Hardware Test Engineer 2 at Intuitive in Sunnyvale, CA

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.

Primary Function of the Position

The New Product Verification Department is devoted to assuring safe, reliable, and effective products that exceed patient, surgeon, and hospital expectations. The department plays a vital role in product and process quality, in new product development and production, and in the quality of da Vinci and Ion robotic product lines, including diagnostic systems, endoscopic instrumentation, and supporting accessories. The Test Engineer will work with a team of dedicated individuals within a product development team to assure the quality of new designs, to identify issues related to new designs and processes, and to work with other Test Engineers to develop harmonized test methods.

Essential Job Duties

Test Protocol Development, Execution & Reporting:

• Develops high level verification and validation test plans for instrument, accessories, endoluminal, or vision projects
• Generates and takes ownership of test protocols for Design Verification and Life/Reliability tests
• Collaborate with Design and Clinical teams to develop test methods needed to ensure design requirements are sufficiently verified
• Executes test protocols for clinically-based surgical simulation and automated testing utilizing da Vinci surgical system, Ion Systems and/or other test equipment
• Identifies and presents problems that arise during feasibility and design verification testing, and escalates new or persistent failure modes to appropriate engineering teams
• Collaborates with appropriate engineering teams on the failure investigation and root cause analysis.
• Clearly documents test results and observations in test report.

Test Fixture Development

• Designs test fixtures and other test aids needed to perform Design Verification and Life/Reliability tests
• Identifies processes and test methods that could benefit from new or updated fixture designs
• Works with other engineers to develop concepts and approaches to fixture design
• Responsible for documentation of fixtures utilizing SolidWorks; release of documents into Agile

Other Responsibilities

• Effectively translate the functional requirements into appropriate acceptance criteria for testcases and test methods.
• Train test technicians on test methods and procedures
• Ensures successful, on-time completion of department projects; communicates constraints to direct management when successful project completion is at risk
• Complies with company Department and Standard Operating Procedures
• Verifies and ensures adequate supply of test articles and other equipment or material

Required Skills and Experience

Technical Skills:

• Familiarity with equipment needed to perform typical performance measurements on electro-mechanical systems.
• Some basic knowledge of electrical systems, test equipment, and test practices is desirable.
• Experience using tools and measuring equipment (Force Gauge, Calipers, Instron, Oscilloscopes etc.)
• Ability to perform the basic mechanical engineering calculations needed to support equipment design, including dimensional analysis.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, Arduino is a plus
• Experience with SolidWorks or similar CAD software is highly preferred

Other skills and abilities:

• Proactive and self-motivated engineer.
• Must be a quick learner with the ability understand complex products and processes.
• Ability to work in a team environment.
• Ability to work independently and with minimum supervision.
• Ability to multitask, and handle tasks with competing priorities effectively.
• Ability to work with biological samples, including blood, tissue and organs.
• Familiar with GDP.

Integrity:

• Accepting and adhering to high ethical, moral, and personal values in decisions, communications, actions, and when dealing with others

Required Education and Training

• Minimum BS in Mechanical, Biomedical Engineering or similar degree.
• Minimum 2+ years work experience in an engineering organization or research team environment.

Working Conditions

• The employee will spend time at their desk in front of the computer as well as work in a lab environment.
• Lab environment will have exposure to animal blood and tissue; there will also be exposure to detergents and other chemicals used for reprocessing medical devices.
• Hands on testing includes but not limited to using the robotic systems, mechanical test fixtures, microscopes, electrical test fixtures etc.

Preferred Skills and Experience  

• Prefer experience within medical device or pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience with SolidWorks or similar CAD software.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, Arduino is highly preferred.
• Experience working with electro-mechanical systems is a plus.

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.

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.