Sr. Automation Manufacturing 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

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.

Contribute your technical manufacturing, equipment design, automation, and project management skills to a dynamic team creating high-volume automated assembly lines for precision instruments and accessories used in minimally invasive robotic surgery. The role spans evaluation, maintenance, repair, design, analysis, and continuous improvement of mechanical/electronic equipment; close collaboration with machine integrators through specification, design, build, commissioning, and validation; and ongoing production support across sites.

• Lead creation of automation line specifications; source, evaluate, and manage equipment suppliers and machine integrators through design, build, FAT/SAT, and shipment.
• Design, document, procure, qualify, implement, and improve fixtures, tools, and equipment for high-volume assembly.
• Provide daily production line support; resolve emergency/unscheduled problems and repairs to ensure equipment uptime and availability.
• Develop and execute validation protocols (IQ/OQ/DQ/PQ and PPQ) for equipment and automated assembly lines; maintain compliant records.
• Determine and analyze equipment performance trends; define and implement improvements to maintainability, reliability, availability, cycle time, capacity, and first-pass yield.
• Perform and/or support PFMEA for accessories manufacturing lines; incorporate and validate critical tests used in manufacturing.
• Provide DFx input (Manufacturing, Assembly, Automation, Reliability) to design teams; ensure consistency/commonality of hardware and standard part selections.
• Integrate mechatronics components (sensors, motors, pneumatics), motion/vision control, and PLC-based line controls; support robot programming where applicable.
• Create and maintain controlled documentation including BOMs, workflow processes, manufacturing plans, and detailed work instructions; review peer edits.
• Teach, mentor, and train technicians/engineers in specialized equipment: diagnosing, repairing, maintaining, calibrating; improve installation, repair, and upkeep documentation.
• Conduct SAP transactions relevant to process/equipment operations; plan resources and budgets for product/process improvements, tooling, and testing.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement projects for product reliability and cost reduction; proactively seek technologies to improve production processes.
• Support inter-site collaboration (e.g., suppliers and Mexicali plant) and periodic travel.

• Strong communication skills to interface cross-functionally with technicians, product development, planning, purchasing, regulatory, inspection, customer support, and clinical marketing.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills for complex electro-mechanical/laser/vision system equipment.
• Experience with automated line controls (PLC, I/O components), motion/vision control, and mechatronics integration.
• CAD proficiency (Solid Works preferred);…