Principal R&D Design Engineer : Surgical Instrumentation : Flexibile Endoscopic Devices

Principal R&D Design Engineer

Surgical Instrumentation (Robotic-Assisted Endoluminal Platform)

Boston, MA : Hybrid : $450M+ Funding

Company Overview

A well-funded surgical robotics company in the Boston area is developing breakthrough robotic-assisted technology for endoluminal procedures. This venture-backed organization is advancing its surgical instrumentation portfolio designed to work seamlessly with its proprietary robotic platform, enabling minimally invasive interventions in complex anatomical spaces. With a world-class engineering team and strong institutional backing, the company is transitioning from early development to clinical validation and commercial readiness.

Position Overview

The Mechanical Design Engineer will focus on the design, development, and validation of surgical instruments specifically engineered for robotic-assisted endoluminal procedures. This role demands a mechanical engineer who can design highly specialized instruments that balance clinical performance requirements with the unique constraints of robotic actuation, miniaturization, and endoluminal navigation. The successful candidate will work onsite in the Boston area as part of a multidisciplinary R&D team bringing innovative surgical instrumentation from concept through regulatory submission and commercial launch.

The Opportunity

This position offers the rare opportunity to define the next generation of robotic-assisted surgical instruments for endoluminal applications. The Mechanical Design Engineer will be directly responsible for designing instruments that enable novel therapeutic interventions, working at the intersection of precision mechanism design, surgical workflow understanding, and robotic system integration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop surgical instruments for robotic-assisted endoluminal procedures including graspers, dissectors, energy devices, staplers, and specialized therapeutic tools, ensuring designs meet clinical performance requirements while integrating with the robotic actuation system, articulation mechanisms, and control architecture.
• Create detailed mechanical designs using SolidWorks or similar CAD platforms with emphasis on miniaturization, degrees of freedom optimization, force transmission efficiency, and geometric constraints imposed by endoluminal access pathways, producing engineering drawings with proper GD&T, BOMs, and manufacturing specifications.
• Conduct engineering analysis to validate instrument designs including kinematic modeling, stress analysis, fatigue evaluation, tolerance stack-ups, cable/tendon tension analysis, and articulation workspace assessment using FEA tools and analytical methods to ensure designs meet performance specifications and safety requirements.
• Collaborate with surgeons, clinical advisors, and human factors specialists to translate clinical needs into instrument design requirements, participating in cadaver labs, surgical observations, and usability studies to understand workflow, ergonomics, visualization needs, and therapeutic technique requirements.
• Work closely with robotics engineers, controls specialists, and software developers to ensure instrument designs integrate effectively with the robotic platform including actuation interfaces, sensor integration, force feedback systems, and control algorithms that enable precise manipulation.
• Support design verification and validation activities by developing test protocols, conducting mechanical testing (articulation range, force transmission, endurance, sterilization compatibility), analyzing results, troubleshooting failures, and implementing design improvements based on findings within design control frameworks.
• Partner with contract manufacturers, fabrication vendors, and suppliers to prototype surgical instruments, working through design-for-manufacturability considerations for processes including precision tube fabrication, laser cutting/welding, wire EDM, cable/pulley systems, injection molding of handles and actuators, and assembly techniques for miniaturized mechanisms

Impact in First 12-18 Months:

The successful Mechanical Design Engineer will have established themselves as the go-to expert on surgical instrument design for the robotic platform. Within the first year, you will have designed, prototyped, and validated multiple instruments that form the core therapeutic toolkit for the platform. Your designs will be evident in successful cadaver lab validations, positive surgeon feedback on instrument performance, and progress toward design freeze for regulatory submissions. You will have built strong relationships with clinical advisors who trust your ability to translate their needs into functional instruments, and with manufacturing partners who rely on your technical guidance.

Qualifications

Must-Have Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline (MS preferred for candidates with limited industry experience)
• 4-8 years