Sr. Manager Operational Excellence

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

Provide leadership and functional expertise in Logistics operations in support of inbound warehousing, transportation, and finished goods distribution for Global Logistics. Lead the growth of our continuous improvement program using Lean/Six Sigma trainings and methodologies. Lead and support the deployment of market leading warehouse operations in our internally operated distribution centers and with our 3PL warehouse providers. This includes Benchmarking and deploying SAP EWM processes, warehouse layout analysis, and operations processes to drive warehousing labor efficiency, improve operational metrics, and drive out non-value-added work.

Essential Job Duties

• Lead and manage a team responsible for executing operational excellence initiatives in Global Logistics, including inbound warehousing, transportation, and finished goods distribution.

• Allocate resources and provide guidance to team members in performing time studies, creating process maps, and resolving operational bottlenecks for inbound and outbound orders.

• Oversee and mentor team in conducting data analysis to investigate root causes of compliance, quality, or performance issues and in developing corrective action plans.

• Direct and coach team members in the use of Lean/Six Sigma tools — such as fishbone diagrams, spaghetti diagrams, and process flow maps—to reduce waste and error-proof logistics processes.

• Provide leadership and facilitate cross-functional training in Lean/Six Sigma methodologies, ensuring team members apply continuous improvement principles to logistics operations.

• Lead the implementation and monitoring of projects to achieve operational improvement goals, such as throughput, accuracy, process controls, ergonomic/layout enhancements, etc.

• Manage the development and deployment of key operational performance metrics, ensuring the team holds themselves and others accountable to day-to-day performance standards.

• Guide operations team in growing their knowledge of warehouse operations, continuous improvement fundamentals, and WMS applications.

• Perform direct operational analyses, process improvements, and hands-on support as needed, ensuring alignment with broader strategic objectives.

• Champion large cultural & behavioral change management initiatives impacting 500+ employees, leading by example and fostering a high-performance, continuous improvement culture.

• Perform other duties as required by the business pertaining to this function, primarily through leading and empowering the team to execute and innovate.

Required Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of people management experience.

• Minimum 10 + years of experience working in a warehouse environment.

• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead operational teams in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Possess strong organizational skills to meet deadlines, assist staff in prioritizing work and handle multiple projects.

• Must be able to apply sound judgment and decision-making skills in dealing with a variety of routine issues.

• Experienced with organizing unstructured data to support proposals or operational plans.

• Ability to handle conflict well and give positive and negative feedback along with managing performance issues.

• Experience in leveraging lean process tools such as Six Sigma and 5S.

• Skilled in MS Office suite, WMS, Access and/or SQL database experience.

Required Education and Training

• Bachelor's of Science in an Engineering discipline.

• APICS CLTD, CSCP, CTST, or CPIM certification preferred.

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt preferred.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• SAP EWM knowledge preferred.

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.