Program Manager, NPI Sourcing

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.

Scope of Work

Assigned as lead for programs and leads spend category(s); complex program/spend/risk; requires little oversight from manager.  Manages procurement of direct materials and strategic sourcing initiatives to support new product introduction. Requires knowledge of key supplier capabilities and matches the capabilities to new product design. Track and manage purchase orders, delivery commitments to support ramp up of new products. Work closely with strategic sourcing and engineering to ensure that the appropriate supplier strategy is implemented for new product release and production ramp.

Establish material requirements from engineering, new product build schedules and maintains appropriate inventory for production. Evaluates supplier capabilities and works with supplier engineering and strategic sourcing to develop new supply sources as needed. Monitors cost, capacity, and delivery schedule to insure availability of material for production schedule.

Essential Job Duties

• Administers and manages purchase orders and delivery requirements to designated suppliers as necessary to support NPI and/or sales requirements within the business.   
• Supports performance management and improvement efforts for designated suppliers, including coordinating supplier business reviews.
• Coordinates engineering change order activity with suppliers and other functional groups.
• Capacity: Identify potential supplier capacity issues and works in conjunction with strategic sourcing and supplier engineering to resolve these issues and insure no impact to project schedule
• Cost: track purchase price variance. assist with cutover management planning, supporting identification of new cost reduction opportunities. Creates, updates and review product material cost models.
• Risk: support administration of SCRM tool to ensure accuracy of data and support specific risk mitigation projects
• Supplier Performance: supports preparation of supplier scorecards and supplier business reviews.
• Manages quoting activity with suppliers to support supply chain optimizations.
• May support market research to find appropriate supplier(s) for various commodities and manufacturing processes.

Main areas of activity

• Leads complex programs from a total performance perspective, inclusive of supply chain strategy, cost, quality, inventory, capacity and risk management ownership.  Some oversight from manager
• Creates program supply chain design strategy, identifies RFx opportunities; able to conduct analytics; negotiates and implements points; presents summary and implications to leadership
• Performs market research with limited oversight from manager; significant complexity
• Supplier Selection: Lead strategy, intenral discussions, identification and implements decisions aligned with strategic sourcing for complex programs; creates recommendation, supports when leadership decision is required
• Program & Program reviews: Leads slide creation for assigned category; builds long-term vision for complex categories; presents effectively to leadership
• Leads identification of demand fluctuations, impact to capacity and supply amidst high complexity models and programs. Creates and implements action plan to resolve
• Contracting: Creates and secures contracts to contract plan by part by program. Able to address most redline resolution independently using guidance document and experience; support from manager for complex situations; emerging capability to draft new or revised language
• Cost Negotiation & Savings: create & implement multiyear (year over year) cost plan, communication, cross functional collaboration

Qualifications

• Advanced MS Office skills (MS Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Excel (Vlookup, Pivot Table, Charts, and filtering)
• Working knowledge of buying, material planning, master scheduling, and forecasting.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills is required. Ability to communicate both at the high (strategic) and detailed (tactical) level

Proven ability to consistently achieve stretch goals and objectives.

• Ability to handle multiple tasks and projects successfully.
• Outstanding verbal, written communication, and concise and persuasive presentation skills.
• Ability to influence without authority.
• Expected minimum 25% travel to both domestic & international suppliers.
• Required onsite presence of 3 days per week.

Required Education and Training

• Minimum BS degree or equivalent and 10+ years of purchasing and supply chain experience in a regulated industry manufacturing environment (medical device preferred).
• Significant computer experience including MS Office suites and ERP systems, preferably SAP and Agile, BOM structure.

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.