Optical 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  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:
We are seeking a highly skilled and innovative Optical Engineer to lead the design, development, and testing of advanced optical systems tailored for next-generation Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) medical applications. In this role, you will work at the intersection of optics, biomedical engineering, and artificial intelligence, helping to turn complex optical data into actionable diagnostic and therapeutic insights.  

You will join a fast-paced, collaborative, multi-disciplinary team of hardware engineers, software developers, data scientists, and medical professionals.

Roles & Responsibilities :

Testing & Integration:
Conduct rigorous laboratory testing, alignment, calibration, and characterization of custom optical systems to ensure optical performance meets strict AI data quality requirements.

AI/ML Pipeline

Collaboration:

Work closely with data science and machine learning teams to design optical hardware optimized for AI feature extraction, data acquisition, and automated diagnostic workflows.

Design & System Development:
End-to-end design, modeling, and prototyping of optical systems (including lenses, illumination setups, detectors, and fiber optic delivery systems) targeted for medical imaging and sensing.

Multi-Disciplinary Teamwork:
Collaborate with biomedical engineers, mechanical designers, firmware engineers, and clinical experts to integrate optical sub-systems into complete medical devices.

Documentation & Compliance:
Maintain thorough design documentation, optical schematics, test protocols, and design histories in compliance with medical device regulatory standards (e.g., ISO 13485, FDA guidance).Qualifications Skills, Experience, Education, & Training:

Education:

Ph.D. in Optics, Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering, or a closely related field.

Deep knowledge of optical system design principles, wave optics, ray tracing, and optical instrumentation.

Hands-on experience with optical CAD and modeling software (e.g., Zemax, CODE V, Light Tools, or Fred).Proficiency in quantitative data analysis and scripting for laboratory automation using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW or C/C++.Proven track record of taking optical designs from concept to benchtop prototype and testing.

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,…