex
problems and the energy to urgently deliver solutions to our patients. We use creative
techniques to solve hard problems in order to achieve optimal clinical performance,
manufacturability and reliability.

The Staff Value Engineer is responsible for leading the development of new surgical
instruments for the multi-port platform as well as improvements to current products. This
position requires a ‘player / coach’, comfortable with both strategic technical contribution
as well as leadership of senior and deeply technical individual contributors.

Essential Job Duties 

• Can manage a group of 2 to 5 senior (and higher) and
entry-level mechanical engineers
• Lead and influence a cross functional team to develop

new instruments and optimize performance,
manufacturability and reliability of existing Da Vinci MP instruments.
• Recognize and attract top talent and invest in mentorship and training to retain and
support the career development of team members
• Provide vision for the mechanical engineering team and foster an environment
that encourages creativity, risk taking, and crisp execution
• Navigate complex technical and programmatic situations by driving timely
decision making and setting appropriate priorities to focus the team for success
• Establish group objectives and individual work goals consistent with overall
product development goals
• Champion best practices for mechanical design while managing, coaching, and
mentoring engineers
• Observe clinical cases and participate in interviews with clinical experts to inform
designs
• Promote instrument architectures that balance clinical performance with
manufacturing efficiency
• Team generation of formal design documentation, review, and control (e.g. design
reviews, ECOs, etc.)
• Supply chain strategy and management.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience
• Mechanical design and analysis skills, including statics, dynamics,
kinematics, strength of materials and stress analysis
• Proficient in SolidWorks
• Familiarity with medical device reprocessing and sterilization and designing
with these processes in mind
• Familiarity with small part assembly and manufacture
• A passion for creating robust and reliable products
• An excitement to get to the bottom of challenging technical problems
• Demonstrated knowledge of component manufacturing processes
(including injection molding, machining, MIM, heat treatment)

Required Education and Training 
• Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering

Preferred Skills and Experience
• Master’s degree or higher preferred in Mechanical Engineering
• At least 10 years’ experience with device design preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years management experience preferred.
• Experience taking commercial products through entire design,
development, and implementation launch cycle.
• Knowledge of ISO requirements and GMP guidelines. Experience with FDA
regulations and medical device design control a strong 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: 3e5de723-1cb7-496a-ae61-a3c4a3932292

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-01-30T19:25:20