Future Opportunity -- Machine Learning Engineer

Intuitive; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive is looking for an Algorithms Engineer to work on its new Ion™ robotic platform for minimally invasive biopsy. This role involves developing medical imaging analysis software, understanding clinical requirements, and implementing user-facing technologies.

The ideal candidate will have an MS or PhD in a related field and 5+ years of experience in algorithm development within medical imaging. This position offers a competitive salary and an inclusive workplace.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in algorithm development with a specialization in medical imaging and computer vision.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Drive the full cycle of medical imaging analysis software development.
• Understand clinical requirements and develop technical specifications.
• Design and implement user-facing software and algorithms.

Skills

Algorithm development

Medical imaging

Computer vision

Python

C++

ML frameworks (PyTorch, OpenCV)

CUDA

Data representativeness

Model optimization

Communication skills

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field

Tools

MONAI

SimpleITK

VTK/ITK

TensorRT

ONNX

Job description

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 foster an inclusive culture built around diversity of thought and mutual respect, empowering 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 us advance the world of minimally invasive care.

Job Description

The Ion™ endoluminal system is Intuitive's new robotic platform for minimally invasive biopsy in the peripheral lung, with an initial goal of improving the early diagnosis of lung cancer. As an algorithms engineer on the Ion project, you will join a team of robotics and software experts and play a lead technical role, working to conceptualize, design, and evaluate new aspects of a guidance software solution. This role focuses on the processing and fusion of diverse imaging modalities—including CT, CBCT, X‑ray fluoroscopy, and real‑time camera video streams—to improve surgical navigation and clinical outcomes.

• Drive the full cycle of the development of medical imaging analysis software, from clinical requirement analysis to production‑ready code.
• Understand complex clinical requirements and develop detailed technical specifications.
• Design, prototype, and implement user‑facing software and advanced algorithms for medical imaging, computer vision, and machine learning.
• Apply state‑of‑the‑art techniques such as nnUnet, Vision Transformers (ViTs), DINO, Diffusion models, and Vision Language Models (VLMs) to endoluminal navigation challenges.
• Support the development of AI/ML features in alignment with Good Machine Learning Practice (GMLP) principles, ensuring data representativeness and model transparency.
• Support system integration and testing while generating formal design documentation and patent applications.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience in algorithm development with a specialization in medical imaging and computer vision.
• Proficiency in Python and C++, with a deep understanding of modern software component design.
• Expert knowledge of ML frameworks including PyTorch and OpenCV.
• Practical experience with specialized libraries including MONAI, SimpleITK, and VTK/ITK.
• Hands‑on experience with CUDA and model optimization tools such as TensorRT or ONNX.
• Deep understanding of GMLP guiding principles, including separation of training/test sets and performance monitoring for AI‑enabled medical devices.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective cross‑functional collaboration with clinical and engineering teams.

Candidates at all experience levels are encouraged to apply, as the seniority level of the position may be adjusted based on the applicant.

Additional Information

Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer: In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR 743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status. For such roles, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need.

Benefits

Base Salary Range Region 1: $155,000 - $223,000

Base Salary Range Region 2: $131,800 - $189,600

Travel: None

Workplace Type: Set Schedule - This job will be onsite weekly, the percentage of onsite work will be defined by the leader.