Senior Software 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.

Intuitive's Intraoperative Intelligence team is focused on Clinical Decision Intelligence: helping surgeons make better decisions in the operating room by giving them information they don't currently have access to. We do that through a combination of imaging, machine learning, and augmented reality, extracting meaning from the surgical scene and presenting it in ways that are actually useful in the moment.

You'll be taking novel clinical ideas from rough concept to production software on the da Vinci platform, working alongside a small, tight-knit group of engineers and researchers across computer vision, machine learning, graphics, and imaging software — collaborating to define what a feature actually needs to be, then driving it from early prototype to fully integrated, production-ready software.

At Intuitive, "Patients First" is more than a motto. In this team, that translates directly into how we build software. Strong engineering is a given, but the real measure of success is whether what we put in front of a surgeon makes a difference when it matters most. We build for outcomes, not for the sake of building.

What You'll Do:

• Design, build, and maintain software for real-time surgical visualization and augmented reality applications running on the da Vinci surgical system
• Collaborate closely with designers, clinical engineers, human factors specialists and software teams to translate complex clinical needs into reliable, performant software
• Build and iterate on prototypes quickly, then carry the best ideas through to production
• Define high-level requirements and architect clean software interfaces for a distributed robotic system
• Participate in failure mode analysis, to identify and implement robust hazard mitigation strategies
• Work within a regulated development environment, supporting verification, validation, and documentation requirements as needed
• Familiarity with software development methodologies and tooling, including version control, code review, and testing practices
• Hands-on experience working in a Linux development environment

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field. Equivalent practical experience will be considered.
• Strong proficiency in C++ in a production software environment
• Solid understanding of computer graphics fundamentals, including rendering pipelines, shaders, and scene management
• Practical experience with graphics APIs such as OpenGL, Vulkan, or Metal
• Experience integrating software into larger systems with well-defined interfaces and constraints

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Prior work in surgical robotics or medical imaging, and a genuine interest in healthcare and the role technology can play in improving patient outcomes
• An entrepreneurial mindset: comfortable with ambiguity, energized by early-stage problems, and able to move from concept to working prototype without a lot of hand-holding
• Demonstrated use of AI-powered tools (such as generative design, LLM-assisted coding, or AI-driven UI prototyping platforms) to accelerate the ideation-to-prototype pipeline — knowing not just how to use these tools, but when and why they add value
• Background in Human-Computer Interaction Engineering, with a solid understanding of how people engage with software in high-stakes environments
• Experience building high quality user interface using Qt/QML framework
• Experience with Unity, including building and shipping real-time 3D applications
• Experience with Nvidia CUDA programming
• Experience with computer vision or machine learning, particularly in applied or real-time contexts

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.

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].