Director, Design Engineering - Multiport Instruments (Stapling NPD)

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 lead individual contributors; experience leading managers is preferred
• 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