Job Description
Primary Function of Position
The Senior Visual/Interaction Designer, Ion Design System will own the visual language and design-system for Intuitive’s Ion products. This role will define, evolve, and protect the visual structure, hierarchy, components, layouts, and patterns that support clear and consistent experiences across Ion’s clinical workflows and product touchpoints, including the PlanPoint laptop and robotic experience.
Working closely with Interaction Designers, Engineers, Product Managers, Clinical partners, and other stakeholders, you will translate shared company design-system foundations into product-specific solutions for clinical environments, touchscreens, procedural workflows, and other specialized interfaces.
You will establish reusable visual patterns and components, guide their application across product areas, and ensure that designs are cohesive, accessible, technically feasible, and ready for implementation. You will also help identify opportunities to extend or improve the the design system based on the needs of the Ion product.
As a senior individual contributor, you will bring strong visual design judgment, influence design direction, resolve complex and ambiguous problems, and raise the quality and consistency of design across the team. You will contribute to design critiques, provide mentorship and feedback, and help establish a durable visual design practice for Ion.
This is a full-time position based in Sunnyvale, CA.
Roles & Responsibilities
About You
- You have a strong eye for visual quality, consistency, hierarchy, and craft.
- You take ownership of complex work and are comfortable navigating ambiguity.
- You are organized, thoughtful, and motivated by creating clear, scalable design solutions.
- You communicate effectively and collaborate well with Design, Engineering, Product, Clinical, and Human Factors partners.
- You balance visual quality, usability, accessibility, technical feasibility, and product constraints.
- You value systems thinking and are motivated to prevent inconsistency and design or technical debt.
What You’ll Do
- Collaborate with Interaction Designers to develop clear, polished interfaces for Intuitive’s robotic surgical systems.
- Define and maintain visual rules, patterns, and conventions for the Ion product.
- Build and maintain Figma component libraries, including components, states, variants, and responsive behaviors.
- Create production-ready Figma files and specifications for Engineering.
- Partner with Engineers throughout implementation and conduct visual QA.
- Design across screen sizes and support localization, translation, and consistent implementation.
- Contribute to the continued evolution of the Ion Design System and mentor other designers.
Qualifications
Skills, Experience, Education & Training
- Bachelor’s degree in Visual Design, Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related discipline preferred. Equivalent experience may be considered.
- 5+ years of professional experience in visual design, product design, production design, design systems, or a related discipline.
- Advanced Figma expertise, including component libraries, variables, component properties, conditions, variants, and auto layout.
- Strong visual design skills and experience creating detailed specifications for engineering implementation.
- Experience designing responsive interfaces, working directly with Engineers, and conducting visual QA.
- Experience designing for technically complex products is preferred; experience with QML, medical devices, robotics, or other safety-critical products 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.
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.
Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:
Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please contact People Services at HRHelpNow@intusurg.com.
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.
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.
