Intuitive · Sunnyvale, CA

Clinical Development Engineering - Vision Systems at Intuitive — Sunnyvale, CA

Full-timeSunnyvale, CAPosted 2026-07-21Apply on SmartRecruiters

Full job description

Primary Function of the Position

The Clinical Development Engineer (CDE) uses their in-depth knowledge of the surgical environment and medical technology to work with design engineers and clinicians to define, develop, and validate the clinical function of new products within our multi-port and single-port surgical robotic platforms. The primary focus of the CDE is to establish and validate data-driven clinical requirements to ensure a high-quality patient outcome.

Essential Job Duties

  • Apply in-depth knowledge of the operating room environment and of the da Vinci Surgical Systems to become an expert within the company on the clinical application of Intuitive’s products
  • Provide a clinical voice to product development by defining and assessing clinical performance of new products
  • Collaborate with marketing partners and clinicians to identify and understand clinical needs
  • Use an analytical approach to identify potential product enhancements and new product ideas
  • Take an active role in new product development teams, including contributing to design reviews, and providing design guidance to engineering design teams
  • Assess and document clinical risks, and identify appropriate mitigations
  • Conduct pre-clinical testing to validate the safety and efficacy of new products
  • Support regulatory documentation and submissions
  • Provide subject matter expertise to user manual and training documentation development
  • Support clinical evaluation of new products at key customer sites
  • Maintain current knowledge of clinical applications of Intuitive’s products
  • Keep Intuitive’s vision and values at the forefront of decision making
  • Perform other duties as required to support the company’s overall strategy and goals

Required Skills and Experience

  • Minimum of 5 years of experience in medical device industry with a Bachelor’s degree, OR 3 years experience with a Master’s degree, or 0-1 year with both MS and PhD
  • Experience working with surgeons in an operating room environment
  • Fluent in surgical terminology and sound knowledge of anatomy and surgical technique
  • Excellent mechanical aptitude and intuition for spatial relations, including the ability to understand complex mechanical products

Nice to have:

  • Excellent analytical capability and practical skills to develop test methods and draw conclusions
  • Excellent teamwork skills with proven ability to cultivate collaboration across multiple disciplines
  • Effective communication skills (verbal, written, presentation)
  • Proven success recognizing critical issues and driving them to closure by taking coordinated action
  • Self-starter needing minimal supervision
  • Self-confident and able to react quickly under pressure

Working Conditions

  • Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, internationally and domestic

Mandatory Notices