Value 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.

The Value Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for working cross functionally to identify, develop and implement enterprise-wide value engineering processes and tools.  This role will also act as a subject matter resource as needed to facilitate value engineering activities.  This role will be instrumental in the identification and implementation of cost savings and ensuring that value is maximized across the full product lifecycle with solutions for cost, quality, and scale through a collaborative, cross-functional approach.

Essential Job Duties 

• Develop and Implement Value Engineering Processes and embed them into Intuitive’s broader business practices, such as the Product Development Process (PDP).  Standardize and incorporate best practices to improve product cost, quality, and scale.

• Collaboratively lead the identification, assessment, recommendation and implementation of Value Engineering Tools to be integrated into Intuitive’s broader business practices, such as Should Cost modeling and Design For Manufacturing (DFM).  Standardize and incorporate best practices to improve product cost, quality, and scale.

• Become a subject matter resource on various value engineering methodologies (FAST, Should Cost, DFx, etc).  Facilitate Value Engineering workshops as required.

• Develop training as needed to support embed the value engineering capability and mindset within the extended enterprise.

• Collaborate with the extended enterprise to identify and drive systemic Value Engineering opportunities into focused actions necessary to accomplish overarching targets for released and new products.

• Work with the extended enterprise to influence supplier technology roadmaps to ensure Intuitive system and instrument technical requirements are met.

• Work with the extended enterprise to define criteria/guidelines for design for manufacturing based on process, and best practices for qualifying components.

Required Skills and Experience 

• Knowledge of value engineering and/or value analysis processes and tools.

• Product design and analysis skills, including ability to interpret detailed drawings and execute tolerance stack-ups for assemblies.

• Familiar with common manufacturing processes utilized to produce both low and high-volume components and assemblies. 

• Strong technical skills involving problem solving, DFM, and should-cost/could-cost.

• Demonstrated knowledge of component manufacturing processes utilized in the medical device industry (e.g., injection molding, stamping, machining, etc)

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills.

• Experience training and/or facilitating value engineering workshops is a strong plus.

• Familiarity with medical device design, control and validation regulatory requirements is a plus.

Required Education and Training 

• Minimum Education & Experience: BS degree in Engineering with 7+ year’s of experience or Masters plus 5 or PhD plus 3 in design engineering, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, supplier engineering, preferably in the med device industry.

• Certified Value Methodology Associate or Value Specialist preferred.

Working Conditions 

• On-site, Sunnyvale, CA

• Ability to travel to suppliers, domestic and international, up to 20% time

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.