Senior Mechanical Manufacturing Engineer (Surgical Robotics)

Location: Santa Clara, California, United States; fully onsite with commuting to the Milpitas site required 25% of the time. Travel requirements: 10%.

Base pay: $109,000–$154,280 per year.

Company

Johnson & Johnson MedTech develops medical technologies, including the OTTAVA surgical robotics platform, to support less invasive treatments and improve patient outcomes.

What you will do

• Lead manufacturing engineering for the OTTAVA surgeon input device and its precision mechanical subassemblies, links, joints, motors, encoders, sensors, and integrated electronics.
• Design assembly sequences, datum schemes, fixtures, measurement methods, and inspection processes that control friction, preload, alignment, transmission engagement, and cumulative variation.
• Author and release manufacturing documentation, including MPIs, travelers, eDHR workflows, process maps, and inspection criteria.
• Develop and implement scalable precision assembly equipment and fixtures, including fastening, press-fit, bonding, dispensing, and alignment systems.
• Improve calibration, test, burn-in, verification, yield, and cycle-time performance using SPC, capability analysis, issue Pareto analysis, and root-cause investigation.
• Lead process maturation from prototype and pilot builds through validation, launch, production release, and manufacturing change control while mentoring engineers and technicians.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Biomedical Engineering, Robotics, Precision Engineering, or a related field.
• 8–10 years of manufacturing or assembly engineering experience, including at least 5 years with precision electromechanical mechanisms, haptic devices, robotic controls, medical capital equipment, or comparable high-reliability systems.
• Expertise in precision mechanism assembly, bearing preload, cable-, belt-, or gear-driven mechanisms, encoder and sensor integration, motor assemblies, alignment, bonding, and controlled lubrication.
• Experience with medical-device NPI, regulated quality systems, BOM and process documentation, MPI/DHR/MES, PFMEA, and end-to-end process validation.
• Expert-level CAD skills, preferably SolidWorks, plus ASME Y14.5 GD&T, 3D tolerance stack-up analysis, SPC, Cpk, DOE, and Minitab or equivalent.
• Strong cross-functional leadership, technical writing, troubleshooting, project management, and communication skills.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree or Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• Experience with surgical robotics, haptic or force-feedback devices, teleoperation controls, or surgeon-facing input mechanisms.
• Experience with multi-axis calibration and test systems, encoder calibration, friction characterization, burn-in, industrial communication protocols, real-time motion control, or motor drives.
• Experience with micro-assembly, magnification-assisted assembly, precision bonding and dispensing, MES systems, or PLM tools in regulated industries.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative, cross-functional environment spanning R&D, Quality, Regulatory, Operations, Production, and suppliers.
• Work on life-critical surgical robotics technology with an emphasis on precision, defect prevention, urgency, ownership, and transparent communication.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, disability, business accident, and legal insurance programs.
• Pension and 401(k) savings plans, long-term incentive eligibility, paid vacation, sick time, holidays, parental leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, and other time-off benefits.