Sr. Hardware Test Engineer (Electrical Background)

Intuitive - Sunnyvale, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Onsite - Sunnyvale, CA

Miscellaneous Manufacturing

About the position

The Sr. Hardware Test Engineer position at Intuitive is a critical role within the New Product Verification Department, which is dedicated to ensuring that products are safe, reliable, and effective, exceeding the expectations of patients, surgeons, and hospitals. This department plays a vital role in product and process quality, particularly in the development and production of the da Vinci and Ion robotic product lines, which include diagnostic systems, endoscopic instrumentation, and supporting accessories. The Test Engineer will collaborate with a dedicated team within the product development group to assure the quality of new designs, identify issues related to these designs and processes, and work with other Test Engineers to develop harmonized test methods. The primary responsibilities of the Test Engineer include developing high-level verification and validation test plans for various projects, generating and owning test protocols for Design Verification and Life/Reliability tests, and executing test protocols for clinically-based surgical simulations and automated testing. The engineer will also be responsible for identifying and presenting problems that arise during testing, engaging with engineering teams for failure investigations, and documenting test results and observations clearly in test reports. In addition to test protocol development, the role involves designing and automating test fixtures and other aids necessary for conducting tests. The Test Engineer will proactively identify processes and test methods that could benefit from new or updated fixture designs and will be responsible for the qualification of these fixtures. Training test technicians on test methods and procedures is also a key responsibility, ensuring that projects are completed successfully and on time while complying with company procedures.

Responsibilities

• Develop high level verification and validation test plans for Systems, instruments, accessories, endoluminal, or vision projects.
• Generate and take ownership of test protocols for Design Verification and Life/Reliability tests.
• Develop clinically relevant test methods to ensure design requirements are sufficiently verified by collaborating with appropriate cross-functional partners.
• Execute test protocols for clinically-based surgical simulation and automated testing utilizing da Vinci surgical system, Ion Systems and/or other test equipment.
• Identify and present problems that arise during feasibility and design verification testing, and escalate new or persistent failure modes to appropriate engineering teams.
• Proactively engage with appropriate engineering teams on failure investigation and root cause analysis.
• Clearly document test results and observations in test reports.
• Design and automate test fixtures and other test aids needed to perform Design Verification and Life/Reliability tests.
• Proactively identify and develop processes and test methods that could benefit from new or updated fixture designs by engaging with design and test engineers.
• Perform test fixture qualification as required and document fixtures utilizing Arduino or other test scripts; release appropriate documentation into the document control system.
• Effectively translate functional requirements into appropriate acceptance criteria for test cases and test methods.
• Train test technicians on test methods and procedures.
• Ensure successful, on-time completion of department projects; communicate constraints to direct management when successful project completion is at risk.
• Verify and ensure adequate supply of test articles and other equipment or material.

Requirements

• Minimum BS in Electrical, Biomedical Engineering or similar degree.
• Minimum 4+ years work experience in an engineering organization or research team environment.
• Prefer experience within medical device or pharmaceutical industry.
• Device Verification/Validation experience in a regulated industry is required.
• Ability to perform basic electrical engineering calculations, measurements, and investigations needed to support equipment design.
• Experience with motors and building motor control circuits preferred.
• Experience with basic circuit design preferred.
• Familiarity with equipment needed to perform typical performance measurements on electro-mechanical systems.
• Experience with electronic test equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeter, signal generators, power supplies, and embedded systems.
• Experience using tools and measuring equipment (Force Gauge, Calipers, Instron, Oscilloscopes etc.) is a plus.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python is desirable.
• Experience with SolidWorks or similar CAD software is a plus.

Nice-to-haves

• Proactive and self-motivated engineer.
• Quick learner with the ability to understand complex products and processes.
• Ability to work in a team environment.
• Ability to work autonomously and with minimal supervision.
• Ability to multitask and handle tasks with contesting priorities effectively.
• Ability to work with biological samples, including blood, tissue, and organs.
• Familiar with GDP.

Benefits

• Market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, benefits, and equity.