Senior Linux Platform 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 Position The Senior Linux Platform Software Engineer will join the platform team for a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy navigation and biopsy planning software product, reporting to the software development manager. This role owns the Linux operating system and platform-layer software for the procedure planning laptop, a medical image-processing system running a custom Yocto-based Linux distribution. The engineer is the primary owner of OS bring-up, secure boot, remote software update infrastructure, platform security hardening, and hardware bring-up for new laptop models. This is a cross-functional role requiring close collaboration with application software, security, field service, and systems engineering teams, with opportunity to stretch into application-layer features and broader platform infrastructure work as product needs evolve. Essential Job Duties Own and maintain the Yocto-based Linux OS for the procedure planning laptop, including custom BSP and application layer authoring, OS version upgrades across multiple Yocto LTS releases, kernel configuration, and Bitbake recipe maintenance. Maintain, validate, and harden the full secure boot chain (UEFI Secure Boot, GRUB2, TPM 2.0, bootloader key management) across multiple commercial laptop platforms. Sustain and enhance remote software upgrade capabilities and on-site service upgrade workflows, including software package creation and validation, update orchestration support, BIOS firmware upgrade maintenance, partition management, rollback mechanisms, and error recovery. Manage hardware lifecycle across multiple commercial laptop platforms: conduct bring-up for new models (driver configuration, secure boot enrollment, BIOS management, GPU integration) and lead end-of-life (EOL) transition planning and replacement hardware qualification. Perform security vulnerability remediation: identify and fix OS-level CVEs, integrate and validate endpoint security tooling, implement OS-level account hardening, and produce required documentation. Produce and maintain engineering design documents, software change analysis artifacts, and technical documentation per medical device quality procedures. Debug and resolve platform-level field issues including unexpected reboots, TPM lockouts, boot failures, login screen freezes, and USB-related defects. Support software application teams with platform-layer APIs (D-Bus services, power monitoring, log rotation, hardware interface utilities) as needed. Qualifications Required Education, Skills & Experience Bachelor’s degree with 6+ years of industry experience, or Master’s degree with 4+ years of industry experience, in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline. 4+ years of embedded Linux software engineering, with direct OS-layer development experience. Deep expertise in Yocto Project / OpenEmbedded: layer authoring (meta-*), Bitbake recipes, image manifests, and SDK toolchain configuration. Proficiency in Bash shell scripting and at least one system-level language (C or C++ preferred) for platform daemons, service utilities, and installer scripts. Experience designing and implementing field software update mechanisms: package validation, partition management, rollback, and error recovery. Practical knowledge of Linux system security hardening: file permissions, user/group privilege controls, credential management, kernel module configuration, and security scanning tools. Experience managing hardware lifecycle transitions, including end-of-life risk mitigation, replacement platform qualification, and software compatibility maintenance across hardware generations. Hardware bring-up experience on x86 laptop or embedded platforms: driver configuration, peripheral debugging (USB, HID/trackpad, display adapters, storage). Familiarity with D-Bus IPC, systemd service management, and Linux log infrastructure Proficiency with Git, Jira, Bitbucket/GitHub, and Jenkins (or equivalent CI/CD toolchain). Preferred Skills & Experience Proficiency in Python for build/test automation, scripting, and tooling in embedded Linux workflows. Experience with commercial laptop BIOS tools and BIOS firmware upgrade automation. Strong knowledge of Linux secure boot: UEFI Secure Boot, GRUB2 configuration and signing, TPM 2.0, PCR policy binding, and BIOS firmware interaction. Familiarity with NVIDIA CUDA integration in Yocto-based Linux (driver packaging, CUDA version management, multi-GPU laptop bring-up). Working knowledge of Linux disk and partition management, including partition table schemes, block-level encryption, and bootloader partition layouts. Familiarity with Linux networking stack configuration, including wireless networking and firewall management. Background in cryptographic key management: PKI, signing infrastructure, and secure key rotation workflows. Experience integrating endpoint security agents (EDR, antivirus) in embedded Linux environments. Prior experience with OTA update frameworks for Linux-based medical or industrial devices. Knowledge of medical device software development lifecycle standards (IEC 62304, FDA software guidance). 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. 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. Shift: Day Max. Salary Region 2: 230700 USD Max. Salary Region 1: 271400 USD Ways of Working: Onsite - This job is fully onsite. Employee Type: Employee Min. Salary Region 1: 188600 USD Global Job Level (HCM): Professional 4 (11) Min. Salary Region 2: 160300 USD