System SW Lab Operations Manager

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.

Primary Function of Position

The System Software Lab Operations Manager is responsible for planning, maintaining, and managing the lab environments that support MP product development and testing activities. This role ensures efficient and productive lab usage and is accountable for the operational excellence and readiness of the labs.

Essential Job Duties

Lab Operations:

• Oversee daily lab activities, monitor system health, and coordinate prompt resolution and repair of issues.
• Analyze and track hardware failures, identify non-conformance trends, and develop preventive maintenance workflows.
• Manage lab inventory, equipment maintenance, scheduling for upgrades, and calibrations.
• Drive operational improvements to increase lab efficiency; propose and develop new tools, dashboards, and applications.
• Optimize processes for maintaining V&V test environments and collaborating with the V&V team to identify and address test environment gaps.
• Conduct Hardware Change Production Equivalence Analysis.

Strategic Resourcing & Planning:

• Manage system reservations and allocate lab resources for multiple testing activities (V&V, reliability, automation, DUT, etc.).
• Support budget planning for end-of-life projects, old hardware upgrades, new hardware purchases, and loaner expenses. Lead the obsolescence process for outdated hardware.
• Oversee lab layout planning and setup for efficient workflow and resource utilization.     

Lab & Team Management:

• Establish and enforce lab guidelines and protocols.
• Supervise lab staff, including engineers and technicians, fostering a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Required Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated organizational and follow-through skills.
• Experience in lab management or technical operations (device/system labs).
• Proficiency with hardware and software configuration control.
• Strong analytical skills in failure analysis and process improvement.
• Initiative in solving problems and enhancing lab efficacy.
• Effective collaboration across hardware, software, platforms, and release teams.
• Budget management and resource allocation experience

Required Education and Training

• Bachelor’s degree with 6 years of experience or Master’s with 4 years. Plus minimum 2 years leadership experience.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience in lab design, setup and maintenance
• Experience in team management

Working Conditions

• None

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.