Mechanical Design Engineer

Position: Staff Mechanical Design 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 the Position

The Multiport Endoscope R&D group at Intuitive is a dynamic and multidisciplinary team developing next-generation 2D and 3D endoscopic vision systems that push the boundaries of human perception, surgical precision, and robotic imaging.

We are seeking a Staff Mechanical Design Engineer to serve as a technical authority driving the mechanical architecture, precision mechanisms, and component development for advanced robotic endoscopes. This role shapes system-level mechanical strategy across product generations, defines critical cross-functional decisions, and ensures mechanical robustness from concept through verification and scaled manufacturing. Staff engineers in this group elevate technical standards, mentor engineering teams, and help chart the future of robotic imaging technologies.

Key Responsibilities

System Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Own and define the mechanical architecture for new endoscope platforms, ensuring performance across optics, illumination, mechanics, electronics, sealing, sterilization, and thermal domains.
• Lead cross-functional teams (Optics, EE, FW, SW, Manufacturing, Reliability, Test, Materials) through critical design decisions, risk tradeoffs, and architecture reviews.
• Bring clarity to ambiguity by naturally framing complex issues, identifying key trade-offs, and driving rapid, well-reasoned decisions.
• Champion best-in-class mechanical design practices, precision engineering, tolerance-driven design, and robust system integration.

Mechanism, Component, & Subsystem Design

• Design novel precision mechanisms, components, and assemblies that meet demanding imaging, manufacturability, sterilization, and reliability constraints.
• Create product functional and design specifications and develop clear documentation supporting system and subsystem requirements.
• Develop fixtures, alignment tools, calibration methods, and assembly processes enabling high-accuracy optical and mechanical integration.
• Lead DOEs, verification strategies, statistical analyses, and durability assessments that validate design intent over product lifetime.

Prototyping, Testing & Data-Driven Engineering

• Build and iterate on proof-of-concept and high-fidelity prototypes.
• Perform detailed 2D/3D tolerance analysis, FEA/simulation, and statistical modeling to ensure robust design margins.
• Troubleshoot component and prototype performance issues with speed, rigor, and cross-functional collaboration.

Manufacturing, DFM/DFA, and Supplier Engagement

• Lead DFM/DFA/DFS for the product line and ensure scalable design transfer to Manufacturing.
• Partner closely with suppliers to develop advanced fabrication and joining methods (precision machining, molding, casting, metal injection molding, coating, optical bonding, etc.).
• Influence long-term supplier capabilities, jointly develop new materials or processes, and guide supplier qualification.
• Support transition to manufacturing, ramp-to-production, and lifecycle reliability improvements with Manufacturing, Materials, Test Engineering, and Service.

Cross-Functional Influence & Program Impact

• Mentor mechanical engineers and elevate technical standards across the…