Sourcing Manager

Job Description

Primary Function of Position 

The Sourcing Manager for Operations at Intuitive Surgical Inc. (Intuitive)
will lead the strategic sourcing and procurement across operations
categories including Research and Development and MRO (Maintenance,
Repair, Operations). This role will be responsible for managing the end-to-
end sourcing process for high-value prototype and lab equipment and
services, customer training, and non-production equipment, supplies and
services supporting manufacturing operations that will drive innovation,
efficiency, and compliance within a highly regulated industry. The ideal
candidate has a strong background in strategic sourcing, supplier
negotiations, and project management, with proven experience in
manufacturing, preferably within the medical device, pharmaceutical, or
other regulated industries. Key responsibilities include overseeing strategic
sourcing projects, conducting vendor and market research, managing bids
and negotiations, negotiating contract terms, and post-bid activities such as
contract and vendor management. This role requires strong project
management and communication skills for effective collaboration with
various stakeholder

Essential Job Duties

Supplier Relationship Management:

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with suppliers to foster collaboration, trust, and mutual success.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for suppliers related to performance and strategic initiatives.
• Conduct regular supplier performance reviews, assess supplier capabilities, and implement improvement plans to enhance supplier performance and reliability.
• Establish global standards to assess supplier performance and to reduce risk for the business.
• Partner with suppliers to identify external innovation opportunities that optimize supply chain processes and enhance overall performance.

Strategic Sourcing:

• Manage RFP or strategic sourcing process without supervision, from concept to completion for high complexity projects (including market research, RFP development, and management of communications, stakeholder involvement, etc.).
• Analyze spend patterns, conduct market analysis, and supplier assessments to identify opportunities for cost savings, process improvements, and innovation.
• Lead cross-functional teams of senior leaders to develop category strategies aligned with business objectives and market trends.
• Develop and optimize buying channels, considering P2P (Procure to Pay) requirements.

Category Management:

• Develop a baseline for the current state and define the future success for operations subcategories while considering business goals and market conditions.
• Analyze the market to identify trends, risks, and potential new suppliers.
• Define meaningful KPIs to measure the health of the spend category.
• Create and implement spend treatment plans within the spend category for various levels of spend and risk.
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to execute the category strategy.
• Develop holistic procurement and sourcing strategies that support the future growth and objectives of Intuitive’s business.

Contract Management:

• Independently negotiate and manage contracts with suppliers, ensuring alignment with company policies, regulatory requirements, protection of company IP, and industry standards.
• Monitor contract performance, terms, and conditions, and ensure compliance with contractual obligations.
• Identify opportunities for contract optimization, renegotiation, or consolidation to drive cost efficiencies and mitigate risks.
• Negotiate favorable terms and conditions, focusing on long-term level agreements, quality standards, and volume discounts while minimizing risk to the company.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree Required (Business, Supply Chain, Finance, or related Discipline preferred)
• 8+ years’ experience with 4+ years in a procurement role. Experience sourcing R&D and/or Manufacturing Operations spend categories is required.
• Superior negotiation skills with adeptness to lead others through ambiguous and/or complex issues.
• Strong conceptual thinking skills with adeptness to lead others through ambiguous and/or complex issues.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills for interaction with team members and stakeholders including senior management. 
• Superior analytical ability to quickly gather facts, perform root cause analysis and draw conclusions.
• Extensive experience managing change across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Established negotiation skills to influence senior leadership on strategic direction, business case value proposition and sourcing recommendations.
• Strong contract/vendor negotiation preparation and execution skills to achieve desired outcomes from supplier negotiations.
• Ability to build consensus and act as an independent arbiter to achieve sourcing outcomes that meet business requirements without sacrificing service or increasing risk/cost.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and tasks concurrently and knowledge of business requirement and project management principles and methodology.
• Attention to details and the drive to get things right with minimal supervision.
• Must be able to listen, understand, and communicate with employees at all levels of the company.
• Ability to build effective working relationships within Intuitive