Senior Software Engineer

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 271,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design, build, and evolve a modern Data-as-a-Service platform supporting Digital products across the organization. You will deliver features in real-time and micro-batch data pipelines powering product development, tools, and analytics.

You will focus on high-throughput, low-latency data delivery through streaming pipelines and APIs, enabling AI/ML, self-service analytics, and operational decision-making at scale.

Qualifications

• Fluent coding in at least two major programming languages.
• Hands-on experience building data pipelines with distributed systems (Spark, Kafka).
• Experience with Data Platform components and design patterns (event-driven pipelines, queues, orchestration).
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP).
• SQL and relational databases experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable distributed systems for data pipelines and APIs.
• Develop self-service APIs and applications for data access.
• Collaborate with core teams to evolve data models and architectures.
• Apply CI/CD, automated testing, and infra-as-code practices.
• Mentor junior engineers and lead moderately complex data projects.

Skills

Programming languages

Data pipelines

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering/IT

Tools

Apache Spark

Kafka

Elasticsearch

Snowflake

Airflow

Kubernetes

Postgres

DBT

AWS

GCP

Job description

Company Description

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.

Job Description

Primary Function of Position:

The Senior Software Engineer will design, build, and evolve key components of a modern, scalable Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform that supports Intuitive Digital products and serves more than 2,000 engineers across the organization. This role is responsible for independently delivering significant features and services within our real‑time and micro‑batch data pipelines that power product development, internal tools, and analytics. The engineer will make sound design decisions within their area, collaborate effectively across functions, and contribute to the reliability, performance, and usability of the platform at scale.

Major work will focus on developing high‑throughput, low‑latency data delivery through streaming pipelines, dynamic transformations, and APIs that enable application development, AI/ML, and actionable insights. You will help implement the architecture and engineering practices that support self‑service analytics and operational decision‑making.

Essential Job Duties

• Design and build scalable distributed systems that leverage event-based and streaming data pipelines to handle ingestion and processing of robot, manufacturing, and clinical data
• Develop self‑service APIs and applications that enable users to access and interact with data
• Partner with core engineering teams to evolve data models in response to changing business needs
• Apply software development best practices - CI/CD, automated testing, infrastructure‑as‑code, and microservice architectures - in your day‑to‑day work
• Actively participate in team planning, code reviews, KPI reviews, and design discussions, offering constructive input and driving decisions to closure within your area
• Serve as a mentor to junior engineers and new team members, sharing knowledge and helping accelerate their ramp‑up and growth
• May lead moderately complex projects within the data domain, coordinating with cross‑functional partners to deliver successful outcomes

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• Fluent coding in at least two major programming languages
• Hands‑on experience building data pipelines and working with distributed systems using technologies such as Apache Spark, Kafka, Elasticsearch, Snowflake, and Airflow
• Working technical knowledge and experience with Data Platform components / design patterns:Event‑Driven Pipelines (e.g. AWS Lambda)Message Queues (e.g. Kafka)Container Orchestration (e.g. Kubernetes)Stream Processing (e.g. Flink, Spark)Relational Databases (e.g. Postgres)Data Warehouses (e.g. Snowflake)Analytics Engineering (e.g. DBT)Workflow Orchestration (e.g. Airflow)Search Engines (e.g. Elasticsearch)
• Solid understanding of CI/CD workflows, unit testing and integration testing, and deployment patterns
• Experience with AWS and/or GCP
• Experience with SQL and relational databases
• Ability and enthusiasm to work collaboratively and cross‑functionally, take ownership of your deliverables, and drive your own progress while knowing when to elevate

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience on a Platform team
• Experience with Gitlab CI/CD or other CI tooling
• Experience with Terraform, Ansible, Packer + general IaC best practices
• Familiarity with CNCF projects and successful use of them in past projects

Required Education and Training

Solid quantitative background in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Math, or a related field. Minimum a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field, with a typical minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.

Additional Information

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 on 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 (email protected).

Compensation

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.

• Base Compensation Range Region 1: $188,600 USD - $271,400 USD
• Base Compensation Range Region 2: $160,300 USD - $230,700 USD
• Shift: Day
• Workplace Type: Set Schedule - This job will be onsite weekly, the percentage of onsite work will be defined by the leader.