Title: Staff or Principal Robotics Controls Engineer
Type: Hybrid, onsite 3 or more days/week
Summary:
We are building an exciting novel robotic platform where we are enabling the clinician to precisely control the transcatheter deployment of a cardiovascular valve through an elegant and simple-to-use robotic interface. Come be a part of envisioning and developing the algorithms and software that enable this incredible technology.
Responsibilities:
- Translate clinical and user needs into design requirements and address those requirements with practical control algorithms and software designs, implementing designs into testable prototypes, efficiently capturing design learnings for quick iteration loops, and bringing these features to product launch.
- Develop algorithms that take high level user commands in user/image space and translate them using device models and sensor inputs to joint level commands that precisely deliver the requested motion. Take what is complex and nuanced, and make it appear obviously simple to the user.
- Be a technical leader on complex product features from concept to product launch; managing requirements, design, software implementation, testing, and product release process (increased level of project scope for Principle)
- On-site participation in building and testing prototypes, and support in their pre-clinical lab use
- Align individual work to best support company goals, identifying high risk items and playing an active role in developing solutions.
- Mentor junior engineers and peers (increased level of mentorship for Principle), help build a strong and positive engineering culture within the team.
- Document and communicate your work through design reviews and as appropriate released documents as part of the product development process.
- Identify gaps and pitch in as needed to ensure that the team meets their goals and objectives.
Skills desired:
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Strong debug skills and experience efficiently integrating new hardware, software, and algorithms for safety critical systems. Preferred knowledge of safety standards and regulations in robotics.
- Python programming skills (C++ also preferred), capable of writing production quality code following software development best practices (unit testing, code review, etc.)
- Experience with a mix of joint level control loops, hysteresis compensation, kinematics, null space resolution, sensor fusion, and path planning
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a team environment.
- Understanding of how early design decisions cascade into outcomes later. Ability to make smart decisions regarding clinical workflow, regulations, and risk management to save time and effort later
Requirements:
- MS or PhD in robotics-related field, or equivalent work experience
- For Staff: expecting 9+ years of relevant industry plus academia experience (medical device or similar safety critical system experience preferred)
- For Principal: expecting 15+ years of relevant industry plus academia experience (medical device or similar safety critical system experience preferred)
- Comfortable working with high levels of ambiguity and an ability to convert that into tangible outcomes
- Experience with designing, manufacturing transfer, and shipping software and algorithms for medical device capital equipment or similar safety critical systems
- Experience with medical device development process, design control, risk management, design verification, and regulatory processes, or experience with similar safety critical system development processes
- Ability to work in a hybrid work environment, working onsite in Santa Cruz on average 3 or more days a week
Overview
Occam Labs is an engineering incubator targeting early-stage medical device design, with a handful of portfolio companies including Capstan Medical. We focus on cultivating cutting edge technology centered on patient value. Our team is highly collaborative and hands-on, takes pride in iterating quickly, and believes that the best ideas can come from anywhere or any person! We always have multiple programs in the pipeline, so as a small team, we tend to wear multiple hats on a daily basis.
Occam Labs is uniquely positioned in Santa Cruz, which we have chosen to be geographically close-to but intentionally separate from the greater SF Bay Area. This gives us access to the amazing technical talent of the bay area but in an environment that we feel is conducive to doing our best creative work. Our office is located in a repurposed warehouse space that used to be the Wrigley Gum factory, now the funky/diverse home to several bicycle companies, many art and architecture studios, a maker space, and several biotech startups. It is adjacent to large tracts of open space with bicycle trails straight from the office doors offering access to the hills and beaches of Wilder Ranch State Park for road/mountain bicycle riding, hiking, and surfing.
Currently, our active programs at Occam Labs target catheter-based, repair devices for diseases that affect the heart. Capstan Medical is focused on a robotic platform and associated portfolio of implants and delivery systems. These kinds of devices present patients with compelling, minimally invasive alternatives to traditional surgical methods. For most patients, this means less pain after surgery and being able to return to normal life much more quickly. For many older patients, reducing surgical trauma can make the difference between life and death. Our current strength is in micro-scale mechanical medical devices on the cutting edge of medicine but we are constantly evolving. The team has a collective background designing a wide variety of medical devices including cardiac devices, catheter-based devices, collapsible implants, surgical tools and robotic systems.