Staff Mechanical Engineer

Company Description

At Intuitive, we are united behind our mission: we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints.
As a pioneer and market leader in robotic-assisted surgery, we strive to foster an inclusive and diverse team, committed to making a difference. For more than 25 years, we have worked with hospitals and care teams around the world to help solve some of healthcare's hardest challenges and advance what is possible.
Intuitive has been built by the efforts of great people from diverse backgrounds. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere. We strive to foster an inclusive culture built around diversity of thought and mutual respect. We lead with inclusion and empower our team members to do their best work as their most authentic selves.
Passionate people who want to make a difference drive our culture. Our team members are grounded in integrity, have a strong capacity to learn, the energy to get things done, and bring diverse, real world experiences to help us think in new ways. We actively invest in our team members to support their long-term growth so they can continue to advance our mission and achieve their highest potential.
Join a team committed to taking big leaps forward for a global community of healthcare professionals and their patients. Together, let's advance the world of minimally invasive care.

Job Description

Primary Function of Position

The Senior Research Engineer, Advanced Energy, is responsible for supporting investigations of complex system behaviors related to new advanced energy applications at Intuitive. Their focus will be on conducting experiments to support design and development of novel advanced energy instruments, contributing to the exploration of a novel system concept for new applications in surgical robotics. They will be a core member of the Advanced Research team responsible for supporting innovative technology development and commercialization. They will possess the ability to deeply understand individually complex mechanical, electrical, and biological systems while also working effectively within an interdisciplinary team to analyze higher-level system interactions and outputs. They must have strong technical depth in relevant areas and have a track record of successful research within a product development framework. Using their subject matter expertise, exceptional communication skills, and resourcefulness, they will identify key questions, and will design and execute experiments to support evidence-based development of advanced energy systems for novel clinical applications.

They will thrive in a high-energy, fast-paced environment, bringing a strong commitment to quality research and development. Key attributes include curiosity, critical thinking, attention to detail, and a collaborative mindset. They must excel in a small-team setting, with a shared sense of responsibility and reward, and must consistently deliver high-fidelity results.

Essential Job Duties

• Work within a small, cross-functional project team to identify and prioritize research foci based on clinical, product and business needs
• Develop solutions to diverse engineering problems requiring use of ingenuity and creativity. Leverage internal/external resources as necessary to achieve project objectives.
• Design/execute efficient and targeted experiments related to electro-mechanical systems, components, and sub-assemblies using computational, benchtop, ex vivo, and in vivo models
• Compile and analyze experimental results; distill findings and implications clearly to stakeholders
• Generate quantitative evidence in support of product and functional requirements
• Document research findings in whitepapers and technical documents following standard engineering and scientific practice, Intuitive DOPs, etc.  
• Collaborate with immediate team and broader business to effectively utilize available company resources (facilities and personnel) throughout the research process
• Work with mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical engineers to investigate and perform root cause analyses of emerging technology, design, manufacturing, or material defects
• Hands-on testing of equipment, fixtures and devices to support proof of concept, design development, pre-clinical and V&V activities
• Review and critically interpret academic literature and prior art to inform research path, documentation, and conceptualization of new experimental systems
• Utilize statistical methods to inform experimental design and data analysis
• Observe clinical cases and participate in interviews with clinical and subject matter experts to inform research focus
• Contributes to a strong team culture around high