Mechanical Engineer, Endoscope Tip and Vision

Intuitive•Sunnyvale, CA

19d

About The Position

Intuitive Surgical’s Future Forward group is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to design the endoscope system for a novel robotic surgical platform. As an early member of the team, the engineer will help define the product from early prototypes through clinical trials and product launch. The role owns mechanical design for the endoscope distal tip and camera module, including housings, optical windows, lens and image-sensor mounts, illumination integration, and sealing features. It involves designing miniature, high-precision components; selecting materials and joining processes; building and testing prototypes; applying analysis and simulation; and developing suppliers and production-intent components. The engineer will translate system and user needs into requirements, contribute to risk management and design-control documentation, and support verification, clinical builds, and design transfer. The role also partners with electrical engineers on compact electro-mechanical integration and performs thermal analysis and characterization to ensure components and patient-contacting surfaces remain within applicable temperature limits.

Requirements

At least 4 years of industry experience designing and delivering complex, precision mechanical assemblies, or at least 1 year with a PhD.
Hands-on experience building, assembling, and testing prototypes and complex mechanical assemblies.
Proficiency in 3D CAD; SolidWorks is strongly preferred.
Working knowledge of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) or ISO drafting standards and tolerance stack-up analysis.
Experience applying FEA and first-principles engineering analysis to mechanical-part design.
Experience designing for machining and injection molding and working directly with suppliers.
Strong communication and documentation skills and ability to collaborate in a fast-paced, cross-functional team.
BS in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field.

Nice To Haves

Electro-mechanical system design experience integrating PCBAs, flex or rigid-flex circuits, cabling, connectors, sensors, or actuators into compact mechanical packages.
Thermal analysis and thermal-management experience, including heat-transfer calculations, heat-sink or heat-spreader sizing, thermal simulation, and correlation with test data.
Medical-device development experience, particularly with endoscopes, catheters, or other minimally invasive instruments, under ISO 13485 design controls.
Knowledge of biocompatible materials (ISO 10993), sterilization or reprocessing methods, and sealing or ingress protection.
Experience with micro-manufacturing processes such as Swiss-type machining, micro-molding, MIM, laser welding, and precision adhesive bonding.
Familiarity with IEC 60601-1 and IEC 60601-2-18.
Scripting experience for data analysis or test automation, such as Python or MATLAB.

Responsibilities

Own mechanical design of the endoscope distal tip and camera module, including housings, optical windows, lens and image-sensor mounts, illumination integration, and sealing features.
Design miniature, high-precision machined, injection-molded or micro-molded, and MIM components; perform tolerance stack-up analysis for optical alignment and assembly yield.
Select materials, adhesives, and joining processes compatible with biocompatibility, sterilization, and reliability requirements.
Build, assemble, and test prototypes; analyze results and drive rapid design iterations.
Apply FEA and other structural, thermal, and sealing modeling and simulation methods to inform design decisions.
Design tooling and fixtures for assembly, optical alignment, and testing.
Work with suppliers to develop quick-turn prototypes and production-intent components, driving DFM/DFA, quality, and cost.
Translate system and user needs into mechanical requirements and specifications, and contribute to risk management activities such as dFMEA.
Create detailed drawings with GD&T and document designs, test protocols, and reports under design controls.
Support design verification, clinical builds, and design transfer to manufacturing.
Generate and evaluate concepts for next-generation endoscopic and vision devices.
Partner with electrical engineers to package flex or rigid-flex circuits, micro-coax cables, and connectors through the tip and shaft while managing bend radius, strain relief, and EMI shielding.
Perform thermal analysis of the tip and camera module; design heat-spreading paths and heat sinks to keep image sensors and patient-contacting surfaces within component and IEC 60601 temperature limits.
Plan and execute thermal characterization tests, such as thermocouple measurements and IR thermography, and correlate results with models.