Clinical Research Engineer - Future Forward

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. in; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, is seeking a Clinical Research Engineer to join the Future Forward team. You will collaborate with engineers, physicians, and UX researchers to translate clinical insights into early product concepts for incubated technologies.

This role emphasizes developing experimental strategies to evaluate prototype performance and safety, communicating clinical risks, and guiding design iteratively to shape the next generation of robotic-assisted surgery solutions.

Job description

Clinical Research Engineer - Future Forward (Finance)

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.

The Future Forward organization is Intuitive’s advanced concepts group. We explore emerging technologies, prototype next-generation solutions, and build software experiences that shape the future of robotic-assisted surgery.

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

The Clinical Research Engineer uses their in-depth clinical, scientific, and technical knowledge to collaborate with engineers, physicians, user experience researchers, and other internal and external stakeholders to develop new product concepts being incubated in early exploration. The individual brings their clinical device development expertise to new platform and technology development, and is responsible for identifying, documenting, and understanding user needs and subsequently communicating these needs to inform concept design and development. The Clinical Research Engineer is responsible for developing and executing an experimental strategy to assess performance and safety of prototype designs and is a key contributor in the design and development iteration process. The individual will take an active role in the concept design team by assessing and communicating clinical risks, providing design guidance, invent