Staff Systems Engineer (Advanced Energy)

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 Position 
As a Staff Systems Engineer, you will be the primary architect behind the energy delivery and sensing strategies for our next-generation advanced energy platform. You will bridge the gap between complex electrical power systems and biological tissue response. This role requires a visionary engineer who can design sophisticated power electronics and sensor suites that treat biological tissue as a dynamic component of the electrical circuit.

Essential Job Duties 

1. System Architecture & Power Electronics

• Lead the design and development of high-performance power conversion systems (RF, Microwave, Ultrasonic, or Pulsed Electric Fields) tailored for medical applications.
• Develop complex control algorithms for real-time energy modulation to ensure precise tissue effects while maintaining system stability.
• Define hardware-software interfaces for high-speed switching environments and energy storage components.

2. Tissue-to-Electrical Translation (Bio-Electronics)

• Model the Tissue-Electrode Interface: Translate physiological changes (impedance shifts, thermal denaturation, carbonization) into electrical parameters that the system can sense and respond to.
• Develop "Tissue-in-the-loop" simulations to predict how varying energy waveforms affect different tissue types (e.g., vascular, neural, or fibrous tissue).
• Synthesize clinical needs into technical specifications for frequency, duty cycle, and voltage/current limits.

3. Advanced Sensor Integration

• Design and integrate high-fidelity sensor systems to monitor real-time variables such as temperature, pressure, and bio-impedance.
• Implement digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to extract meaningful "signatures" from noisy electrical environments during active energy delivery.
• Lead the selection and calibration of sensors that can withstand high-EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) environments.

4. Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the technical "glue" between the Clinical Science, Electrical Engineering, and Software teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and lead complex root-cause analysis for system-level anomalies.
• Manage the "System Error Budget" and ensure compliance with international safety standards (e.g., IEC 60601-1, IEC 60601-2-2)

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience  

Technical Essentials

Power Electronics: Deep expertise in DC/DC and DC/AC conversion, RF amplifier design, or resonant power supplies.

Modeling Mastery: High proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, PSpice, or COMSOL for modeling both electrical circuits and thermal/biological interactions.

Sensing: Proven track record of implementing low-latency feedback loops and sensor fusion.

Soft Skills

The "Translation" Factor: Ability to explain complex electrical phenomena to clinicians and translate clinical observations into engineering requirements.

Systems Thinking: The ability to see the "big picture" of how a minor component change affects the entire energy delivery chain.

Required Education and Training 

• B BS/MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.
• A minimum of 12 years of related experience with a university degree; or 8 years of experience and a master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years of experience; or equivalent experience.

Travel: up to 10% international 

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Experience with high-voltage and high-