Full-Time

Senior Director of Privacy & Data Protection-Legal

Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive Surgical

10,001+ employees

Manufactures robotic surgical systems and services

No salary listed

Sunnyvale, CA, USA

Hybrid

Three days in office per week required.

Category
Legal & Compliance (2)
,
Required Skills
Risk Management
Requirements
  • Juris Doctorate
  • Membership in at least one U.S. Bar
  • At least one IAPP certification
  • Minimum of thirteen years’ experience in global Data Privacy legal and compliance matters, and working with non-U.S. counsels in various foreign jurisdictions in
Responsibilities
  • Counsel managers, individual contributors, business units, and executives regarding Privacy & Data Protection matters.
  • Actively seek out and identify opportunities to enhance our privacy program.
  • Work with to ensure that personal information is protected using the appropriate legal and risk frameworks.
  • Identify and advise on privacy and data protection risks and opportunities that impact business goals and priorities employing a risk-based approach.
  • Advise company executives about value of data assets to license or purchase.
  • Advise company executives about privacy and data protection laws, including emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence.
  • Analyze new and emerging data privacy and data protection laws.
  • Lead readiness and implementation for new laws.
  • Advise on enforcement activities that will likely impact the company.
  • Support privacy and data breach investigations, remediations and regulator inquiries.
  • Provide data privacy support in the drafting and negotiation of agreements covering a variety of business needs, including: Research and Data Use agreements.
  • Data licensing agreements.
  • Other data sharing, M&A and general commercial matters.
  • Manage, mentor, and train less senior legal team members, including setting constructive goals and providing career development opportunities for direct reports.
  • Participate in and lead cross-functional projects and initiatives involving the Legal Team.
  • Identify key and strategic opportunities to enhance the effectiveness and quality of the company’s data protection posture.
  • Allocate and deploy Legal resources appropriately to advance the interests of Intuitive in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Desired Qualifications
  • Eligibility for Membership in the California State Bar or as registered in-house counsel
  • Proven experience identifying and managing privacy risks across multiple jurisdictions.
  • Experience in the health care industry including direct patient care, life sciences, academic medical research, and/or medical devices
  • Superior interpersonal skills for engaging closely with various executives, managers, employees, and employee teams, making and communicating difficult information/decisions, and inspiring excellence in others.
  • Excellent writing, drawing, and oral communication skills—this includes the ability to communicate complex legal issues in clear, concise language, as well as characterize risks in actionable terms.
  • Strong contract drafting and negotiation experience, including experience in business associate agreements and/or data protection agreements.
  • Ability to assess, prioritize, and manage multiple tasks within a rapidly changing environment in compliance with resource and bandwidth constraints.
  • Ability to independently plan, organize, and execute complex, highly strategic assignments involving multiple teams and individuals.
  • Superior legal judgement and analytical skills to effectively resolve issues that involve competing priorities and high-level objectives.
  • Management skill to effectively guide the work of others to ensure well-integrated, timely, high quality and within-budget deliverables.

Intuitive Surgical designs, manufactures, and sells robotic surgical systems and provides related services and accessories for minimally invasive surgery. The core product helps surgeons perform operations with enhanced precision by guiding robotic arms controlled from a console, allowing procedures to be done through small incisions. Instruments and consumables are used with the systems and are supported by service contracts, creating a recurring revenue stream. Compared to competitors, Intuitive has a large installed base and focuses specifically on robotic-assisted surgery, combining devices, disposable instruments, and ongoing services to support hospitals and surgical centers. Its goal is to improve patient outcomes by enabling safer, less invasive procedures while expanding the use and capabilities of robotic surgery for more procedures and providers.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Sunnyvale, California

Founded

1995

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Bariatric surgery market expansion as da Vinci outperforms GLP-1 drugs for sustained weight loss.
  • Ion bronchoscopy system procedures grew 39% YoY with 1,041 installed units capturing lung cancer detection.
  • Less than 5% of eligible surgeries globally performed robotically indicates substantial international adoption runway.

What critics are saying

  • FDA Class II recalls of instruments with fraying cables disrupt 86% of Q1 recurring revenue.
  • FDA safety communication on curved tip staplers halts hospital use, eroding surgeon confidence in reliability.
  • EU MDR recertification deadline December 2028 halts 25% European sales during redesign and testing.

What makes Intuitive Surgical unique

  • 70-80% market share in soft-tissue robotics with 11,395 installed da Vinci systems globally.
  • 85% recurring revenue from instruments, accessories, and service contracts provides predictable cash flow.
  • da Vinci 5 platform expands into cardiac surgery and complex procedures previously requiring open surgery.

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Yahoo Finance
Apr 7th, 2026
Intuitive Surgical emerges as dark horse in anti-obesity market as surgery outperforms GLP-1 drugs

Intuitive Surgical could emerge as a dark horse in the anti-obesity market as bariatric surgery proves more effective than GLP-1 drugs for long-term weight loss. A recent study of over 50,000 patients found surgery patients lost an average of 58 pounds after two years, compared to just 12 pounds for those using GLP-1 medications. The study also showed surgery delivers more sustainable results. Gastric bypass patients maintain around 52% of their excess weight loss after 10 years, whilst GLP-1 users often regain all lost weight after stopping treatment. Intuitive's da Vinci surgical system offers minimally invasive bariatric surgery options. The company generated $10.1 billion in revenue last year, up from $8.4 billion, with profit margins around 28%. Despite shares falling over 20% this year, the company's position in surgical innovation makes it a compelling long-term investment.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 29th, 2026
Intuitive Surgical shares drop 19% YTD, but analysts see 15% upside potential

Intuitive Surgical has experienced recent share price weakness, declining 3% in one day with negative returns over the past week, month and three months. The stock currently trades at $452.66, down 10.1% over one month and 19.45% year-to-date, though three-year total shareholder returns remain strong at 77.19%. The medical technology company reports annual revenue of $10.1 billion and net income of $2.9 billion, maintaining a dominant position in minimally invasive surgical technology. According to one valuation analysis, Intuitive Surgical's fair value sits at $532.46, suggesting the stock is undervalued by approximately 15% at current levels. The analysis projects 12% annual revenue growth over the next five years, supported by recurring revenues from spare parts and software licences, with profit margins expected to reach 30% from the current 28.6%.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 28th, 2026
Intuitive Surgical shares up 23% after Jim Cramer's buy recommendation

Intuitive Surgical shares rose 23% following Jim Cramer's recommendation on CNBC's Squawk on the Street in June 2025, where he urged investors to "just go buy ISRG". The medical robotics company experienced a 27% surge in October after reporting third-quarter earnings that beat analyst estimates. Revenue reached $2.51 billion against expectations of $2.40 billion, whilst adjusted earnings per share hit $2.40 versus the predicted $1.98. However, the stock declined 2.7% in January 2026 after Intuitive Surgical released preliminary fourth-quarter results, citing concerns that Medicaid funding cuts and competing products could slow growth of its robotic surgical systems. Despite the recent setback, shares remain up significantly since Cramer's initial endorsement, though they're down 7.8% over the past year.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 28th, 2026
Intuitive Surgical faces tariff headwinds and rising competition despite 19% revenue growth to $2.87B

Intuitive Surgical faces headwinds from tariffs and increased competition in the robotic-assisted surgery market, yet its fundamentals remain strong. The medical device company reported fourth-quarter revenue growth of 19% to $2.87 billion, whilst adjusted earnings per share rose 14.5% to $2.53. Procedures using its da Vinci surgical system increased 17%, with the installed base growing 12% to 11,106 units. However, the stock trades at 47.6 times forward earnings, compared to the healthcare sector average of 17.1. New competition is emerging, with Medtronic's Hugo system recently cleared and Johnson & Johnson expected to launch its own device soon. Despite these challenges, Intuitive Surgical maintains advantages through switching costs and extensive real-world data, whilst the underpenetrated robotic-assisted surgery market offers long-term growth potential.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 24th, 2026
ISRG maintains 37% operating margins in Q4 despite 95 bps tariff drag

Intuitive Surgical maintained a 37% operating margin in Q4 despite tariffs creating a 95 basis point drag, alongside higher facility costs and unfavourable product mix from newer platforms like da Vinci 5 and Ion. The company offset these pressures through product cost reductions, component savings and manufacturing efficiencies. Procedure growth of 18% in Q4 and recurring revenue now comprising 81% of total revenues provided operating leverage. Management's 2026 gross margin guidance of 67-68% suggests continued stability, even as tariff headwinds are expected to increase to roughly 1.2% of revenues. Meanwhile, Boston Scientific expanded adjusted operating margins by 100 basis points to 28% in 2025, though tariffs will offset favourable product mix in 2026. The company expects 50-75 basis points operating margin expansion in 2026 through scale efficiencies and supply-chain optimisation.