Intuitive · 15 hours ago
Director of AI - Applied Research
Sunnyvale, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$256K/yr - $384K/yr
10+ years expIntuitive is a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care. The Director of AI – Applied Research will lead technical teams to develop solutions addressing significant unmet business needs in AI, overseeing product development and ensuring alignment with business goals.
Health CareManufacturingMedical Device
Responsibilities
Define and maintain a multi-year AI roadmap, identifying key milestones for feature releases in collaboration with Intuitive platform product teams. Inform the broader AI vision and strategy and align talent and resources pragmatically to demonstrate capabilities
Lead the early-stage phase of AI product development, overseeing prototyping, pilot testing, and the transition of research-grade models into production-ready capabilities
Align AI initiatives with product and business goals
Define the organizational approach, attract highly talented leaders and individual contributors, and effectively execute through disciplined planning and resource allocation
Establish robust pipelines for the collection, curation, and de-identification of high-fidelity surgical datasets, ensuring compliance with global privacy standards and minimizing algorithmic bias
Partner with regulatory and product teams to define strategy and technical implementation ensuring safe and effective advanced capabilities
Serve as an AI subject matter expert for the company, bridging the gap between hardware engineering, clinical affairs, and commercial strategy, in coordination with senior leadership and product managers
Stay abreast of leading-edge capabilities in surgical AI and ensure Intuitive leadership through internal development and recruitment of world class talent
Collaborate with stakeholders across product, data, legal, and engineering
Qualification
Required
This role blends leadership, strategy, and technical depth in all aspects of embodied AI
Leadership of medical technology projects from inception through field validation to launch; Strong understanding of medical product ecosystem services
Demonstrated success in taking complex AI products from initial concept through regulatory approval and commercial launch
Experience with modern ML frameworks, edge computing for low-latency inference, and the integration of AI with physical robotic actuators
Ability to communicate effectively with surgeons and clinical staff to translate operative needs into technical requirements
Proven ability to lead in a fast-paced environment, managing the inherent uncertainty of early-stage AI research while maintaining a disciplined path to commercialization
Proven leadership of research and engineering teams
Experience setting technical direction and metrics for success
Skilled in stakeholder communication and cross-team delivery
Confidence working with product and engineering leadership
Experience managing budgets, vendors, and platforms
Preferred
PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field with a focus on Deep Learning or Computer Vision
Minimum 10-15 years of leadership experience in MedTech, Robotics, and BioEngineering, with at least 4 years in ML/AI development and commercialization
Familiarity with ethical AI and regulatory frameworks
Proven skills in quantitative analysis and data-driven decision making
Experience with intellectual property fundamentals
Demonstrated capacity to lead and manage engineering talent and to relate to all levels of employees
Willingness to travel: 15% travel / some Intl
Benefits
Market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, benefits, and equity
Company
Intuitive
Intuitive designs and manufactures robotic-assisted surgical systems.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Intuitive has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (339)
2024 (238)
2023 (181)
2022 (285)
2021 (145)
2020 (138)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$5MKey Investors
St. Cloud Capital
2003-04-30Post Ipo Equity
2000-06-23IPO
1996-01-01Seed· $5M
Leadership Team
Gillian Duncan
Senior Vice President, Professional Education & Program Services - Worldwide
Myriam Curet
Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer
Recent News
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2026-01-23
2026-01-16
2025-12-11
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