Sr Human Factors Design 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.

Primary Function of the Position  

As part of the Intuitive Human Factors team, the Senior Human Factors Engineer works closely with designers, clinical engineers, system and software engineers, technical product managers, regulatory affairs, and other important functional teams. The Senior Human Factors Engineer is a key contributor in informing and guiding development of new products, and ensuring that those products are feasible, viable and desirable.  

As a member of new and sustaining product-development project teams, the Senior Human Factors Engineer leads as a key stakeholder within a creative and structured process to conduct user-centered design research, analyze and characterize use-related risks, conduct usability testing of products prior to launch, and track and iterate on designs once projects are in the field. They have primary responsibility for evaluating product designs with end-user test participants, and to conduct qualitative research to gain a deep understanding of users, uses and use environments; analyze and characterize usability considerations; conduct concept evaluations to realize the impact of design concepts on user workflow, behavior and performance; translate user needs into usability requirements; and develop new tools to measure UX and inform design. 

Essential Job Duties 

Engineering Background: 

• Lab Engineering- Support lab-based testing, bench experiments, and prototype evaluations

• Experience in bio‑design, robotics, or human‑robot interaction.

• Apply BME principles to evaluate device‑tissue interaction, biomechanics, ergonomics, and human‑robot interfaces.

• Support development of robotic or electromechanical systems with a focus on human interaction

• Develop, position and execute end-to-end formative research plans within product development that are inclusive of user research, human performance research, as well as explorative co-creation and usability evaluations with prototypes of varying fidelity and resolution. 

• Plan, collect and synthesize data to generate insights on how and why users interact with Intuitive products through various techniques including interviews, simulations, direct observations, task analysis, human performance research, persona development, usability testing, mixed methods research, discovery from known use problems, etc.

• Represent Intuitive during interactions with end-user clinicians and customers in multiple international markets to gather design insights in a highly professional manner, during formative research activities.

• De-risk design strategies by identifying root causes that account for human performance influencers underlying the user experience.

• Analyze, define and evaluate workflow and user interface designs. Negotiate design recommendations and improvements to prevent hazardous situations related to use errors and improve usability.

• Accountable for establishment, authoring and management of usability design inputs. Translate findings from formative research activities into insights that are used to define evidence-based user requirements and user interface design requirements to inform user interface design, labeling and training.

• Collaboratively develop conceptual prototypes that reflect performance influencers for showcasing and translating for stakeholders.

• Advocate for safety, usability and desirability of the user experience while balancing tradeoffs associated with project risks and product risks related to user needs and business needs.

• Analyze complaints from on-market products, identify, analyze and manage usability risk analysis, and escalate usability-related issues as necessary.

• Author and maintain human factors engineering documentation in support of design controls and regulatory submissions.

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

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

Required Skills and Experience 

• Minimum Education: 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 of 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree (in engineering); or 6 years and a master’s degree; or a relevant PhD with 3 years’ experience; or equivalent experience with human factors/biomedical devices.  

• Experience in medical device or similar highly regulated industry is of significant value.  

• Ability to conduct user research studies in diverse populations demonstrated by a portfolio of designing and executing research studies (ideally in Health Care).  

• Ability to conduct traditional and rapid cycle evaluation of products (e.g., prototype testing, usability testing, and feasibility testing) within and beyond the lab (experimentally evaluating services, products, or tools in the field).  

• Experience with data collection tools, e.g., Qualtrics.  

• Ability to analyze and synthesize large quantities of qualitative and quantitative data using QDA software and statistical software (e.g. NVivo, atlas.ti, SPSS/SAS/Stata/R).  

• Excellent writing, verbal communication and presentation skills working within a highly statured communication environment using multiple communication channels (email, text, video conference, instant messaging platforms)  

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with and across various groups and levels of management within the organization, including other engineering groups, marketing, clinical engineering, and regulatory to solve complex usability issues involving detailed risk analysis.  

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

Required Education and Training 

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

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.