Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Platform Software

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.

Our team designs and builds the embedded platform software infrastructure that supports critical
performance, safety and user-facing features of the da Vinci™ Surgical System, Intuitive’s flagship product.
We’re looking for a high energy, experienced embedded software engineer to take technical ownership
across our embedded platform software stack.

In this role, you will lead board bring-up initiatives, drive architectural decision for our next-generation platforms, and serve as a technical anchor for the team – mentoring junior engineers and collaborating cross-functionally with hardware, system software, and FPGA teams. You will own critical subsystems supporting video networking, UI display, and machine learning capabilities of Da Vinci 5 while driving improvements in robustness, reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability.

Essential Job Duties 

• Lead board bring-up activities for next generation-based platforms including bootloader configuration, BSP customization, peripheral driver integration and system validation – taking end-to-end ownership from initial power-on through production readiness.
• Own development and drive the technical direction of embedded software for video networking, UI display, and machine learning applications on Linux-based systems – including architectural decisions, code review and performance optimization.
• Design and own comprehensive test strategies to validate board functionality, peripheral interfaces, and system performance metrics – including defining acceptance criteria and driving resolution of complex hardware-software integration issues.
• Partner with and technically guide hardware engineers to identify, root-cause and resolve board-level issues during early development phases – serving as the primary software interface for cross-functional hardware bring-up
• Architect and lead the development of automated test frameworks for board validation and regression testing – establishing scalable infrastructure usable across multiple platform variants.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, and hands-on debugging support – actively contributing to the growth of the team.
• Author and maintain technical documentation including design specifications, bring-up procedures, and failure analysis reports in compliance with FDA-regulated development processes.

Required Education, Skills & Experience 

• Minimum of 8 years of related experience and a Bachelor's degree; or 6 years experience and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 3 years of experience; or equivalent experience
• Expert-level proficiency in C or C++ for embedded systems development, including memory management, real-time constraints, and performance-critical code
• Experience in bare-metal, embedded Linux, including kernel internals, custom device driver development, BSP bring-up, and user space application development
• Proficiency with embedded development and debugging tools including GDB, JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and cross-compilation toolchains
• Proven hands-on experience with hardware interfaces and protocols (I2C, I2S, T1S, SPI, UART, USB, Ethernet, CAN) – including bring-up debugging, and driver development for each
• Debugging and root-cause analysis skills, with a track record of resolving complex, multi-layer Hardware-FPGA-software integration failures in time-critical environments
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and technically develop junior and mid-level engineers
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and cross-functional team collaboration

Preferred Skills & Experience 

• Hands-on experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms (TX2/Xavier/Orin or similar) or comparable ARM-based SOCs in a production embedded environment
• Hands-on experience with GPU acceleration (CUDA) and hardware-accelerated inference frameworks (TensorRT) in production embedded systems
• Experience with QNX RTOS or other real-time operating systems in safety-critical applications.
• Proficiency in Python and bash scripting for test automation, bootup design, and build system integration
• Demonstrated ability to root cause complex hardware-software interactions
• Demonstrated experience in and comfort with all phases of the product development lifecycle including design, implementation, debug, verification, validation, and transfer to manufacturing
• Experience designing software products in an FDA or other regulated industry or for mission critical applications; comfortable with concepts of design input, design output, traceability, risk analysis, and mitigations

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.

Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:

Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please contact People Services at [email protected].

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.