Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician

Intuitive; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 51,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician in Sunnyvale, CA to support early-stage R&D of next-generation flexible energy delivery instruments. This fully onsite, day-shift role builds functional prototypes and supports dosimetry-focused testing to understand tissue effects.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in medical device development, strong hands-on skills, and the ability to translate concepts into reliable builds with minimal supervision.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in medical device R&D technician roles.
• Associate of Science degree or equivalent work experience.
• Strong hands-on prototyping and assembly from limited instructions.
• Proficient in prototyping/manufacturing methods including soldering and wiring.
• Knowledge of catheter materials and manufacturing processes.
• Dexterous with microscopes for small component assembly.
• Experience with benchtop and tissue-based testing; animal lab comfort.
• Proficient with Excel/Word/PowerPoint; ImageJ familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Build and refine medical device components and catheter assemblies.
• Assist early prototype builds: procure materials, inspect parts, rework and assemble.
• Prepare instruments and run benchtop and in vivo experiments.
• Support preclinical lab evaluations, setup equipment, and provide procedural help.
• Handle tissue prep and histology coordination; document results.
• Collaborate with engineers to test prototypes and report data.
• Maintain lab organization and document assembly procedures.
• Train other technicians and transfer knowledge to teams.

Skills

R&D technician experience

hands-on prototyping

assembly skills

high manual dexterity

benchtop testing

Excel/Word/PowerPoint

ImageJ familiarity

independent work

Education

AS degree or equivalent

Tools

Multimeter

Oscilloscope

Calipers

Micrometers

Vision systems

CMM

Job description

Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician

• Full-time
• Shift: Day
• Max. Salary Region 2: 50 USD
• Max. Salary Region 1: 59 USD
• Ways of Working: Onsite - This job is fully onsite.
• Employee Type: Employee
• Min. Salary Region 1: 44 USD
• Global Job Level (HCM): Support 4 (4)
• Min. Salary Region 2: 37 USD

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.

Were 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.

The Future Forward organization is Intuitive’s advanced concepts group. We explore emerging technologies, prototype next‑generation solutions, and build software experiences that shape the future of robotic‑assisted surgery.

If you're ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you'll find your purpose here.

Primary Function of Position

The Future Forward group within Intuitive Surgical is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician to support early‑stage R&D of next‑generation flexible energy delivery instruments and accessories. This is a hybrid role: you’ll build and iterate functional prototypes from early engineering concepts, and you’ll also support dosimetry‑focused testing (benchtop, ex vivo, and in vivo) to help the team understand the energy dose delivered to tissue and resulting tissue effects. The candidate should be comfortable working with minimal supervision, and with minimal work instructions and be able to take ideas from R&D engineers and figure out how to build fully functional instrument prototypes. The ideal candidate is hands‑on, detail‑oriented, comfortable with minimal supervision, and able to translate rough direction into reliable builds, experiments, and data.

• Builds and refines medical device components and catheter assemblies and provide input for the catheter assembly.
• Assisting with all aspects of early prototype builds, including procurement of material, inspection of materials and subassemblies, rework of components, assembly, troubleshooting, and repair of prototype instruments.
• Prepare instruments/electrodes/fixtures/tissue samples and run experiments from approved protocols.
• Support preclinical lab evaluations (including in vivo), equipment setup, and procedural assistance as needed.
• Perform tissue handling and histology prep activities (orientation/inking/trimming, fixation, cassette prep, labeling, sample tracking); coordinate outsourced histology and perform cryosectioning when applicable.
• Assisting engineers in benchtop and excised tissue lab evaluations of prototypes
• Collecting, recording, and reporting test results.
• Preparation of prototype instruments and accessories for benchtop testing and pre‑clinical lab evaluations, organizing, overseeing, and collaborating with other groups to assemble and test prototypes.
• Setup, organization, and maintenance of engineering lab and equipment.
• Documenting assembly procedures and training other technicians on assembly.
• Assisting in knowledge transfer to other groups / teams.

Required Skills and Experience

• 5+ years R&D technician experience in medical device development
• Minimum Associate of Science degree, or equivalent work experience
• Strong hands‑on prototyping/assembly skills and comfort working from limited work instructions.
• Hands‑on skills and knowledgeable in prototyping and manufacturing methods, including soldering, microscopic wire and cable stripping, use of rotary tools, drills, small hand tools and adhesive bonding.
• Knowledge of catheter materials and manufacturing processes including laminating, braiding, bonding, flaring, tipping.
• Manual dexterity to assemble small components, with microscope or similar magnification.
• Experience running benchtop and/or tissue‑based testing; comfortable in an animal lab environment.
• Experience with tissue prep for histology and meticulous sample/data record keeping.
• Proficiency with Excel/Word/PowerPoint; familiarity with ImageJ or similar image analysis tools.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Cryosectioning and outsourced histology submission experience.
• Basic electrical measurement experience (multimeter/oscilloscope) and metrology tools (calipers/micrometers/vision)
• Knowledge of medical grade adhesives.
• Ability to inspect components using metrology equipment (including calipers, micrometers, vision systems, CMM).
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Able to work independently.
• Strong design to learn and apply new technology.

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.

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.

Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:

Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please contact People Services at [e-mail].

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.

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