Research Director Jobs in Sunnyvale, CA

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 the Position

The Director of AI – Applied Research will report to the VP Research in the Future Forward organization. This is a unique opportunity to lead technical teams focused on developing solutions to address significant unmet business needs at the forefront of AI. The Director of AI – Applied Research will work cross-functionally to drive product definition and formative development activities in support of an advanced AI roadmap, with the specific responsibility to successfully manage programs out of research to product. In addition to being a proven people leader, success in this role will require strong patient-focused product definition and engineering acumen within the area of AI, medical robotics and instrumentation. Previous experience successfully managing the development of medical technologies from early concepts to product readiness is essential for success in this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain a multi-year AI roadmap, identifying key milestones for feature releases in collaboration with Intuitive platform product teams. Inform the broader AI vision and strategy and align talent and resources pragmatically to demonstrate capabilities.
• Lead the early-stage phase of AI product development, overseeing prototyping, pilot testing, and the transition of research-grade models into production-ready capabilities.
• Align AI initiatives with product and business goals.
• Define the organizational approach, attract highly talented leaders and individual contributors, and effectively execute through disciplined planning and resource allocation.
• Establish robust pipelines for the collection, curation, and de-identification of high-fidelity surgical datasets, ensuring compliance with global privacy standards and minimizing algorithmic bias.
• Partner with regulatory and product teams to define strategy and technical implementation ensuring safe and effective advanced capabilities.
• Serve as an AI subject matter expert for the company, bridging the gap between hardware engineering, clinical affairs, and commercial strategy, in coordination with senior leadership and product managers.
• Stay abreast of leading-edge capabilities in surgical AI and ensure Intuitive leadership through internal development and recruitment of world class talent.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across product, data, legal, and engineering.

Qualifications

Experience and Abilities

• This role blends leadership, strategy, and technical depth in all aspects of embodied AI.
• Leadership of medical technology projects from inception through field validation to launch; Strong understanding of medical product ecosystem services.
• Demonstrated success in taking complex AI products from initial concept through regulatory approval and commercial launch.
• Experience with modern ML frameworks, edge computing for low-latency inference, and the integration of AI with physical robotic actuators.
• Ability to communicate effectively with surgeons and clinical staff to translate operative needs into technical requirements.
• Proven ability to lead in a fast-paced environment, managing the inherent uncertainty of early-stage AI research while maintaining a disciplined path to commercialization.

• Proven leadership of research and engineering teams.
• Experience setting technical direction and metrics for success.
• Skilled in stakeholder communication and cross-team delivery.
• Confidence working with product and engineering leadership.
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, and platforms.

Additional helpful attributes/experiences

• PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field with a focus on Deep Learning or Computer Vision.
• Minimum 10-15 years of leadership experience in MedTech, Robotics, and BioEngineering, with at least 4 years in ML/AI development and commercialization.
• Familiarity with ethical AI and regulatory frameworks.
• Proven skills in quantitative analysis and data-driven decision making.
• Experience with intellectual property fundamentals.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead and manage engineering talent and to relate to all levels of employees.
• Willingness to travel: 15% travel / some Intl.

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.

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.

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: $256,000 USD - $384,000 USD
Base Compensation Range Region 2: $217,600 USD - $326,400 USD
Shift: Day
Workplace Type: Onsite - This job is fully onsite.