Simulated Use Test 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.

Primary Function of Position

• The Simulated Use Test Engineer will be a subject matter expert in customer use of da Vinci™ Surgical System product lines working with a team of dedicated individuals to test and improve the quality of the da Vinci™ Surgical System. The successful candidate will join in the effort to continuously improve product in Production and in the New Product Development pipeline. The candidate will accomplish this by finding new ways for product to fail, diagnosing failure modes, analyzing collected data, advocating for and driving forward implementation of improvements, and building partnerships of shared knowledge and continuous improvement across the organization. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate highest levels of character, energy, and capacity and forge strong relationships with both teammates and internal customers.

Essential Job Duties

• Lead project teams of various product and subsystem types (Instrument, System, Software, Hardware, Mechanical, Vision, New Products, Product Improvements, etc.)
• Technical and testing lead during the development of a novel new surgical robot systems, instruments, and accessories
• Create effective test plans and protocols and implement new test plans and protocols within prescribed methodological framework
• Execute test cases on products following test plan design and provide post-test documentation
• Identify hardware and software anomalies; find new ways to break products
• Perform sanity testing of new software builds and be able to identify faulty pull requests for debugging.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose new and existing failure modes to responsible hardware components or software conditions
• Work closely with the manufacturing engineering, design engineering, and software engineering teams to help conceptualize designs as well as improve reliability
• Function as a SimUse link between Manufacturing, Field Technical Specialist, and Engineering departments through data analysis and comparison
• Recognize opportunities to improve product quality via cross-functional process or management changes and propose solutions
• Successfully advocate product and process improvements for customers to Engineering and Production
• Facilitate training for current and future projects
• Create new test fixtures as required
• Creatively work around constraints to meet aggressive goals
• Develop SW scripts in Python or SQL for analyzing quality and reliability data
• Manage identification, resolution, and verification of design fixes in company issue-tracking database
• Create and publish product quality reports to cross-functional teams and upper management based on internal testing and external data gathering sources and be able to present the results in a clear and concise manner
• Perform formal verification and validation of new product releases and document testing results independently.
• Represent department in meetings and on project teams
• Present testing results and strategy in design review meetings
• Write and process Engineering Change Orders and deviations.
• Demonstrate good style in attacking the problem and documenting its resolution for internal records and possibly for the FDA
• Mentor and train new team members
• Provide in-depth and interactive product demos for employees and visitors
• Purchase lab supplies as needed

Required Skills and Experience

• Working knowledge of Good Manufacturing and Good Clinical Practices
• Project lead or project management experience
• Proficient in using Linux OS, including navigating the file system, managing processes, and executing shell commands via the terminal
• Solid understanding of Python programming and experience with executing scripts.
• Experience working with standard test methods and protocols
• Ability to read and effectively navigate through technical documentation
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in and lead teams
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills
• Demonstrated ability to effectively influence other engineers/organizations, communicate to upper management and program team, and interact easily with cross functional peers
• Demonstrated ability to think independently, make important project-related decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and plan schedules, estimate project effort, and meet deadlines with high quality work that meets business, user, and design objectives
• Passionate about our mission to improve process and product quality
• Ability to develop cross-departmental relationships
• Strong analytic skills as proven by track record for analyzing and fixing complex problems
• Demonstrated understanding of product development lifecycles, design change and document change control, process verification and validation methodologies, production process control methodologies in a medical device environment
• Quick learner who takes direction well and shows initiative
• Team player who values shared responsibility and celebrates shared successes

Required Education and Training

• Bachelor’s degree in Software, Mechanical, Electrical, Biomedical, or Computer Engineering or other technical field. Candidates without a Bachelor’s degree, but with an Associate’s degree and  commensurate experience will be considered (minimum of 2 years work experience).
• Minimum 2 years relevant experience in a medical device company

Working Conditions

• Be able to handle raw meat for testing purposes, including chicken, beef, and pork products.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with software quality assurance testing methodologies

 

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.