Future Forward, Clinical Research Engineering Lead

Company Description

At Intuitive, we are united behind our mission: we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints.

As a pioneer and market leader in robotic-assisted surgery, we strive to foster an inclusive and diverse team, committed to making a difference. For more than 25 years, we have worked with hospitals and care teams around the world to help solve some of healthcare's hardest challenges and advance what is possible.

Intuitive has been built by the efforts of great people from diverse backgrounds. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere. We strive to foster an inclusive culture built around diversity of thought and mutual respect. We lead with inclusion and empower our team members to do their best work as their most authentic selves.

Passionate people who want to make a difference drive our culture. Our team members are grounded in integrity, have a strong capacity to learn, the energy to get things done, and bring diverse, real world experiences to help us think in new ways. We actively invest in our team members to support their long-term growth so they can continue to advance our mission and achieve their highest potential.

Join a team committed to taking big leaps forward for a global community of healthcare professionals and their patients. Together, let's advance the world of minimally invasive care.

Job Description

Primary Function of Position

The Future Forward Lead of Clinical Research Engineering leads the strategic planning and execution of clinical engineering efforts across early-stage platform and technology development at Intuitive. This individual brings deep clinical and technical expertise along with proven leadership in people management and development, cross-functional collaboration, and resource stewardship.

This role is pivotal in translating user needs and clinical gaps into platform design, de-risking strategies, and clinical execution plans. It also involves overseeing a high-performing team of clinical research engineers and setting the standard for project planning, budget forecasting, timeline execution, and cross-functional alignment—all in service of delivering safe, effective, and innovative medical platforms and novel technologies to address unmet needs.

Essential Job Duties

Strategic Program Leadership

• Serve as the primary clinical engineering leader for early-stage robotic platform development within Future Forward.
• Establish and oversee clinical development strategies for preclinical and clinical evaluation phases, ensuring alignment with regulatory, reimbursement and commercial goals.
• Define and manage program goals, timelines, and budgets across multiple, concurrent projects with varying complexity and risk levels.
• Drive alignment between engineering, clinical, regulatory, and commercial functions through effective communication and clear prioritization frameworks.

Project Planning and Resource Management

• Develop and manage integrated program plans, Gantt timelines, resource loading, and cross-functional dependencies.
• Optimize allocation of clinical engineering talent, labs, and capital resources across multiple projects.
• Own clinical engineering budget forecasting and ensure disciplined use of company resources aligned with portfolio objectives.
• Ensure all programs are progressing according to plan, managing risks, resolving blockers, and adjusting resources as needed.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of clinical research engineers, focusing on both individual development and organizational capability.
• Foster a high-performance, values-driven culture focused on accountability, transparency, and innovation.
• Anticipate organizational capability needs and proactively recruit or develop team members to meet existing and evolving business demands.

Innovation and Clinical Integration

• Lead development of novel evaluation models, procedural workflows, and experimental designs to accelerate technology iteration and maturity.
• Oversee prototype evaluation activities in clinical labs, ensuring clear translation of insights to design and systems engineering teams (both qualitative and quantitative).
• Guide the creation of clinical risk assessments and clinical validation strategies to support design iteration and regulatory filings.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Serve as a primary clinical voice in early-stage programs, influencing cross-functional peers and senior leaders.
• Engage with KOLs, surgeons, and external expe