Staff 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.

Primary Function of Position
We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join the software team within the Endoluminal business unit and help drive AI developer enablement initiatives across the company. The successful candidate in this role will build APIs, command line interfaces, and other developer-facing tools and experiences that make APIs and data platforms easy to use.

Essential Job Duties 

• Partner with platform engineers working on development of backend services and APIs
• Develop user interfaces for API exploration, data access, and workflows
• Build and maintain CLI tools, SDKs, and developer tooling
• Design intuitive developer experiences for interacting with APIs
• Create documentation, tutorials, and onboarding workflows
• Collaborate with various teams to ensure consistent API usability
• Gather feedback from users and iterate on tooling and UX
• Improve accessibility, usability, and performance of developer-facing tools

Required Skills and Experience 

• Strong experience in frontend development (React or similar)
• Proficiency in at least one backend language (Node.js, Python, etc.)
• Experience building CLI tools and/or developer SDKs
• Understanding of API design and developer usability principles
• Familiarity with authentication flows and API consumption patterns
• Strong UX intuition for developer-facing products
• Experience with documentation tooling and content systems
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a collaborative mindset

Required Education and Training 

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in computer science or related field.
• Minimum of 8 years relevant experience in software development. 

Working Conditions 

• None

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Experience working with medical devices or other regulated industries.
• Experience with defining and implementing data privacy requirements.

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.