Staff Embedded Software Engineer, Platform Networking

Intuitive; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for its Embedded Networking Software team in Sunnyvale, CA. You will own the architecture of the dV5 embedded network stack, drive multi-year technical direction, and mentor engineers across a multidisciplinary team.

You will collaborate with hardware, algorithms, FPGA, and manufacturing groups to deliver safe, high-performance networking solutions for surgical robotics.

Qualifications

• Embedded networking experience in a senior role.
• Experience with DDS-style middleware and distributed systems.
• Strong grasp of real-time networking and safety-critical software.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deliver features within the embedded network stack; own architectures across layers.
• Lead design reviews and mentor engineers; maintain hands-on involvement in critical code.
• Act as technical authority for hardware integration and escalate hard hardware–software issues.

Skills

C/C++

DDS-style middleware

Distributed systems

Networking protocols

Real-time systems

Leadership

Architectural design

Education

BS or MS in CS/EE

Tools

JTAG

GDB

Protocol analyzers

Job description

Job Description

The Embedded Platform Software team designs and builds the foundational software infrastructure for next-generation surgical robotic systems. We are looking for a high-energy, talented Senior Software Engineer to join the Embedded Networking Software team, within the Multiport Platform Software group.

We are a small group that works in a focused, high-energy environment working on New Product Development. We believe in applying first principles thinking, data driven decision making, continuous learning, and systematic planning to deliver results and achieve our goals.

• Are you passionate about technology?
• Do you want to have a direct impact on helping people live better lives?
• Are you interested in the medical applications of robotics?
• Do you like to build complex distributed systems?
• Does working in a multidisciplinary, systems-oriented design team sound exciting?

Your Role

You will be a technical leader on the team developing our flagship product, dV5. The team's focus is to enhance and extend the dV5 robotic embedded network across all 7 Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layers and apply that deep understanding to new surgical robotic systems. You will own the architecture, set the multi-year technical direction, and grow the engineers around you.

Your Responsibilities

In your first year in this role, you will:

• Design, develop, and deliver features, own some architectures across the embedded network stack and help define the technical roadmap across:
  • Reliability, including redundancy and fault tolerance strategies
  • Performance architecture for growing data transfer needs: low latency switching, traffic shaping, queue management
  • A distributed publish/subscribe messaging framework built on DDS-style middleware
  • Layer 5 Session APIs for seamless disconnect and reconnect of services and network nodes
  • Set the technical direction and standards for Layer 2/Layer 3 software, Ethernet MAC and PHY drivers, and deterministic real-time paths for safety critical data, applying queueing theory
• Lead design and code reviews, mentor senior and mid-level engineers, and raise the bar on design quality and debugging rigor while staying hands-on in the highest-risk code
• Serve as the technical authority on hardware integration, and lead escalations on the hardest hardware-software networking failures (JTAG, GDB, protocol analyzers)
• Drive alignment across cross functional teams such as Application Development, Algorithms, FPGA, Electrical, Clinical, and Manufacturing to negotiate requirements and resolve architectural tradeoffs
• Influence build-versus-buy, vendor silicon, and middleware selection, and make the case for investments that retire technical debt