Senior Vision Systems 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

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Vision Systems Engineer to join our multidisciplinary engineering team. This role offers the opportunity to work across a large portion of the product lifecycle—from development and design through verification, manufacturing, sustaining engineering, and field support.

As a hands-on technical team member, you will leverage expertise in electrical and optics to solve complex technical challenges, improve product performance, and drive continuous improvement. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to investigate field issues, enhance manufacturability and reliability, and contribute to the development of next-generation vision systems.

Success in this role requires technical depth, intellectual curiosity, strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, and a collaborative mindset. You thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy solving challenging problems, and are passionate about delivering robust, high-quality products that make a meaningful impact.

Key Responsibilities

Product Engineering & Technical Leadership

• Lead technical investigations spanning design, manufacturing, and field performance throughout the product lifecycle
• Conduct detailed root cause investigations for product, manufacturing, and field issues, developing effective corrective and preventive actions
• Design, develop, test, validate, and implement engineering solutions to improve product performance, reliability, and manufacturability
• Develop manufacturing processes to diagnose failures and repair returned products
• Drive engineering decisions using sound technical judgment, data analysis, and structured problem-solving methodologies
• Participate in and lead design reviews, technical discussions, and risk assessments to ensure design robustness and product quality
• Mentor junior engineers by sharing technical knowledge, engineering best practices, and structured problem-solving approaches

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Optical, Electrical, Firmware, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Test, Quality, Clinical, and Operations teams to resolve complex technical challenges
• Contribute to new product development by providing design feedback based on lessons learned from released products and field experience
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Technical Expertise

• Design and execute engineering experiments, Design of Experiments (DOE), verification testing, and product life-cycle validation activities
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and system-level issues using structured, data-driven root cause methodologies
• Perform circuit analysis and electrical troubleshooting as required
• Apply failure analysis techniques and collaborate with external analytical laboratories utilizing methods such as FTIR, X-ray imaging, SEM/TEM, EDS, and related technologies
• Working knowledge of scripting or programming in Python, C, C++, C#, or JavaScript is desirable to support automation, analysis, and engineering workflows

Manufacturing & Supplier Development

• Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Serviceability (DFS) initiatives for components and subsystems
• Partner with suppliers to improve component quality, manufacturability, and overall product performance
• Support supplier qualification, manufacturing transfer, production ramp-up, and yield improvement initiatives
• Collaborate with Manufacturing and Quality E