Senior Machine Learning Engineer

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.

The person in this position will be expected to work with a cross-functional team to develop real-time intraoperative intelligence software for minimally invasive robotics system, to improve the surgical efficiency and clinical outcome for patients. Successful candidates will have experience in algorithm development, software design and development. The ideal candidate is an independent and fast-paced developer with excellent problem-solving skills and a passion for good software architectures and processes, capable of producing robust, high-quality code in the face of rapidly changing requirements.

Essential Job Duties

• Participating in the full cycle of the development of intraoperative surgical software
• Understanding clinical requirements and developing technical specifications
• Designing, prototyping, and implementing user-facing software and computer vision / machine learning algorithms
• Iterating with user feedback and delivering production-ready code
• Supporting system integration and testing
• Generating formal design documentation
• Preparing and review patent applications
• Contributing to system and software architecture
• Staying up-to-date with the latest model architectures and development trends and technologies, and proposing innovative solutions to enhance our software algorithms

Required Education, Skills and Experience

• Minimum Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields
• Deep understanding and hands-on experience in computer vision, and machine learning algorithm development
• Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas: image segmentation / registration / reconstruction
• Software development experience using C++ or Python, and experience with OOP design
• Familiar with one or more tools and libraries: OpenCV, PyTorch / TensorFlow, ITK / VTK
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• High levels of independence and technical ownership

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Proficiency in GPU programming such as CUDA
• Experience with software development process in a regulated medical device environment
• Knowledge and experience in camera pose estimation / SLAM

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.

Preference will be given to qualified candidates who do not reside, or plan to reside, in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

This position may be filled at a different job level than listed here depending on

business need and/or on the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge and skills.

Compensation will be based primarily on the job level at which the role is filled and the

candidate’s qualifications, consistent with applicable law.

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, benefits, and equity. 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 experience, skills, and qualifications. The target compensation ranges are listed.