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
Intuitive Surgical seeks a Director of Instrument Development to lead a dynamic team in developing and commercializing cutting-edge robotic instruments for minimally invasive surgeries. This role involves managing Development Managers, Engineers, and technical staff, focusing on advanced development projects slated for product integration within two to three years. The Director will oversee the design, documentation, validation, and enhancement of new and existing instrument designs, ensuring they meet customer needs. The successful candidate will coordinate team efforts across multiple projects, manage personnel efficiently, and ensure project milestones are met despite time constraints and evolving information typical of new product development.
Essential Duties
- Set long-term strategic vision aligning team goals with business objectives.
- Lead and manage engineering team, focusing on culture, hiring, and retention.
- Define performance expectations and ensure effective communication across all team levels.
- Oversee project planning, budgeting, and resource allocation for operational excellence.
- Champion design innovation and protect intellectual property innovations.
- Engage stakeholders to ensure roadmap acceptance and support for long-term goals.
- Anticipate roadblocks and remove silos for seamless execution of objectives.
Qualifications
Required Education, Skills & Experience
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or equivalent engineering degree; Master of Science (MS) or PhD preferred
- Minimum 10-12 years of experience designing commercial medical devices or products
- Minimum 5-8 years of experience managing product development projects and leading teams
- Hands-on engineering leader with the proven ability to work well in a team environment
- Demonstrated expertise in all phases of the product development lifecycle
- Organizational skills and ability to work on several fast-paced projects simultaneously
- Ability to interact effectively with a wide variety of people and departments
- Strong communication and documentation skills
- Proven ability to motivate, guide, and inspire members of core and extended project teams
- Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals
- Experience in analyzing tradeoffs between product features, customer needs/requirements, producibility, and cost
- Planning, decision-making and negotiation
- Experience navigating medical device risk analysis
- Ability to travel up to 10-15%
Preferred Skills & Experience
- Class II medical product experience
- Experience with FDA regulations and medical device design control
- Working knowledge of sterilization processes and designing for sterilization
- Expertise in evaluating and selecting patient-contacting and implantable medical device materials
- Experience with toxicological risks
- Knowledge of Design Control processes for medical devices
- Proven ability to Seek, recognize, and execute creative and simple solutions to resolve complex department challenges
- Advanced laparoscopic instrument design
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: $236.000 USD - $354.000 USD
Base Compensation Range Region 2: $200.600 USD - $300.900 USD
Shift: Day
Workplace Type: Onsite - This job is fully onsite.
