Sr. Human Factors Engineer - Future Forward

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

The Senior Human Factors Engineer works closely with interaction designers, clinical engineers, and technical product managers to inform and guide development of new products, and ensure that those products are safe and easy to use. As part of new product development projects, they conduct user research, analyze and characterize use-related risks, and conduct usability testing of products prior to launch. They have primary responsibility for creating usability risk analyses and conducting final usability validation studies. The Senior Human Factors Engineer also works closely with the regulatory group to create the usability engineering documentation required for submission to medical device regulatory agencies.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Collect and synthesize detailed information on how users interact with Intuitive products through various techniques including interviews, simulations, direct observations, task analyses, and persona development.

• Present results of field observations, research, and usability testing to the New Product Development organization.

• Contribute to user interface designs by negotiating design recommendations to mitigate use errors and improve usability. Assist creation and revision of user-interface requirements documents.

• Analyze complaints from on-market products and update usability risk assessment and escalate usability-related issues as necessary.

• Design, execute, and report on usability (human factors) tests at various stages of product development from early prototypes all the way through formal FDA-mandated validation testing. Write and execute usability test protocols. Analyze test data and write test reports. Develop validation strategies for projects involving updates to existing products.

• Lead the efforts required to create and update usability risk analyses for Intuitive Surgical's products.

• Maintain traces between use risks, mitigations, and validation test cases.

• Reinforce a human centered design approach across the organization.

• Represent the Human Factors function on core teams for large projects.

• Coordinate human factors efforts across projects involving several sub-systems.

• Manage usability engineering activities within development projects and provide schedules and status to technical product managers and engineering project managers.

• Mentor junior human factors engineers (e.g. interns) and others in organization in usability engineering methods and best practices, as well as Intuitive product development processes.

• Lead or support the development of usability engineering processes within the Future Forward Research group, including the creation and maintenance of department operating procedures, test plan templates, etc.

• Prepare and review documentation for submission to regulatory agencies and notified bodies. Answer questions and provide additional justification and rationale to any questions received.

• Keep abreast of regulations and best practices for medical device human factors (e.g. IEC 62366, AAMI HE75, FDA Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Medical Devices) and advise management regarding potential improvements to internal processes and regulatory issues related to usability engineering.

Skills, Experience, Education, & Training:

• Minimum BS in Human Factors Engineering, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science with human-computer interface (HCI) emphasis, Human Centered Design, or related field. MS strongly preferred.

• Minimum 8+ years relevant Human Factors/Usability Engineering experience in hardware product development industry

• Experience in medical device, or similar regulated industry, a significant plus

• Ability to lead usability engineering activities (i.e. establishing usability requirements; creating usability risk analyses, test protocols, and test reports) for a complex, software-controlled electro-mechanical medical device

• Ability to interface with customers in a highly professional manner

• Ability to analyze and synthesize large quantities of information into usable communications

• Superior ability to write accurate, clear, and concise protocols, reports, operating procedures, etc. in a timely manner

• Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills

• Ability to work with and across various groups and levels of management within the organization, including other engineering groups, marketing, clinical engineering, and regulatory. Excellent collaboration skills.

• Ability to apply user-centered design and usability engineering principles to product research, development, and design

• Ability to travel internationally as well as domestically (up to 25%)

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.

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.