Job Description
The Team
The Incubator within Future Forward at Intuitive is a cross-functional innovation group focused on identifying, evaluating, and developing new clinical opportunities and technology platforms. The team operates at the earliest stages of innovation, working from unmet clinical needs through concept generation, derisking, and early development. By partnering closely with engineering, clinical, and business leaders, the Incubator helps shape Intuitive’s long-term growth by advancing transformational technologies that improve patient outcomes and expand access to care.
Primary Function of the Position
The Physician, Corporate Strategy is an MD physician innovator embedded within Intuitive’s Future Forward Incubator. This role translates clinical insight and early-market understanding into new growth opportunities, helping identify unmet clinical needs, evaluate strategic fit, and shape technology concepts from initial hypothesis through early de-risking. We are open to candidates who bring one of two complementary profiles: (1) strong clinical practice experience with exposure to innovation, venture, startups, business development, Biodesign, or product development; or (2) deep venture, startup, business development, Biodesign, or corporate strategy experience with an MD background and enough medical/clinical fluency to credibly assess patient care, procedure workflows, and clinician needs. The successful candidate will work closely with engineering, clinical, product, regulatory, reimbursement, and strategy partners to determine which opportunities should advance and how they should be clinically and commercially framed.
Essential Job Duties
- Identify, frame, and prioritize unmet clinical needs using clinical immersion, literature review, market sensing, and voice-of-customer input.
- Translate physician and patient insights into concise need statements, opportunity hypotheses, clinical workflows, requirements, and early de-risking plans.
- Evaluate early-stage opportunities for clinical importance, feasibility, strategic fit, adoption barriers, competitive landscape, and potential business impact.
- Partner with engineering and design teams to define clinical use cases, procedural workflows, performance goals, and prototype feedback loops for new platforms.
- Lead or support early clinical de-risking activities, including preclinical studies, simulated use, workflow validation, and early feasibility planning where appropriate.
- Develop point-of-view assessments on emerging technologies, startups, venture-backed innovation, adjacent markets, and external partnership opportunities.
- Collaborate with regulatory, reimbursement, health economics, product, and commercial strategy partners to shape indication strategy and development pathways.
- Engage KOLs, clinicians, entrepreneurs, academic innovators, and external partners to validate concepts and inform investment decisions.
- Communicate findings to senior stakeholders through clear written recommendations, executive presentations, and data-driven opportunity narratives.
Qualifications
Experience and Qualifications
- MD or DO required; active clinical practice is valued but not required for candidates with substantial innovation, venture, startup, business development, Biodesign, or corporate strategy experience.
- Must demonstrate at least one of the following experience profiles: (1) meaningful hands-on clinical practice or procedural care experience plus exposure to innovation, venture, startups, business development, Biodesign, or product development; or (2) strong venture, startup, business development, Biodesign, corporate strategy, or product strategy experience plus sufficient clinical fluency to evaluate medical needs and care pathways.
- Ability to identify unmet clinical needs and convert observations into structured hypotheses, need statements, development plans, or investment theses.
- Experience conducting clinician, patient, or stakeholder interviews and synthesizing voice-of-customer input into actionable product or strategy recommendations.
- Comfort operating in ambiguous, early-stage environments where the path forward is uncertain and evidence must be built iteratively.
- Strong cross-functional influence skills and ability to collaborate with engineering, clinical, regulatory, reimbursement, product, and business stakeholders.
- Ability to evaluate clinical workflows, procedure economics, adoption barriers, competitive dynamics, and strategic implications for new technology platforms.
- Clear executive communication skills, including crisp written synthesis, structured presentations, and the ability to explain complex clinical concepts to non-clinical audiences.
- Curiosity, ownership mindset, and enthusiasm for building new technologies that can transform care delivery and improve patient outcomes.
- Biodesign or equivalent needs-based innovation training preferred; experience in venture, startups, business development, product strategy, or corporate strategy strongly preferred.
Education and Training
- MD or DO required.
- Surgical or interventional specialty training preferred, but not required if the candidate demonstrates strong innovation, venture, startup, business development, Biodesign, or corporate strategy experience.
- Clinical practice experience, residency/fellowship training, or comparable patient-care exposure preferred for candidates coming from a primarily clinical background.
- Candidates with fewer years of clinical training or limited active practice experience may be considered if they bring substantial experience in early-stage innovation, venture-backed companies, medical technology strategy, product development, business development, or Biodesign.
- Biodesign, MBA, MPH, MS, fellowship, or other formal training in innovation, product development, health economics, or business strategy is a plus.
Additional Information
Working Conditions:
- Must be available to work full-time onsite in Sunnyvale, CA
- Ability to travel to clinical sites, customer locations, or conferences including international (up to 25%)
- May involve standing or walking for extended periods during clinical observations or procedures
- Must be able to lift up to 20 lbs occasionally (e.g., for transporting prototypes or equipment)
- Ability to meet hospital credentialing and compliance requirements for clinical site access (e.g., vaccination)
- We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer.
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.
Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:
Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please contact People Services at HRHelpNow@intusurg.com.
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.
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.
Were 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.
The Future Forward organization is Intuitive’s advanced concepts group. We explore emerging technologies, prototype next-generation solutions, and build software experiences that shape the future of robotic-assisted surgery.
If you're ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you'll find your purpose here.
