Senior HRI Design Engineer for Robotics Usability

Intuitive; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking a Human Factors Design Engineer to maximize usability and desirability of products while minimizing risk through scientific research and usability engineering.

The HFDE collaborates with product managers, engineers, clinicians, and regulatory teams to de-risk design strategies and translate research into actionable user requirements across robotic systems and accessories.

Responsibilities

• Tele-operations would be good/motion control/haptics
• Apply deep expertise in robotics, HRI, HMI, and mixed-methods research to identify unmet user needs, performance limitations, and opportunities for future product innovation.
• Represent Intuitive during formative research with clinicians and customers across global markets.
• Independently generate, prioritize, and communicate actionable design insights that shape product strategy, influence development priorities, and advance human factors capabilities.
• De-risk design strategies focused on the analysis of human performance, workflow, and usability factors, while identifying and mitigating systemic usability risks across product lines.
• Serve as the human factors lead for complex development initiatives, partnering with engineering, clinical, product management, quality, and regulatory teams to drive usability-centered design decisions.
• Influence product and business decisions by balancing user needs, safety, usability, technical feasibility, and organizational priorities.
• Lead the definition and management of usability design inputs across robotic systems, instruments, and accessories, translating research findings into actionable user and interface requirements.
• Develop and evaluate conceptual prototypes that communicate design strategies, performance considerations, and future product concepts.
• Champion safety, usability, and user experience through evidence-based risk-benefit analyses and human-centered design practices.
• Author and maintain human factors engineering deliverables, ensuring compliance with design controls, usability engineering processes, and regulatory requirements. Mentor peers and project teams in applying HF methodologies, frameworks, and best practices while fostering innovation through the integration of user insights and cross-functional expertise.

Job description

Intuitive in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking a Human Factors Design Engineer to maximize usability and desirability of products while minimizing risk through scientific research and usability engineering.

The HFDE collaborates with product managers, engineers, clinicians, and regulatory teams to de-risk design strategies and translate research into actionable user requirements across robotic systems and accessories.