Staff Embedded Software Engineer

Intuitive • Sunnyvale, CA

71d

About The Position

As a Staff Embedded Software Engineer, you will collaborate with a talented team to advance Intuitive's robotic product lines. In this role, you will be responsible for developing embedded and platform software, influencing areas such as firmware, user interfaces, and test infrastructure. You will lead the design, implementation, and integration of advanced embedded software features to deliver comprehensive surgical robot solutions. Your work will be critical to ensuring timely product releases and safe, reliable operation for human use. Success in this role requires excelling in a dynamic small team environment, driving solutions from rough requirements through methodical prototype iterations, and maintaining a high commitment to product quality with a patient-first approach.

Requirements

• Minimum 12 years of related experience with a University degree; or 8 years with a Master's degree; or 5 years with a PhD degree.
• Highly proficient in developing C/C++ embedded and real-time software for multi-core and multi-processor systems running embedded Linux and QNX.
• Experience with board bring up and device driver support.
• Fluent with version control systems and collaborative development environments.
• Familiar with communication protocols such as TCP/IP, CAN, I2C, SPI and serialization protocols like protobuf.
• Strong problem-solving skills and debugging capabilities for complex embedded software and electromechanical systems.
• In-depth understanding of failure mode and risk analysis, with experience in safety-critical, product-focused designs.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective interaction across all organizational levels.
• Passionate about learning, solving technical problems, and positively impacting patient lives.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with robotics and embedded software for complex electro-mechanical systems.
• Knowledgeable in Python or Matlab for automation, diagnostics, and testing.
• Familiarity with FPGA development and interfaces.
• Familiarity with CUDA programming and memory management concepts.
• Cyber-security concepts such as secure boot, authentication and encryption.
• Hands-on engineering experience with proven ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Experience in all phases of the product development lifecycle including design, implementation, debug, verification, validation, and transfer to manufacturing.
• Experience designing software products in a regulated industry or for mission critical applications; comfort with concepts of design input, design output, traceability, risk analysis, and mitigations.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop comprehensive embedded software to support system infrastructure, including OS drivers, hardware interfaces, time-critical data pipeline, inter-processor communication mechanisms, robust error handling, and user/test applications.
• Collaborate cross-functionally across all phases of product lifecycle to address clinical needs and safety requirements.
• Translate early requirements into prototype implementations for evaluating novel robotic systems.
• Own the unit testing and code integration to ensure exceptional system reliability and robustness.
• Act as software subject matter expert in hazard and failure mode analysis, identifying risks and defining effective mitigation strategies.
• Refine and iterate designs to meet requirements while balancing feasibility, schedule, and resources.
• Produce supporting documentation in compliance with Intuitive's development and documentation guidelines.
• Ensure medical device designs meet quality and safety requirements per the Quality Management System.

What This Job Offers

• Industry: Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing