Senior Supplier Engineer

Company Description

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.

Job Description

Primary Function of the Position

The mission of Supplier Engineering is to ensure high quality and stable delivery of purchased production components from suppliers operating under robust quality systems. Each supplier engineer is responsible for ensuring suppliers meet ISI requirements for product quality, cost, and service.

Essential Job Duties

• Lead Part Qualification activities in support of NPI programs
  • Lead Core Product Teams in defining efficient manufacturing methods for metals commodity at suppliers.
  • Develop suppliers manufacturing methods, testing and inspection prior to part qualification
• Line Support for manufacturing
  • Quickly address potential line down incidents
  • Take ownership of dispositioning non-conforming material and address systemic or significant non-conformances with formal corrective actions.
  • Drive corrective actions through use of various Root Cause tools (8D, 5 Why, etc), determining true root cause, implementing effective and lasting corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead manufacturing process selection
  • Identify the correct process for manufacturing the part, considering process quality, long term capacity and total lifecycle cost.
  • Identify where DFM is appropriate to achieve higher quality, lower costs or better supply chain capacity.
  • Educate internal customers and suppliers regarding supplier quality, process and operational capabilities, best value manufacturing methods and tooling for key supplier processes.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• 8+ years related experience in Manufacturing, Supplier Process Engineering, Design, or related field
• Ability to motivate suppliers and lead teams to solve difficult technical and process problems
• Knowledge of pFMEA, process validation, inspection and test techniques
• Experience using Word, Excel, as well as PLM (preferably Agile) and ERP Information Systems (preferably SAP)

Required Education and Training

• BS degree in Engineering field or equivalent experience
• Ability to read and modify engineering drawings
• Solid understanding of ASME Y14.5 GD&T.
• Ability to follow GMP

Working Conditions

• Ability to travel to suppliers on an as needed basis – both domestic and international between 10 and 25%.

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Experience in a medical device company
• Experience with low-volume high-mix production environments
• Familiarity with 21 CFR part 820 and ISO 13485
  • Experience in auditing suppliers to these standards is preferred.
  • At a minimum, candidate should understand GDP and QMS methods.
• Experience with a wide range of manufacturing processes including understanding of key input variables for quality, cost and capacity
• Desired product experience in at least two of the following categories:
  • Tungsten micro cable manufacturing and crimping.
  • Development of custom automation for manufacturing processes.
  • Statistical process control.
  • Mechanical Motion Products: Bearings, Gears and Screws, Motors, Breaks, Encoders and Inertial Sensors.

Additional Information

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.

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.