Managing Staff Mechanical Design Engineer

At Intuitive, we are united behind our mission: we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints.
As a pioneer and market leader in robotic-assisted surgery, we strive to foster an inclusive and diverse team, committed to making a difference. For more than 25 years, we have worked with hospitals and care teams around the world to help solve some of healthcare's hardest challenges and advance what is possible.
Intuitive has been built by the efforts of great people from diverse backgrounds. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere. We strive to foster an inclusive culture built around diversity of thought and mutual respect. We lead with inclusion and empower our team members to do their best work as their most authentic selves.
Passionate people who want to make a difference drive our culture. Our team members are grounded in integrity, have a strong capacity to learn, the energy to get things done, and bring diverse, real world experiences to help us think in new ways. We actively invest in our team members to support their long-term growth so they can continue to advance our mission and achieve their highest potential.
Join a team committed to taking big leaps forward for a global community of healthcare professionals and their patients. Together, let's advance the world of minimally invasive care.

Primary Function of Position

Intuitive Accessories are the interface between all aspects of the da Vinci system and enable safe and effective robot-assisted surgery. Our customers interact directly with Accessories in every surgical procedure, and they serve a critical role in customer satisfaction and patient outcomes.

The Managing Staff Design Engineer for Single-Port (SP) Accessories will support development and production of existing and new products. This position requires a hands-on, technically exceptional “player-coach” engineer, who will contribute to product development strategy and technical leadership of a small team of individual contributors. Projects will include novel or next generation accessories to support SP growth, improvements to existing products to enable significant volume growth and increase customer satisfaction, and improving reliability. The position reports to the Director or Senior Director of Mechanical Engineering.

Essential Job Duties

• Manage a group of 2 to 5 entry- and senior-level mechanical engineers, including assessing and coaching employee performance, and investing in mentorship and training
• Provide vision for the engineering team and foster an environment that encourages creativity, risk-taking, and crisp execution, while building a solid foundation upon which to launch new designs
• Navigate complex technical and programmatic situations by driving timely decision-making and setting appropriate priorities to focus the team for success
• Manage, support and influence cross-functionally to optimize performance, manufacturability, and reliability of existing Da Vinci SP Accessories, with careful consideration for critical functions and safety
• Observe clinical cases and participate in interviews with clinical experts to ensure product designs provide value to patients, physicians, and hospitals
• Establish group priorities and team member work goals consistent with overall project and company goals
• Advocate best practices for mechanical design and ensure engineers follow Design Control guidelines per company and regulatory requirements, including formal design reviews
• Communicate project status and key metrics to senior management, including identifying technical and business risks
• Assist with planning, staffing, budgeting, and project/program cost tracking

Required Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated excitement and capacity to learn and quickly review/analyze tough technical problems using fundamental principles, exceptional mechanical intuition, and persistence to pinpoint root cause of problems
• Demonstrated ability to think at a systems level, interface between multiple design groups, and negotiate conflicting requirements
• Passion for supporting continuous improvement
• Understanding concepts of design input, design output, requirement traceability, and FMEA risk analysis
• Demonstrated commitment and ability to design reliable, high quality, and manufacturable products
• Mechanical analysis, including statics and strength of materials
• Exposure to full product development lifecycle including ideation, design, analysis, debug, verification, qualification, transfer to manufacturing, and sustaining
• Demonstrated knowledge of materials (especially plastics and silicone rubber) and material properties. Ability to apply knowledge of engineering materials and component selection criteria to product designs through exceptional concept development, hands-on prototyping, and reliability testing skills.
• Experience designing plastic components and assemblies
• Knowledge of component manufacturing processes (including injection molding, thermoset molding, machining, vacuum thermoforming, pad printing, laser marking, etc.)
• Proficiency with CAD (SolidWorks highly preferred): designing parts with complex geometry, creating assemblies, creating detailed manufacturing drawings, and examining designs with Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Proficiency at failure analysis, including root cause analysis techniques (e.g., fishbone, 5 Whys, etc.)
• Fluency in ASME Y14.5 GD&T and tolerance stack analysis
• Comfortable operating measurement and test equipment
• Demonstrated ability to create and execute an engineering test plan, and proficiency at writing engineering test reports
• Ability to communicate effectively (written, oral) across functions, including presenting to a technical audience
• Minimum 12 years of hardware product design experience with undergraduate degree; minimum 8 years with graduate degree
• Minimum 3 years of experience leading product development teams or managing individual contributors, with proven ability to succeed in a team environment
• Prior experience working in medical device or other regulated industry
• Ability to travel up to 10% per year

Required Education and Training

• Minimum BS in Mechanical Engineering required, graduate degree preferred. Biomedical or other engineering discipline may be acceptable with appropriate mechanical experience.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Ability to handle ambiguity and oversee multiple projects at once
• Knowledge of ISO requirements (especially risk management) and GMP guidelines. Experience with FDA regulations and medical device design control a plus
• Knowledge of sterilization methods, biocompatibility, and packaging of medical devices
• Knowledge/understanding in additional manufacturing processes such as extrusion, blow molding, ultrasonic welding, RF welding, heat staking, and laser welding

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 Employment 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.

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 salary ranges are listed.

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

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 salary ranges are listed.