Staff Software Engineer Platform Networking

About the role

The Embedded Platform Software team designs and builds the foundational software infrastructure for next-generation surgical robotic systems. We are looking for a high-energy, talented Staff Embedded Software Engineer to join the Embedded Networking Software team, within the Multiport Platform Software group. If you've built in-vehicle networks, automotive middleware, or real-time robot communication stacks, your experience translates directly to what we do.

We are a small group that works in a focused, high-energy environment working on New Product Development. We believe in applying first principles thinking, data driven decision making, continuous learning, and systematic planning to deliver results and achieve our goals.

• Are you passionate about technology?
• Do you want to have a direct impact on helping people live better lives?
• Are you interested in the medical applications of robotics?
• Do you like building deterministic, distributed systems, like zonal vehicle networks or multi-node robot control stacks?
• Does working in a multidisciplinary, systems-oriented design team sound exciting?

Your Role

You will be a technical leader on the team developing our flagship product, dV5. The team's focus is to enhance and extend the dV5 robotic embedded network across Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) layers 1-5, with a focus on PHYs, MACs, Ethernet switches, and the drivers that tie them together, and apply that deep understanding to new surgical robotic systems.

The challenges will feel familiar to anyone who has built vehicle or robot networks: mixed-criticality traffic, precise time synchronization, and safety-critical determinism. You will own the architecture, set the multi-year technical direction, and grow the engineers around you.

In your first year in this role, you will

• Design, develop, and deliver features architectures across the embedded network stack and help define the technical roadmap across:
• Reliability, including redundancy and fault tolerance strategies
• Performance architecture for growing data transfer needs: low latency switching, traffic shaping, queue management
• Own the architecture and development of Ethernet MAC, PHY, and switch drivers (Linux and RTOS), including bring-up on new silicon and boards
• Define and implement automotive Ethernet switch configuration: VLANs, QoS/priority mapping, ACLs/filtering, port mirroring, and static/dynamic forwarding tables
• Implement and tune TSN features in switch hardware and drivers for safety-critical deterministic traffic
• Set the technical direction and standards for Layer 2/Layer 3 software, Ethernet MAC and PHY drivers, and deterministic real-time paths for safety critical data, applying queueing theory
• Lead design and code reviews, mentor senior and mid-level engineers, and raise the bar on design quality and debugging rigor while staying hands-on in the highest-risk code
• Serve as the technical authority on hardware integration, and lead escalations on the hardest hardware-software networking failures (JTAG, GDB, protocol analyzers)
• Drive alignment across cross functional teams such as FPGA, Electrical (board bring-up and signal integrity), Application Development, Algorithms, Clinical, and Manufacturing to negotiate requirements and resolve architectural tradeoffs
• Influence build-versus-buy and Ethernet switch/PHY silicon selection, working directly with vendors, and make the case for investments that retire technical debt

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 10+ years, or Master's degree with 8+ years, of industry experience in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline
• Demonstrated technical leadership on complex systems: owning architecture, mentoring engineers, and influencing direction across organizational boundaries
• A natural communicator with strong critical thinking, and clarity of thought who can explain architectural tradeoffs to engineers and executives alike
• Expert networking fundamentals across the OSI stack, with deep expertise in L2/L3 (Ethernet switching, IP) and working knowledge of L1 (PHY), a solid understanding of TCP/IP stack internals and Ethernet switching fabric design, and expert C/C++ skills for embedded development
• Deep experience architecting and delivering high-speed networking software in automotive, robotics, or industrial, including low-level Ethernet MAC/PHY driver development
• Experience with Linux and embedded RTOS environments (e.g., FreeRTOS, ThreadX, Zephyr, QNX, VxWorks), with a strong understanding of memory management, concurrency, and interrupt handling
• Demonstrated experience leveraging new tools and technology, such as AI coding assistants, to increase speed, and driving adoption across a team

Preferred Experience

• Experience defining multi-generation technical strategy or platform roadmaps for a shipping hardware product
• Strong hardware-software fluency: schematics, datasheets, reasoning across system abstractions
• Hands-on experience configuring and writing drivers for managed Ethernet switch silicon (e.g., NXP SJA11xx, Marvell, Microchip, Broadcom), including register-level programming over SPI/MDIO/SMI
• Hands-on experience with IEEE 802.1 TSN/AVB (802.1AS/gPTP, Qbv, Qav, Qci, CB/FRER), high-availability redundancy on real hardware, L2 switching (VLANs, QoS, segmentation), and Automotive Ethernet (100/1000BASE-T1, BASE-T1S), including zonal or domain controller architectures
• Familiarity with communication middleware (DDS, SOME/IP, ROS 2) and how it maps onto L2 QoS/TSN configuration
• Experience with real-time industrial or robotics networks such as EtherCAT, PROFINET IRT, or EtherNet/IP
• Exposure to functional safety standards (such as IEC 62304, ISO 13485, ISO 14971, IEC 60601, ISO 26262) and embedded network security such as MACsec and IPsec

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.

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.

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.

Accommodation & Accessibility Notice

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.