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
We are seeking an experienced Director, Program Management Office (PMO), to establish and
lead the PMO for Fluorescence Imaging (FI). This leader will build the program and project
management organization, including its team, operating model, governance, tools, and
reporting capabilities to support an expanding drug development portfolio.

The Director will partner with FI and functional leadership to drive integrated planning,
portfolio visibility, cross-functional execution, and timely decisions across development,
regulatory submission, and commercial readiness. The role combines organizational buildout,
people leadership, and strategic program oversight.
Roles and Responsibilities
• Establish and lead the FI PMO from inception, defining its charter, organizational
structure, services, governance model, standards, and phased implementation plan
• Assess portfolio needs and resource capacity; develop staffing plans and recruit, hire,
coach, and manage program and project management personnel
• Create or oversee development of scalable PMO infrastructure, including integrated
program plans, portfolio schedules, dashboards, reporting tools, and performance
metrics
• Design and implement program governance, including leadership reviews, decision
rights, escalation pathways, meeting structures, and risk, issue, action, and decision
management
• Direct program and project management activities across FI programs, ensuring
alignment of CMC, Clinical, Regulatory, Nonclinical, Quality, and commercial-readiness
plans
• Oversee portfolio milestone, critical-path, dependency, and scenario reporting; identify
execution gaps and drive cross-functional resolution and leadership decisions
• Establish concise executive and portfolio reporting on program health, milestones, risks,
decisions, resources, and financial performance
• Partner with Finance, Business Operations, and functional leaders on budget visibility,
resource planning, capacity, and prioritization
• Lead PMO adoption and continuous improvement, establishing consistent ways of
working while adapting capabilities as FI grows

Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, or related field; advanced
degree or MBA preferred
• 15+ years of pharmaceutical/biotechnology experience, including significant program
leadership and experience establishing or scaling PMO capabilities
• Experience overseeing complex cross-functional drug development programs and
integrating CMC, Clinical, Regulatory, Nonclinical, and Quality activities
• Experience designing and building PMO operating models, governance structures,
integrated planning systems, dashboards, and executive reporting
• Strong knowledge of development milestones, regulatory submission readiness, and
FDA, EMA, ICH, and applicable GxP expectations
• Experience with portfolio prioritization, program budgets, forecasts, resource planning,
and capacity assessment
• Ability to translate complex technical and regulatory matters into actionable priorities,
decisions, and clear leadership reporting
• Demonstrated organizational change leadership and ability to implement new processes
and tools in evolving organizations
• Strong ability to influence across matrixed functions, resolve competing priorities, and
build stakeholder alignment
• Experience partnering with executive leadership and facilitating governance and
escalation discussions
• Excellent people leadership, executive communication, and stakeholder management
skills
• Ability to balance hands-on PMO buildout with strategic oversight in a fast-paced
environment

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience building a PMO from inception within a growing pharmaceutical or
biotechnology organization
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
• Experience with NDA/MAA readiness, CMC development, CDMO oversight, or
commercialization planning
• MBA or advanced degree in a relevant discipline
• Experience selecting, implementing, and administering enterprise planning, reporting,
and project management platforms
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and experience developing PM
talent

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.

Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:

Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please contact People Services at [email protected].

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.