Sr Manager, Supplier Engineering

Intuitive•Sunnyvale, CA

15h

About The Position

Intuitive is a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, dedicated to making surgery smarter, safer, and more human through technologies like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion. The company's Supplier Engineering (SE) organization aims to ensure supply continuity for purchased parts at the lowest landed cost, operating through three functions: Supply Chain Engineering, New Product Introduction SE, and Plant SE. This role is for a Sr Manager who will lead a team of New Product Introduction Supplier Engineers. Key objectives include building trust with cross-functional NPI teams, acting as the Supply Chain voice, reducing design-related production issues, ensuring smooth scale-up during product ramp, lowering total cost and supply chain risks, developing and qualifying capable processes with suppliers for new parts, assemblies, and finished products, and stabilizing the supply chain for transfer to the Plant SE Team. The position is critical for delivering high-quality purchased parts, meeting new product development timelines, and ensuring smooth scale-up and transfer to sustaining manufacturing.

Requirements

Proven ability to lead teams to solve complex technical and process problems.
Proven ability to hire highly capable staff and grow and mentor staff.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentations to executives.
Demonstrated project management skills, ability to influence and negotiate with stakeholders to deliver projects on time.
Broad Domain knowledge expertise in plastics, metals, electronics, motion control components, etc.
Demonstrable knowledge of a wide range of manufacturing processes and measurement techniques.
Deep understanding of key input variables for quality, cost, schedule, and capacity.
Outstanding analytical skills along with good judgment.
Proficiency in Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing techniques.
Knowledge of document management systems and ERP Systems, preferably Agile and SAP.
Ability to travel to suppliers on an as-needed basis – domestic and international (25%).
BS degree in engineering.
8+ years related experience in Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supplier Quality, Supplier Development, or related field with significant medical or medical device experience and a demonstrated track record of launching new products.
3+ years of experience leading teams.

Nice To Haves

Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing techniques certification.
Knowledge of 21 CFR part 820 and ISO 13485.
Experience in a high-volume medical device company.
Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead a team of supplier engineers who deliver value to the business through various activities.
Develop and execute a global supply-chain strategy and roadmap for a long-term, sustainable, and resilient supply-chain to support Intuitive’s Product strategy and roadmap.
Conduct market research to identify trends in your commodity area and accordingly select and evaluate suppliers to enable Agility and innovation during New Product Introduction, and to enable production scale globally for products that reach broad commercial launch.
Establish a strong partnership with the NPI sourcing team to incorporate commercial viability in the supplier selection process.
Drive and adopt new technologies and automation in the supply chain to achieve high efficiency and production scale.
Champion best practices like DFX, Lean, SPC, Six-sigma, Project management, in the supply chain.
Establish clear communication channels with suppliers and manage both technical and business relationships.
Partner closely with suppliers to select optimal mfg process and process controls to achieve high quality and cost performance.
Develop effective KPIs to monitor supplier performance (delivery, capacity, cost, quality).
Execute projects towards continuous improvements of KPIs.
Partner with Supplier Quality team to drive audit finding resolution with suppliers through processes like CAPA and SCARs to maintain compliance with QMS requirements.
Partner with Global Supply Chain and Design Engineering teams to identify various risks within the supply chain and implement mitigation measures.
For commercially launched products, execute Intuitive’s change management processes like major/moderate change (MCF), Supplier Change Request (SCR) and Change Order (CO) to support large-scale projects towards capacity scaling, cost reduction, product quality improvement, and supply-chain risk mitigation.
Aligning/Negotiating on project ownership and hand-off points with various peer Supplier engineering groups (like New Product Introduction, Mfg Plant support, Tooling development).
Influencing decisions with key partners in Global Ops (planning, sourcing, purchasing), Engineering (Design, Process, Quality) and Project Management Org.