Program Manager - Advanced Product Development

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.

Primary Function of Position:

The Program Manager – Advanced Product Development is a strategic leader within Intuitive Surgical's Future Forward BU, responsible for driving the end-to-end development of groundbreaking surgical platforms. This role oversees the full product lifecycle, leading complex, multi-phased programs from early concept development through pre-clinical studies, clinical trials, regulatory approvals and successful commercial launch. The Program Manager leverages deep project management experience, technical expertise, business acumen, and exceptional cross-functional leadership to deliver innovative solutions that define the future of surgical care.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Program Leadership: Direct and manage complex, large-scale, multi-phased product development programs, ensuring alignment with strategic business objectives and successful delivery of commercial-ready platforms for minimally invasive robotic surgery.

• Lifecycle Oversight: Lead project teams through all phases of product development including concept generation, design, pre-clinical validation, clinical execution, regulatory submissions, and market introduction ensuring milestones are achieved on time and within budget.

• Cross-Functional Coordination: Serve as the primary interface between R&D, engineering, clinical affairs, regulatory, operations, quality, human factors and product management teams; drive collaboration and decision making to integrate technical, clinical, and business requirements throughout the program lifecycle.

• Business Strategy Integration: Translate strategic vision into actionable development roadmaps; set priorities, allocate resources, and develop comprehensive schedules and risk management plans to optimize program outcomes.

• Regulatory & Quality Compliance: Support design control activities and submission of regulatory documents (e.g., EC, IDE, PMA, 510(k), De Novo, and OUS regional submissions), ensuring all product and study documentation meets internal and external standards, audit requirements, and global regulations. Experience with different types of regulatory submissions is highly desirable.

• Product Launch Execution: Support commercial readiness activities, including product availability, inventory management, logistics, and post-market surveillance; ensure seamless transition from development to market introduction.

• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate technical, regulatory, and operational risks through proactive planning, issue resolution, and continuous process improvement.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Communicate program status, risks, and successes to executive leadership and key stakeholders; foster strong partnerships with internal and external collaborators.

• Process Improvement: Add value by improving processes related to project management, governance and design controls, while balancing these enhancements within a lean, fast-paced innovation environment.

• Mentorship: Mentor junior members of the PMO group by providing ongoing guidance; foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and high performance within the PMO team.

Qualifications

Skills, Experience, Education & Training:

• Bachelor’s degree with 12+ years of progressive experience or a Master’s degree with 9+ years in medical device product development, program & project management with a proven record of leading successful product launches in highly regulated environments.

• Demonstrated expertise in cross-functional program management, technical problem-solving, and business strategy integration.

• Strong knowledge of regulatory and quality standards, including FDA 21 CFR Part 820, ISO 13485, ISO 14971 and IEC 62304.

• Experience with PMA, 510(k), De Novo, OUS submissions

• Exceptional communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Nice to have:

• Advanced project management certification (PMP, PgMP, or equivalent).

• Experience with commercial readiness planning, market launch execution, and post-market surveillance.

• Proven ability to build consensus and drive results across diverse teams and global stakeholders.

• Technical proficiency in medical device engineering, clinical development, and regulatory affairs, including hands-on experience with various types of regulatory submissions.

• Demonstrated ability to enhance governance and design control processes while maintaining agility in a dynamic, innovation-driven environment.

• Start-up medical device experience is highly desirable.

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.

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.