Job DescriptionPrimary Function of PositionAs a Principal Electrical Engineer, you will set technical direction and strategy for the innovative surgical energy equipment and accessories portfolio for Intuitive's da Vinci Surgical System, shaping architecture and technology roadmaps across multiple products and programs. You'll thrive in a dynamic, high-energy environment, making sound decisions with incomplete information-typical of cutting-edge product development. The ideal candidate has deep technical expertise, a track record of successful medical product development across multiple product generations, and a collaborative, mentorship-driven approach that elevates engineering capability across the organization.
Essential Job Duties• Technical Ownership:
Collaborate with Marketing, Software, and Clinical Engineering to define and refine product requirements across multiple programs within the Advanced Energy portfolio.
• Technical Strategy & Roadmap:
Define the multi-year technology and architecture roadmap for energy-based surgical platforms, setting technical direction that spans multiple products and programs.
• System Integration:
Identify and implement methods to satisfy product specs, ensuring seamless integration into effective system designs.
• Development & Testing:
Develop, validate, and document hardware solutions that meet clinical and environmental requirements.
• Problem Solving:
Provide technical expertise to resolve complex design, manufacturing, or field challenges.
• Prototyping:
Guide prototyping and feasibility studies for future product concepts, directing engineers through build, test, and down-select decisions.
• Stakeholder Support:
Offer expert guidance on energy-based surgical products to internal company stakeholders, including senior leadership and executive technical reviews.
• Organizational Influence:
Represent Advanced Energy engineering in cross-divisional and executive-level technical reviews; influence platform, architecture, and make/buy decisions at a business-unit level.
• Quality & Regulatory:
Define risk management strategy and process (DFMEA, hazard analysis, risk/benefit assessment per ISO 14971) and design verification/validation planning to ensure compliance with IEC 60601 series standards, and applicable FDA/international regulatory requirements. Author or review technical documentation supporting regulatory submissions (e.g., 510(k), CE/MDR technical files).
• Clinical Collaboration & Validation:
Partner with Clinical Engineering, surgeons, and human factors teams to validate device performance against real-world surgical use cases, including support for cadaver labs, animal studies, or clinical evaluations as needed.
• Risk Management Leadership:
Drive cross-functional risk analysis activities throughout the product lifecycle, identifying and mitigating electrical, mechanical, and use-related hazards for patient and user safety across the product portfolio.
• Mentorship & Technical Leadership:
Formally mentor Staff and Senior engineers, lead cross-team design reviews, and drive technical communities of practice to raise engineering capability across the organization.
QualificationsRequired Skills and Experience- Proficient in mixed signal design, embedded system design, and patient-isolated PCBA design.
- Skilled in component selection, lifecycle management, and design for reliability/manufacturability.
- Experienced in PCB fabrication, assembly, and testing.
- Hardware development in fast-paced, high-impact environments.
- Knowledgeable in all product development phases: design, implementation, debugging, verification, validation, and manufacturing transfer.
- Team player with hands-on engineering experience.
- Demonstrated application of medical electrical equipment standards (e.g., IEC 60601-1, IEC 60601-1-2 EMC, IEC 60601-2-2 for HF surgical equipment) in product design and verification.
- Strong communicator, able to influence and collaborate across teams and levels.
- Willingness to travel (~5-10%).
- Growth mindset; eager to learn and solve tough technical challenges.
- Passion for creating robust, reliable products.
- Hands-on experience with electrical safety design and testing for patient-connected circuitry.
- Direct experience with medical device design controls, including risk/hazard analysis, design verification and validation (V&V) planning and execution.
- Demonstrated technical leadership across multiple technical domains or product platforms, with the ability to influence architecture and strategy decisions org-wide without formal authority.
- Track record of successfully developing and launching multiple products or product generations through the full product development lifecycle.
• Project leadership or mentoring experience.
Required Education and Training• Bachelor's degree (BSEE).
• 15+ years experience in related electrical engineering roles.
• 8+ years of hands-on medical device product development experience, including multiple products taken through design verification/validation and regulatory clearance or approval (FDA 510(k)/PMA or equivalent).
Preferred Skills and Experience• Advanced degree (MSEE or PhD).
• Experienced with switched-mode power supplies and transformer/magnetic component design.
• Experienced with electrical safety, EMI/EMC testing and mitigation.
• Experienced with design control requirements for medical devices, such as risk/failure analysis, creation of product requirements, design verification and validation, and providing technical support for regulatory submissions.
• Experience with post-market surveillance activities, including complaint investigation, CAPA, and field failure root-cause analysis.
• Experience influencing product or technology strategy, including contributions to patents, publications, or industry standards bodies.
Additional InformationDue 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.
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.
