Staff Optical Engineer

Intuitive•Sunnyvale, CA

2d•$174,800 - $295,800•Onsite

About The Position

The Staff Optical Engineer supports development of display concepts for the da Vinci Surgical System. Surgeons rely on clear, precise visual representation of the surgical field during extended use in demanding operating-room conditions. The role focuses on modeling, testing, and demonstrating display concepts developed by the Viewer Engineering team, including hands-on modeling and experimental validation of display brightness and contrast, image sharpness and resolution, white point, and color gamut. The position maintains awareness of emerging optical imaging techniques relevant to surgical imaging, augmented reality, and human perception. It also provides technical assistance to external development partners supplying custom components and subassemblies, with an emphasis on high quality, operational excellence, and strategic supply-chain development.

Requirements

Master’s degree with 5 years of experience, or PhD with 3 years of experience, in Optical Engineering or Sciences, Electrical Engineering, or Physics.
3 years of display industry experience.
Skill in using at least one standard optical CAD package, such as Zemax or Code V.
Experience in optical and opto-mechanical tolerance analysis.
Experience designing molded plastic optics and light pipes using non-sequential ray-trace CAD tools.
Familiarity with light sources such as LEDs and laser diodes, and with designing optics to process those light sources.
Understanding of standard lens fabrication technologies and their limitations.
Strong analytical skills and ability to engage deeply and meaningfully with technical individual contributors on specific activities.
Experience with practical laboratory methods for testing optical phenomena associated with light sources, spatial light modulators, and complex optical systems.
Experience with data-acquisition methods for collecting critical empirical data on prototypes of 3D display systems.
Basic familiarity with human visual perception, sources of visual discomfort in 3D vision systems, and evaluation methods.

Responsibilities

Model, test, and demonstrate new display concepts developed by the Viewer Engineering team for the da Vinci system.
Perform hands-on modeling and experimental validation of display brightness and contrast, image sharpness and resolution, white point, and color gamut.
Maintain awareness of developing optical imaging techniques related to surgical imaging, augmented reality, and human perception.
Provide critical technical assistance when working with outside development partners on custom components and subassemblies.
Prioritize strategic development of the supply chain.