Director, US Evidence & Access Strategy – Ion

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

This role leads the US upstream clinical and economic evidence strategy for the Ion Business Unit, with a focus on generating the evidence required to unlock and scale coverage, vet and pursue traditional and innovative payment models, and secure requisite codes for new and evolving Ion-enabled procedures and technologies. You own the strategy that connects product and procedural innovation to credible clinical outcomes, health-system impact, and payer decision needs—translating that evidence into coverage-ready narratives, bespoke payment models, and implementation plans tailored to Ion’s unique value propositions.  

You will work closely with US Commercial, Medical Office, Product Management, Clinical Affairs, Regulatory, Clinical Development Engineering, Clinical Marketing, and Legal/Compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Upstream Responsibilities:

Set the US upstream evidence strategy: Define a 3–5 year US evidence roadmap for Ion upstream initiatives, tied to clear coverage, coding, payment, and adoption milestones. 

Drive coverage-oriented study design: Lead design and prioritization of clinical and economic studies that answer US payer, CMS/MAC, and provider decision-maker questions, including clinical outcomes, safety, utilization, site-of-service, pathway/resource use, and budget impact.

Own "coverage-grade" evidence packages: Build cohesive evidence narratives and submission-ready materials (clinical summaries, evidence tables, economic analyses, RWE plans) to support payer medical policies, CMS/MAC discussions, and external technology assessments where applicable. 

Upstream policy and pathway strategy :Partner with market access and policy teams to map and influence US pathways for new capabilities: coding strategy inputs , payment adequacy, coverage routes (commercial payers, Medicare, MAC LCDs/NCDs where relevant), and development of product-specific reimbursement models (e.g. bundled payments, episode-based models, value-based agreements).  Provide the Ion-specific evidence strategy, analytics, and materials that support both traditional payment pathways and novel reimbursement frameworks.  ,   Drive launch pricing or work with cross-functional pricing owners to align strategy to commercial tactics.  Clinical-economic translation for new procedures: Translate new procedure concepts into measurable endpoints and value drivers, ensuring relevance to US reimbursement and provider economics.

Downstream/Field Responsibilities:

Drive commercial integration of bespoke payment models:  Work with payers, health systems, and policy stakeholders to design and pilot evidence-supported reimbursement models tailored to Ion's product portfolio and pipeline, including alternative payment arrangements that capture unique clinical and economic value not addressed by traditional fee-for-service coding.

Lead payer engagement and contracting support: Direct interactions with national and regional payers to secure favorable coverage policies, formulary placement, and reimbursement terms; provide clinical and economic evidence to support contract negotiations.

Develop and execute pull-through strategies: Design and implement programs to convert coverage wins into market adoption, including provider education, reimbursement support tools, and site-of-service optimization.

Own field reimbursement enablement: Lead development of reimbursement resources, coding guidance, claims support tools, and training materials for sales teams, healthcare economics liaisons (HELs), and customer-facing staff.

Manage accounts receivable and claims optimization: Partner with revenue cycle and commercial operations to monitor denial rates, appeals processes, and payment velocity; implement interventions to improve clean claims rates and reduce reimbursement friction.

Provider economic modeling and ROI tools: Create and maintain customer-facing economic models, budget impact calculators, and ROI analyses that demonstrate financial value to hospitals, health systems, and physician practices.

Coverage gap analysis and mitigation: Continuously monitor coverage landscape, identify gaps in access, and develop tactical plans (e.g., case-by-case appeals, prior authorization support, patient assistance programs) to address barriers.

Payer medical policy monitoring and response: Track updates to commercial and Medicare policies, assess impact on business, and coordinate cross-functional responses including policy amendments, supplemental dossiers, or reconsiderations.

Customer reimbursement support infrastructure: Establish and oversee hotlines, portals, or dedicated teams that provide real-time coding, billing, and reimbursement guidance to customers and patients.

Management of internal and external stakeholders and enablers:

External engagement and scientific positioning: Build senior relationships with US KOLs, societies, guideline influencers, health-system leaders, and payers to shape evaluation criteria, payment model design, and adoption for emerging Ion workflows. Identify and build collaborations (registries, RWE networks, data partnerships) to accelerate evidence generation and support novel payment pathways. 

Cross-functional leadership and governance: Act as the upstream evidence and reimbursement "single-threaded leader" for US initiatives, aligning Product, Clinical, Medical, HEOR, Regulatory, and Market Access on priorities, trade-offs, and timelines; represent upstream evidence and payment strategy in governance forums and leadership reviews.

Lead vendors, budgets, and execution: Manage CROs, HEOR vendors, data partners, and consultancies. Own or co-own budgets for upstream evidence programs, focusing spend on initiatives that measurably advance coverage and adoption.

Track impact and adapt: Define and monitor KPIs (e.g., policy milestones, coverage outcomes, coding/payment progress, reimbursement model pilots, evidence-generation milestones, adoption indicators). Use payer feedback, policy updates, and competitive moves to continuously refine the roadmap.

Qualifications

Required

• Advanced clinical, scientific, or health-economics degree (e.g., MD, PharmD, PhD, MPH, MSc).

• 10+ years of progressive experience in clinical evidence, medical affairs/clinical strategy, HEOR, reimbursement/coverage strategy, or market access for medical devices or interventional procedures in the US.

• Demonstrated experience designing or leading evidence programs tied to US coverage and/or payment outcomes (commercial payers and/or Medicare/CMS/MAC).

• Strong understanding of US reimbursement mechanics and evidence expectations (payer medical policy, CMS/MAC considerations, coding/payment levers), with the ability to translate innovation into coverage-ready endpoints and narratives.

• Ability to communicate effectively with senior clinical leaders, payer stakeholders, and internal executives; strong writing skills for evidence packages and policy-facing materials.

• Proven success leading complex, matrixed programs spanning multiple functions and external partners.

Preferred

• Experience in interventional pulmonology, thoracic oncology, bronchoscopy, lung nodule management, or adjacent procedural domains.

• Experience supporting coding and/or CMS payment processes , including evidence strategy for submissions.

• Experience with RWE/registry programs and large US data sources (claims, EMR, integrated delivery networks).

• Prior people leadership and/or substantial matrix leadership responsibility.

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.