Manager, Mechanical Engineering, NPD Systems

Intuitive; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive's Ion endoluminal system is a robotic platform for minimally invasive biopsy. The NPD team seeks a technical leader to guide mechanical engineering efforts, set direction, and ensure high-quality design across stages from concept to production.

The successful candidate will manage a team of mechanical engineers, drive design-for-manufacturing, collaborate with clinical and manufacturing partners, and uphold regulatory standards to deliver reliable, safe medical devices.

Qualifications

• Analytical mind and exceptional design skills required.
• Experience leading mechanical engineering teams.
• Knowledge of regulatory standards (ISO, ASTM, FDA) where applicable.

Responsibilities

• Establish and enforce design standards, drawing conventions, and engineering review processes within the team. Guide them through FEA, tolerance analysis, and implementing design-for-manufacturing (DFM) methodologies.
• Coach, evaluate and give feedback to team members; set development plans and manage budgets.
• Oversee mechanical design activities across NPD from concept to production release and stabilization.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks; ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Mechanical design

Leading teams

Tools

FEA

DFM

Job description

Job Description

Primary Function of Position
The Ion™ endoluminal system is Intuitive's robotic platform for minimally invasive biopsy
in the peripheral lung, with an initial goal of improving the early diagnosis of lung cancer.
Our New Product Development (NPD) team is seeking a candidate with an analytical mind
and exceptional design skills to be a technical leader and guide their team through
technical challenges while committing to the highest product quality for our robotic
platform. The ideal candidate will thrive in a high-energy, focused, small-team environment
and be comfortable handling multiple priorities.
This role is an exciting opportunity to join a rapidly growing new business within Intuitive
and contribute meaningfully to its future growth.
Essential Job Duties
This role works closely with clinical, electrical, industrial design, supplier engineering,
quality and manufacturing teams to ensure designs of medical capital equipment meet
clinical and user needs and perform reliably and effectively in the field. In this position, you
will play a critical leadership role within the NPD team. You will be accountable for the

performance, direction, and development of a team of
mechanical engineers working on complex, high-impact
product development programs. This role requires the ability to
set clear technical direction, ensure engineering excellence
through oversight and review, and build a team culture of accountability, innovation, and
continuous improvement. The duties below represent the core responsibilities of this position:

• Design Best Practices
  • Understand and exemplify Intuitive’s culture of first principles thinking and that patients come first, always.
  • Establish and enforce design standards, drawing conventions, and engineering review processes within the team. Guide them through FEA, tolerance analysis, and implementing design-for-manufacturing (DFM) methodologies.
  • Review and approve engineering documentation including specifications, BOMs, test plans, and validation reports.
• Performance management
  • Coach, evaluate and give feedback to the team members throughout the
    year and through annual Performance Review.
  • Work with team members to create long-term development plans.
  • Manage the team’s assignments, priorities and budget annually.
  • Provide guidance through complex situations or conflicting goals.
• Project management
  • Oversee and approve mechanical design activities across all phases of
    NPD, from concept through production release and stabilization, ensuring
    designs meet the highest level of performance, safety, and
    manufacturability requirements.
  • Lead or facilitate design reviews and ensure corrective actions are
    tracked and resolved.
• Risk management
  • Ensure team compliance with applicable regulatory and industry
    standards (e.g., ISO, ASTM, FDA if applicable).
  • Identify and proactively mitigate technical risks within the mechanical design domain throughout the product development lifecycle.