Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician - Instruments Team

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

Description of Position: 

The Future Forward group within Intuitive Surgical is searching for a Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician with a focus on the mechanical design of next generation surgical robot instruments. This role is an exciting opportunity to join a small and innovative team in the early phases of product development. 

Joining Intuitive Surgical means joining a team dedicated to using technology to benefit patients by improving surgical efficacy and decreasing surgical invasiveness, with patient outcomes as our highest priority. The Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician is responsible for supporting a team of mechanical engineers developing new products at Intuitive. The ideal candidate will be fully proficient in all typical instrument manufacturing processes. The candidate should be comfortable working with minimal supervision, and with minimal work instructions and be able to take ideas from R&D engineers and figure out how to build fully functional instrument prototypes. In addition, the individual will assist with developing and maintaining a clean and well-organized engineering lab environment that includes robotic instruments, rapid prototype machines, tools, fixtures, prototypes, and supplies. A strong sense of integrity, care, and attention to detail is required as well as a commitment to developing products of the highest quality. 

Roles and Responsibilities: 

• Assisting with all aspects of early prototype builds, including fabrication and assembly, procurement and inspection of materials, rework of components, troubleshooting, and repair of prototype instruments 

• Assembling prototypes per engineering design/instructions  

• Work alongside engineers to fabricate and modify components using standard prototyping and manufacturing equipment, such as lathe, mill, and laser welder 

• Debugging and performance testing of engineering prototypes 

• Collecting, recording, and reporting test results 

• Preparation of prototype instruments and accessories for benchtop testing and pre-clinical lab evaluations, organizing, overseeing, and collaborating with other groups to assemble and test prototypes. 

• Creating prototype test and assembly fixtures, and providing input for the design of production fixtures 

• Providing input for protocols and reports for engineering, qualification, and verification studies 

• Setup, organization, and maintenance of engineering lab and equipment 

• Documenting assembly procedures and training other technicians on assembly. Assisting in knowledge transfer to other groups / teams. 

Qualifications

Skills/Job Requirements:  

• Minimum 8 years' experience supporting a mechanical engineering group in a product development organization 

• Minimum Associate of Science degree, or equivalent work experience 

• Hands-on skills and knowledgeable in prototyping and manufacturing methods, including machine equipment, laser welding, soldering, microscopic wire and cable stripping, and adhesive bonding. 

• Manual dexterity to assemble small components, with microscope or similar magnification 

• Knowledge of catheter materials and manufacturing processes including laminating, braiding, bonding, flaring, and tipping. 

• Ability to inspect components using metrology equipment (including calipers, micrometers, vision systems, CMM) 

• Computer skills in Microsoft Office required, Solidworks experience desired