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
We are seeking a Senior Director, Data & AI Governance to define, establish, and
operationalize the company’s enterprise Data and AI Governance strategy and operating
model.
This leader will play a critical role in ensuring that enterprise data and AI capabilities are
governed with the appropriate levels of quality, trust, security, transparency, compliance,
and accountability while enabling innovation and scalable adoption across the
organization.
The role will partner closely with leaders across teams, to establish governance
frameworks, standards, policies, and operational processes that enable the company to
scale both enterprise data capabilities and AI adoption responsibly.
The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in data governance, AI governance,
enterprise operating models, and risk management with the ability to drive cross-
functional alignment and organizational change in a rapidly evolving technology
landscape.
Key Responsibilities
1. Enterprise Data Governance Strategy & Operating Model
• Define and operationalize the enterprise Data Governance vision, strategy, and
operating model aligned with business objectives and enterprise data priorities
• Establish governance structures that bring together cross-functional representation
from business functions and technology teams
• Establish and maintain enterprise-wide data governance policies, standards,
procedures, and accountability frameworks
2. Enterprise Metadata Management
• Partner with data engineering and analytics teams to define and establish a centralized
metadata management strategy and metadata repository for data assets in the
enterprise data platform
• Partner with leaders across business functions in the definition and governance of
enterprise business metrics and definitions.
• Ensure business metrics and associated metadata are discoverable, searchable, and
accessible to business users
3. Data Quality & Data Observability
• Define and operationalize enterprise Data Quality and Data Observability standards
and capabilities, and frameworks for monitoring and alerting.
• Define KPIs and SLAs for enterprise data quality and reliability
• Partner with Data Engineering and Platform teams to embed observability and
governance capabilities into the enterprise data ecosystem
4. Enterprise AI Governance Strategy & Operating Model
• Define and operationalize the enterprise AI Governance framework and operating
model
• Establish governance structures, processes, and review mechanisms to oversee the
safe and responsible use of AI across the company
• Define AI governance roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes across
business and technology teams
5. Safe & Responsible Enterprise AI Adoption
• Define policies, standards, and controls that enable the safe self-service use of AI tools
and platforms by employees across the enterprise
• Establish governance guardrails related to data privacy, identity and access
management, and framework for AI agent validation.
• Partner with Security, Infrastructure, Legal, and Compliance teams to ensure alignment
with enterprise risk requirements
6. Responsible AI & AI Ethics
• Define and operationalize the company’s Responsible AI and AI Ethics policies
• Establish governance processes for responsible AI reviews, risk assessments, and
ethical evaluations
7. AI Literacy & Organizational Enablement
• Partner closely with the AI Literacy team to integrate governance standards into
enterprise AI training programs to improve organizational understanding of responsible
AI usage, governance expectations, and AI risk awareness
Qualifications
Qualifications
Experience
• 12+ years of experience in Data Governance, Enterprise Data Management, AI
Governance, Risk & Compliance, or Enterprise Technology Leadership
• Proven experience operationalizing enterprise governance frameworks and cross-
functional operating models
• Experience working with executive leadership and enterprise business functions in
complex environments
• Demonstrated success driving enterprise-wide Data and AI governance adoption and
organizational change
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (Computer Science, Information Systems,
Business, Law, Data Management, or equivalent). Advanced degree preferred.
Technical & Domain Expertise
• Strong understanding of enterprise data platforms, metadata management, data quality
frameworks, AI/ML technologies, and responsible AI principles
• Technical depth to engage credibly with data engineers, data scientists, and AI
engineers on the implementation dimensions of governance — understanding data
lineage, metadata standards, model risk, platform architecture, and data quality tooling
well enough to make sound governance design decisions.
• Experience with data observability and data quality tooling and the practical knowledge
of how to implement monitoring and alerting at scale across a complex data platform.
• Familiarity with identity and access management, data privacy frameworks, AI risk
management, and compliance considerations
Leadership & Communication
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence across business and technology
organizations
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate governance concepts into
practical business guidance
• Proven ability to drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups
• Ability to balance governance rigor with business agility and innovation
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.
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.
Base Compensation Range Region 1: $277.600 USD - $416.400 USD
Base Compensation Range Region 2: $236.000 USD - $353.900 USD
Shift: Day
Workplace Type: Set Schedule - This job will be onsite weekly, the percentage of onsite work will be defined by the leader.
