Industrial Engineer

Socket.dev; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive Surgical is seeking an Industrial Engineer to drive continuous improvement across manufacturing operations. The role will lead projects of moderate to large scope, mentor junior staff, and act as a technical SME with a track record of continuous improvement results.

Your work will include value stream mapping, problem solving, and data-driven analysis to recommend and implement cost-reducing and quality-enhancing changes. Travel is minimal.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 4+ years of progressive Industrial Engineering experience.
• Strong verbal communication and group presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead Industrial Engineering projects such as value stream mapping and line/start-up activities.
• Use structured problem solving and data-driven analysis to drive improvements.
• Monitor labor, WIP, and productivity metrics; build business cases for changes.
• Analyze work cell layouts and process flows to improve utilization and efficiency.
• Perform time standards, line balancing, and basic simulation or cost estimation.
• Support large layout changes and communicate findings to management.
• Draft reports or dashboards to support data analysis; create simple analytics as needed.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Project Management

Data Analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering

Tools

Excel

Visio

Tableau

Job description

Primary Function of Position: The Industrial Engineer will lead efforts to improve the efficiency of physical and transactional processes throughout the organization. In this position, the IE will take a leadership role in advocating for a continuous improvement culture, executing projects of moderate to large scope across manufacturing operations, and driving lean improvement across numerous processes. The IE may mentor junior staff and will be considered a technical SME. The candidate should have a strong track record of continuous improvement results, experience with project management and good soft skills.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Participate and may lead Industrial Engineering projects and activities. Projects may include value stream mapping, design reviews, new product development and introduction, new line or facility start-up, and facility design.
• Run structured technical problem solving investigations and utilize data driven analysis to provide recommendations and solutions to achieve improvement.
• Evaluate operations and identify improvement opportunities, utilizing data analysis and metrics to build a business case, and deliver on execution. Monitor operational metrics including labor hours, WIP levels, and productivity, analyze data for trends, and collaborate with process owners to improve.
• Review and analyze work cell layout, process flow, material flow, etc. Assess best practices. Recommend cost-effective solutions for improving the utilization and efficiency of personnel, equipment and/or physical space. Lead projects that will result in improved costs and/or enhanced quality.
• Perform duties and train in the areas of time standards, line balancing, simulation modeling, cost estimation, manpower planning, and continuous improvement.
• Support large building or multi-cell layout changes. May lead layout changes of moderate size with minimal oversight.
• Upon request, perform strategic analysis and communicate findings effectively to various levels of management. This may include assessing long-range capacity forecasts from analysis to recommendations and justification for facilities, equipment, and/or manpower requirements for new or sustaining product ramp.
• May propose and/or draft reports or dashboards to support data analysis.
• May build simple reports or dashboards for analysis and deeper understanding.
• May maintain existing reports or dashboards as required.

Skills, Experience, Education, & Training:

Base Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required in Industrial Engineering or related discipline, and 4 years minimum of applicable, progressive work experience.
• Strong verbal communication and group presentation skills required.
• Proficient general software and data analysis skills required (e.g. Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, etc.)
• General project management skills.
• Ability to lead small to moderately sized change management initiatives.
• Proven ability to manage many projects concurrently and in a timely fashion.
• Advocating for Lean Manufacturing programs within the manufacturing operation.
• Understands implications of change and can work within Quality Systems.
• Minimal travel required (<10%).

Preferred Requirements

• Advanced data analysis skillset (e.g. Tableau, VBA, R, etc.) preferred.
• Simulation modeling experience (e.g. Simul8, Arena, etc) preferred.
• Experience working in medical device manufacturing and knowledge of industry regulations preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification with project experience preferred.
• New Product Development/Introduction experience preferred.
• Facility design and construction management experienced preferred.

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19. Details can vary by role.

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.

Mandatory Notices

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer:In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employeeswho are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).

For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’sstart date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes.

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

Preference will be given to qualified candidates who do not reside, or plan to reside, in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

This position may be filled at a different job level than listed here depending business need and/or on the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge and skills. Compensation will be based primarily on the job level at which the role is filled and the candidate’s qualifications, consistent with applicable law.

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, benefits, and equity. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including experience, skills, and qualifications. The target compensation ranges are listed.

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.