R&D Engineering Lab Manager

Socket.dev; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive Surgical is seeking an experienced R&D Engineering Lab Manager to oversee Ion I&A NPD lab spaces in Sunnyvale. You will manage infrastructure, equipment, training, and safety to enable development and verification activities across multiple projects.

You will coordinate with facilities and vendors, monitor budgets, ensure compliance, and drive continuous lab efficiency. A strong self-starter with superb organizational and communication skills is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in lab design and set-up.
• Demonstrated organizational skills: knowing where things are and the order of work.
• Experience coordinating simple projects.
• People-coordination across stakeholders and teams.
• Experience with outside vendors for lab needs.
• Experience leading compliance audits and addressing findings.
• Budget proposals and adherence experience.
• Self-starter with initiative to improve lab efficacy.
• Ability to handle multiple priorities and attention to detail.
• Fluent in Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent verbal and written interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage lab layout and inventory for optimum performance.
• Forecast demand, maintain supplies, and manage lab budget.
• Ensure equipment is functional, calibrated, and safe; oversee maintenance and borrowing systems.
• Coordinate with facilities, contractors, and vendors for timely lab work.
• Maintain EH&S and safety training; enforce lab guidelines.
• Serve as primary contact for lab audits and address findings.
• Contribute to lab equipment budget proposals.
• Support engineers with lab operations and prototyping needs.
• Plan for future lab capacity and growth.
• Track lab efficiency and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Lab design

Organizational skills

Project coordination

People coordination

Vendor coordination

Audit experience

Budgeting

Multitasking

Attention to detail

MS Office

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent with 5+ years experience

Job description

Primary Function of Position

The R&D Engineering Lab Manager is responsible for managing the labs spaces for the Ion I&A NPD organization, which is used for the development, evaluation, and verification of new and existing products. As lab manager, this individual will maintain the lab infrastructure, equipment, supplies, training, and safety.

Essential Job Duties

• Manage lab layout by moving tools, equipment, and inventory as required for optimum performance.
• Maintain adequate supply levels, forecast demand, and manage budget for lab consumables.
• Ensure all lab equipment is functional, safe, calibrated, and aligned with R&D needs; minimize downtime. Own lab equipment organization, maintenance, calibration schedule, and borrowing system.
• Coordinate with facilities, building contractors, and vendors for lab maintenance and any repairs/renovation are performed in a timely manner.
• Maintain compliance to EH&S, OSHA, and all other lab safety protocols. Ensure lab users have proper safety and equipment training and enforce lab guidelines.
• Serve as Intuitive point of contact for lab audits and facilitate auditor questions, walkthroughs, requests. Take point on directly addressing or identifying owners for responding to audit findings.
• Contribute to budget proposals for any shared lab equipment and consumables.
• Support requests from individual engineers for assistance with lab operations, including but not limited to: adapting lab setup to accommodate custom prototyping needs or other engineering activities, procurement of lab supplies, equipment, or other engineer lab bench set ups and changes.
• Establish systems to streamline lab maintenance where relevant
• Plan for future lab capacity needs and other needed changes to support the growth of the engineering organization.
• Track, analyze, and report lab efficiency, usage, and readiness; use metrics to drive continuous improvement across operations
• Coordinate prototyping or testing activities, as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience

• Experience in lab design and set-up
• Demonstrated organizational skills: knowing where things are and the order in which things need to get done.
• Demonstrated skill in coordinating simple projects.
• Demonstrated people-coordination skills: ability to work constructively across many stakeholders / customers / collaborators / personalities, as well as work with new people on a routine basis.
• Experience working with outside vendors to address typical lab needs.
• Experience with leading compliance audits and responding to findings.
• Experience with budget proposals and adherence
• Self-starter: Takes initiative to solve problems and improve lab efficacy
• Ability to handle multiple ongoing priorities as a matter of routine
• Possesses ability to give attention to detail
• Fluent in Microsoft Office applications
• Excellent verbal and written interpersonal skills

Required Education and Training

• College degree or its equivalent in a technical or vocational training is preferred and 5+ years of relevant experience.

Working Conditions

• Ability to lift heavy objects weighing up to 50 pounds

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Prior experience managing staff (for future growth of the role responsibility)

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 employees who 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’s start 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.