Platform Software Engineering Intern

It started with a simple idea: what if surgery could be less invasive and recovery less painful? Nearly 30 years later, that question still fuels everything we do at Intuitive. As a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, our technologies—like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion—have transformed how care is delivered for millions of patients worldwide.

We’re a team of engineers, clinicians, and innovators united by one purpose: to make surgery smarter, safer, and more human. Every day, our work helps care teams perform with greater precision and patients recover faster, improving outcomes around the world.

The problems we solve demand creativity, rigor, and collaboration. The work is challenging, but deeply meaningful—because every improvement we make has the potential to change a life.

If you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.

Primary Function of Position

As a Platform Software Engineering Intern at Intuitive, you’ll join a dynamic team working at the intersection of robotics and cloud technologies. You will help develop, test, and improve automation pipelines that power our digital products and connect with robotic systems. This internship is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in DevOps, cloud platforms, CI/CD workflows, and software reliability, while collaborating with engineers across hardware and software teams.

Essential Job Duties

• CI/CD & Automation

• Assist in building and maintaining automated build, test, and deployment pipelines using tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI.

• Contribute to writing scripts (Python, shell, etc.) that help automate manual tasks and improve delivery efficiency.

• Support testing and integration of new automation tools and frameworks as part of the team’s daily workflow.

• Integration & Reliability

• Work with team members to run and validate simulated tests for robotic systems and digital products.

• Help gather and process test results and telemetry data for analysis to monitor software reliability.

• Collaborate with engineers to troubleshoot issues and improve system integration between hardware and software.

• Collaboration & Enablement

• Participate in team meetings and design reviews, learning best practices in software engineering and DevOps.

• Work closely with other interns and engineers, sharing ideas and contributing to team goals.

• Document your work clearly to help team members reproduce or build upon your contributions.

Required Skills and Experience

University Hiring Program Eligibility 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.

Required Education and Training

• Current enrollment in a Computer Science, Engineering related technical degree-seeking program at the Master’s, or Doctorate level.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Coursework or hands-on experience with Python or a scripting language.

• Familiarity with Linux or Windows environments.

• Interest in cloud technologies (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) and modern software development practices.

• Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to learn.

• Good communication and teamwork skills

• Nice to Have:

• Exposure to version control tools (e.g., Git).

• Experience with CI/CD concepts or tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI).

• Knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) or cloud automation basics.

• Interest in robotics, AI/ML, or hardware testing.

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19.  Details can vary by role.

Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

Mandatory Notices

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer:  In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees
who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).  

For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s
start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay (paid at an hourly rate), benefits, and a housing allowance. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including relevant skills and experience for this internship, degree-seeking academic program (PhD, Master’s, Bachelor’s, etc), year in school, and location. The hourly rate is prorated against the intern program salaries listed and total program compensation will be based on internship duration.