Jr Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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 Position

The primary goal of an engineering technician is to provide troubleshooting, testing, repairs, and technical services to our systems manufacturing line, meeting quality and productivity goals within manufacturing. This person will play a significant role in the areas of failure analysis, first pass yield, and manufacturing escalations.

Essential Job Duties

• Follow production escalation process and provide engineering evaluation of any interruptions to production line.
• Perform quick triage of the issue and recommend best course of action to keep production moving. This includes performing simple reworks on the spot such as cable crimping, soldering, tapping, fiber optics cleaning, etc.
• Document all activities during escalation support in formal records.
• Diagnose and resolve failures on Systems Mfg line, including system level failures, Sub-assembly failures, and test fixture failures.
• Perform failure analysis down to component level, investigate root cause, and recommend corrective / preventive actions.
• Troubleshoot non-conforming material rejected from manufacturing lines and document findings in process logs and variance requests.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineers to resolve manufacture, process, and quality issues.
• Conduct tests and experiments under the supervision of senior staff.
• Execute engineering level tests and collect data to support design of experiment activities or characterize a device.
• Support production with electronics/PCA programming and functional testing in the early phase of new product launches to shake out bugs and suggest improvements.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure project timelines and objectives are met.
• Follow safety protocols and maintain a clean and organized work environment.
• Maintain calibration of all test equipment and fixtures.
• Perform other engineering technician duties as needed

Required Skills and Experience

• Minimum 2 years of journey level technical engineering experience.
• Must possess extensive knowledge/experience in troubleshooting electromechanical issues.
• Ability to perform failure analysis and troubleshooting with minimal supervision.
• Effectively use of test equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, function generators, and custom test platforms.
• Understand wiring diagrams, schematics, assembly drawings, fab drawings, and mechanical component drawings.
• Strong analytic and problem-solving skills.
• Working knowledge of computers, word processing and spreadsheet applications for documentation and data presentation.
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to variety of technologies that allow effective troubleshooting.
• Effective communication skills to be able to collaborate effectively with production technicians, supervisors, trainers, and engineers.
• Sense of urgency and multi-tasking is essential to be able to support production line effectively.
• Good communication and documentation skills.
• Experience with Agile, SAP, MES, and SPC or equivalent tools.

Required Education and Training

• Minimum AS in electrical engineering or related degree, military technical training or equivalent.
• Open to new college graduates with a BSEE degree.

Working Conditions

• Standard working hours, with potential for overtime depending on business needs.
• Fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Ability to work independently with minimum supervision.
• Hands-on troubleshooting experience is preferred.
• Medical device experience is preferred but not required.

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.