Senior Clinical Development Engineer - Incubator

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.

Were 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.

The Future Forward organization is Intuitive's advanced concepts group. We explore emerging technologies, prototype next-generation solutions, and build software experiences that shape the future of robotic-assisted surgery.

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 Senior Clinical Development Engineer - Incubator is a key member of Intuitive's innovation incubator, reporting to the project engineering lead. In this role, you will lead the clinical development workstream for a defined opportunity, owning the design and execution of clinical de-risking activities and helping advance the program from early concept toward validated solution.

Working closely with physicians and cross-functional partners, you will translate clinical and technical insights into structured development plans, drive execution of clinical and preclinical evaluations, and ensure that key risks are identified and resolved. This role operates with a high degree of independence and accountability, with responsibility for delivering the clinical evidence and workflows needed to support program advancement and investment decisions.

Essential Job Duties

• Lead the clinical development workstream for a defined opportunity, owning clinical de-risking strategy and execution
• Design and execute preclinical and early clinical evaluations to assess feasibility, usability, and performance
• Develop and refine procedural workflows, use cases, and clinical approaches for the target application
• Identify key technical and clinical risks and drive structured plans to resolve them
• Collaborate with engineering to define and iterate on product requirements, design inputs, and performance targets
• Lead clinical labs and external evaluations, ensuring rigorous execution and high-quality data generation
• Translate findings into clear development direction and actionable recommendations
• Partner with physicians to refine clinical strategy and ensure alignment between clinical intent and technical execution
• Contribute to program advancement decisions by synthesizing evidence across clinical, technical, and user dimensions
• Engage with key opinion leaders and external stakeholders to support validation and adoption readiness

Qualifications

Experience and Qualifications

• Typically 8+ years of experience in medical device development, translational R&D, or clinical engineering roles
• Demonstrated experience in product development or clinical evaluation environments, including designing and executing experiments and translating results into development direction
• Proven experience designing and executing clinical or preclinical evaluations and translating results into development direction
• Experience working closely with clinicians and understanding clinical workflows and procedural environments
• Ability to identify risks and drive structured problem-solving to resolution
• Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills, with the ability to synthesize findings into clear recommendations and next steps
• Experience collaborating across engineering, clinical, and business teams to drive program milestones and outcomes
• Experience with clinical labs, cadaveric or animal models, and early-stage evaluations
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to clearly convey complex ideas across clinical and technical audiences
• Exposure to Biodesign or needs-based innovation methodologies preferred

Education and Training

• Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field required
• Advanced degree (M.S., Ph.D., or equivalent) preferred

Additional Information

Working Conditions:

• Must be available to work full-time onsite in Sunnyvale, CA

• Will require travel to clinical sites, customer locations, or conferences (up to 25%)
• May involve standing or walking for extended periods during clinical observations or procedures
• Must be able to lift up to 20 lbs occasionally (e.g., for transporting prototypes or equipment)
• Ability to meet hospital credentialing and compliance requirements for clinical site access (e.g.,…