Embedded software engineer Jobs in San Jose, CA

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

Our team designs and builds the embedded platform software infrastructure that supports critical performance, safety, and user-facing features of the da Vinci Surgical System, Intuitive’s flagship product. We’re looking for an experienced Sr. Embedded Software Engineer to join our team. This role will focus on operating system internals, resource management, and system architecture for our next-generation robotics platform. You will take technical ownership of our OS Abstraction Layer (OSAL) framework and design robust resource-allocation mechanisms to ensure system reliability and safety across multiple operating system environments.

Essential Job Duties

• Design and development of product-focused, rock-solid, C/C++ software in a heterogeneous, multi-processor SoC/FPGA/real-time embedded environment.
• Design and implement resource allocation frameworks for system processes and applications.
• Develop contract-based resource management systems with enforcement mechanisms for: Memory budgets, CPU time and scheduling guarantees, I/O bandwidth, and device access.
• Support the design of monitoring and enforcement infrastructure to detect and handle resource violations.
• Architect, implement, and maintain the OSAL framework supporting Linux, QNX RTOS, and bare-metal environments.
• Ensure OSAL API consistency and portability across all supported operating systems.
• Work directly with Linux kernel interfaces, QNX microkernel APIs, and bare-metal system programming.
• Optimize system performance through careful resource allocation and scheduling strategies
• Debug complex multi-threaded and multi-process system issues.

Qualifications

Required Education, Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field and 8+ years of experience; or Master's degree and 6+ years of experience; or a PhD with 3+ years of experience; or equivalent experience
• Deep expertise in at least two of: Linux kernel/user space, QNX RTOS, or bare-metal programming
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ with demonstrated understanding of system-level programming
• Extensive experience with: process and thread management, scheduling, and synchronization primitives, memory management (VM, paging, allocation strategies), IPC, resource monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms
• Strong debugging skills with tools like GDB, strace, valgrind, and system profilers
• Ability to mentor junior engineers and influence system architecture decisions through design and V&V activities
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills with a systematic approach to troubleshooting
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and team collaboration

Desired Skills & Experience

• Experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms (TX2, Xavier, Orin), AMD MPSOC, NXP or similar ARM-based SOCs
• Knowledge of security principles for embedded system – secure boot, TPM
• Working knowledge of bazel/nix build environment
• Experience with hypervisors or virtualization in embedded contexts
• Experienced with Python and bash scripting for test automation and bootup design
• Demonstrated experience in and comfort with all phases of the product development lifecycle, including design, implementation, debugging, verification, validation, and transfer to manufacturing
• Experience designing software products in an FDA or other regulated industry or for mission-critical applications; comfortable with concepts of design input, design output, traceability, risk analysis, and mitigations

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.

Export Controls Disclaimer: In accordance with the Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §, some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to 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 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.