Director of IT, Engineering and PLM Applications

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

Position Overview

We are seeking a visionary and results-driven Director of IT - Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Engineering Applications to lead the strategic roadmap, implementation, and continuous evolution of our enterprise PLM ecosystem.

In this role, you will bridge the gap between technical execution and business strategy. You will be responsible for transforming how our products are conceived, designed, manufactured, and maintained, ensuring digital continuity across the product lifecycle. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of leading large-scale PLM implementations within highly regulated industries, specifically medical devices or complex manufacturing environments.

As a key leadership figure, you will leverage exceptional communication and relationship-building skills to align cross-functional stakeholders—including Engineering, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Operations, and IT—into a unified digital thread strategy.

We are seeking a results-driven Director of IT - Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Engineering Applications to lead the strategic roadmap, implementation, and continuous evolution of our enterprise PLM and related ecosystem.

In this role, you will bridge the gap between technical execution and business strategy. You will be responsible for transforming how our products are conceived, designed, manufactured, and maintained, ensuring digital continuity across the product lifecycle. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of leading large-scale PLM implementations and engineering business applications environments within highly regulated industries, specifically medical devices or complex manufacturing environments.

As a key leadership figure, you will leverage exceptional communication and relationship-building skills to align cross-functional stakeholders—including Engineering, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Operations, and IT—into a unified digital thread strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Define the PLM Roadmap: Architect and execute a multi-year enterprise PLM strategy that aligns with business growth, digital transformation goals, and regulatory requirements.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Act as the primary liaison and strategic partner between business units (Engineering, Quality, Regulatory) and technical teams (IT, Solution Architects, System Integrators).
• Change Management: Lead comprehensive organizational change management efforts to ensure high adoption rates and minimal disruption during system deployments.
• Budget & ROI Ownership: Manage the PLM program budget, resource allocation, and vendor relationships, while establishing clear KPIs to measure system value and operational efficiency.

Business Process & Compliance

• Digital Thread Integration: Drive the integration of PLM with adjacent enterprise systems (ERP, MES, CAD, and QMS) to ensure seamless data flow and a single source of truth.
• Regulatory & Quality Excellence: Ensure the PLM system fully supports compliance frameworks (e.g., FDA 21 CFR Part 11, ISO 13485, EU MDR) including electronic signatures, audit trails, design history files (DHF), and device master records (DMR).
• Process Optimization: Continuously evaluate and harmonize engineering and manufacturing business processes (e.g., Bill of Materials (BOM) management, Change Control, CAPA) across different sites and business units.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline. An MBA or advanced degree is highly preferred.
• Years of Experience: Minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in product lifecycle management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership/director-level role.
• Industry Expertise: Deep experience working within large medical device organizations or complex discrete manufacturing environments (e.g., aerospace, automotive, high-tech industrial).
• Implementation Track Record: Proven history of successfully leading at least one major, enterprise-wide PLM tool implementation or upgrade (e.g., PTC Windchill, Siemens Teamcenter, Dassault Systèmes Enovia) from inception through hyper-care.

Skills & Competencies

• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence, negotiate with, and build consensus among executive-level business and IT leaders.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of medical device regulations or complex manufacturing quality standards (FDA, ISO, GMP).
• Technical Acumen: Solid understanding of PLM architecture, data modeling, CAD integration, configuration management, and enterprise system integration methodologies.
• Agile/Program Management: Proficiency in modern project management methodologies (Agile, SAFe, or PMP) to manage complex, multi-phase software rollouts.

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.