Research Manager Jobs in Sunnyvale, CA

Location: Sunnyvale, CA, United States

Job Type: Not Remote

Engineering

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

The Ion™ endoluminal system is Intuitive's robotic platform for minimally invasive biopsy in the peripheral lung, designed to improve the early diagnosis of lung cancer. The Ion R&D team is looking for an experienced leader to own medical image dataset development. You will build and scale a high-performing organization of internal annotation specialists and external partners, delivering high-quality datasets to enable intelligent capabilities in our robotic platform.

In this role, you will work at the intersection of Machine Learning, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, and Data Operations. You will define organization-wide standards for dataset quality, establish scalable data workflows, and serve as the single accountable owner for dataset readiness across programs. You will directly accelerate the development of AI-powered technologies that help physicians diagnose patients earlier and more accurately.

Essential Job Duties

• Define and oversee dataset strategy and execution across multiple programs, balancing competing priorities and timelines
• Translate ML engineering and clinical requirements into clear dataset specifications
• Manage multiple teams of internal labeling technicians, including hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, and day-to-day workload planning
• Procure and manage external annotation vendors and contractors to meet quality and schedule targets
• Track dataset progress and communicate status, risks, and tradeoffs to leadership
• Partner with Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Affairs to ensure datasets meet FDA and international guidelines
• Establish and oversee quality control workflows, acceptance criteria, and rework processes for data annotation
• Define and enforce labeling guidelines, SOP’s, and reviewer instructions in collaboration with ML engineers and clinical SME’s
• Own the creation and maintenance of dataset documentation to support releases and submissions
• Improve data operations workflows, standards, and tooling across teams in partnership with software and data engineering groups
• Serve as the single accountable owner for dataset readiness

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

To qualify for this position, you must have:

• A bachelor’s degree in computer science, biomedical engineering, or equivalent experience
• Five or more years of experience in data operations or ML dataset management, including experience leading multiple teams or programs
• Experience working with medical imaging data (e.g., CT, X-ray, ultrasound)
• Demonstrated experience managing people and/or external vendors in an operational or technical environment
• Strong project management skills with experience coordinating cross-functional work
• Solid understanding of data quality, documentation, and traceability principles
• Ability to interpret technical requirements and collaborate effectively with ML engineers and clinical experts
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• High levels of ownership, organization, and attention to detail

Preferred Skills and Experience

Ideally, a candidate would also have:

• Experience working in an FDA-regulated medical device environment (e.g., 510(k), PMA, MDR, ISO 13485)
• Experience writing operating procedures, work instructions, or other quality system documentation
• Familiarity with annotation tools such as SuperAnnotate, Labelbox, CVAT, or similar
• Understanding of AI/ML regulatory guidance (e.g., FDA Good Machine Learning Practice)

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: $192,800 USD - $277,400 USD

Base Compensation Range Region 2: $163,900 USD - $235,800 USD

Shift: Day

Workplace Type: Purposeful Onsite - This job requires being onsite for leader-defined events and activities which could be monthly/annually. Onsite frequency may increase based on business need.