Software Engineering Intern

Intuitive • Sunnyvale, CA

7d

About The Position

Primary Function of Position The Software Build team at Intuitive is seeking a Software Engineer Intern to work on a time-boxed, high-impact project focused on build observability in a large-scale Bazel-based build system. Our organization supports 350+ software developers working on safety-critical surgical robotics software. Small changes to build files (e.g., BUILD, WORKSPACE, macros, rules) can unintentionally cause large regressions in build performance, memory consumption, artifact size, or embedded platform footprint. The goal of this internship is to make the impact of a pull request on the build system visible and actionable before it lands, enabling early detection of regressions and violations during code review rather than after integration into the main development branch. This role is intentionally scoped for a 10–12 week engagement, with a clear problem statement, measurable outcomes, and organization-wide impact.

Requirements

• University Enrollment: Must be currently enrolled in and returning to an accredited degree-seeking academic program after the internship.
• Internship Work Period: Must be available to work full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) during a 10-12 week period starting May or June. Specific start dates are shared during the recruiting process.
• Current enrollment in a Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, or related technical degree-seeking program at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate level.
• Strong interest in one or more of the following areas: Distributed build systems Build tools and compilers Large-scale CI systems Performance analysis and observability
• Experience developing software in one or more of the following languages: Python Rust C or C++
• Ability to work independently on a well-defined technical problem and communicate design decisions, tradeoffs, and results clearly.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with Bazel concepts such as: Build graph and actions Remote execution and caching Build Event Protocol (BEP) Custom rules or macros
• Exposure to Nix / NixOS / Nix packaging , large monorepos, or hermetic build systems.
• Experience with metrics collection, data analysis, or developer-facing tooling.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement build observability for Bazel-based workflows , focusing on PR-level impact analysis. Examples of impact signals include: Changes in number of actions Critical path duration Memory usage Disk / artifact size growth Impact on embedded platform images or deployable outputs
• Collect, analyze, and visualize Bazel build metrics using available build event data (e.g., BEP), remote execution/cache signals, or custom instrumentation.
• Integrate observability into the developer workflow , such as: CI pipelines Pull request checks Build dashboards or reports Automated guardrails that flag regressions or policy violations
• Define and validate meaningful thresholds or heuristics that distinguish acceptable change from harmful regression.
• Deliver a minimum viable product (MVP) within the internship period and: Integrate it into at least one real developer workflow Measure and communicate its impact to the build and software engineering organization
• Collaborate closely with senior build engineers during problem definition, architecture, integration, and evaluation, while maintaining strong individual ownership of execution.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern