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.

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.

Job Description

Position Summary

The Global Director, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is a strategic enterprise leader responsible for defining and executing the organization's global EHS vision, strategy, and governance framework. This role provides leadership for a globally distributed team of EHS professionals and partners with executive, functional, and site leadership to foster a culture of safety, environmental stewardship, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance across all global locations.

The successful candidate will drive the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of world-class EHS programs that protect employees, support sustainable business growth, and strengthen organizational resilience. Reporting to the Sr, Director, Safety, Security, and Resilience, this leader will ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements while advancing innovative, risk-based approaches that enable the business to operate safely and effectively in a dynamic global environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Develop and execute the global EHS strategy in alignment with corporate objectives, operational priorities, and sustainability commitments.

• Establish a long-term roadmap to advance organizational safety culture, environmental performance, and risk-reduction initiatives.

• Serve as the primary EHS advisor to executive leadership, providing strategic guidance on emerging risks, regulatory developments, and industry best practices.

• Build strong partnerships with site leadership, operations, engineering, legal, compliance, facilities, security, business continuity, commercial, and other key stakeholders to integrate EHS into business decision-making.

Global Program Management

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of global EHS programs, standards, and management systems.

• Drive consistency and operational excellence across all locations while accommodating regional regulatory requirements and business needs.

• Establish governance processes to monitor program effectiveness, identify gaps, and ensure timely corrective actions.

• Champion initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, accountability, and ownership of EHS performance.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with applicable international, federal, state, provincial, and local environmental, health, and safety regulations.

• Oversee enterprise-wide risk assessments and develop strategies to proactively mitigate occupational health, safety, and environmental risks.

• Partner with regulatory agencies, industry organizations, and external stakeholders to ensure alignment with evolving compliance requirements and standards.

Performance & Operational Excellence

• Establish key performance indicators, metrics, and reporting mechanisms to drive accountability and continuous improvement.

• Analyze EHS performance trends and leverage data-driven insights to improve outcomes and reduce organizational risk.

• Support operational objectives by aligning EHS programs with business growth, productivity, and service-level expectations.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing global team of EHS professionals.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, continuous learning, and professional development.

• Build organizational capability by developing succession plans and strengthening technical expertise across the EHS function.

• Influence and inspire leaders at all levels to champion safety as a core organizational value.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, or a related discipline required.

• Advanced degree (MS, MPH, MBA, or equivalent) preferred.

• Professional certifications such as CSP, CIH, CHMM, CPE, or equivalent.

Experience

• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in Environmental Health & Safety within a manufacturing, industrial, life sciences, medical device, or similarly regulated environment.

• Demonstrated success leading global or multi-site EHS organizations.

• Proven experience developing and implementing enterprise-wide EHS strategies, programs, and management systems.

• Strong knowledge of international EHS regulations, compliance requirements, and industry best practices.

• Experience leading ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO 50001 implementation, certification, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Technical Expertise

• Deep knowledge of occupational health, industrial safety, environmental compliance, and risk management principles.

• Expertise in auditing and administering critical safety programs and management systems.

• Strong understanding of incident investigation methodologies, root cause analysis, and corrective action management.

• Experience utilizing metrics, analytics, and risk-based decision-making to drive organizational performance.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate vision into actionable business outcomes.

• Exceptional leadership, coaching, and talent development capabilities.

• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence across all organizational levels.

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.

• Proven ability to build trust and credibility within a complex global matrix organization.

• Sound judgment and effective decision-making in dynamic and evolving environments.

• High resilience, adaptability, and a continuous improvement mindset.

• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to interpret technical and operational data to assess and mitigate risk.

• Unwavering commitment to integrity, ethics, and employee well-being.

Travel Requirements

Ability to travel globally up to 30% to support operational locations, strategic initiatives, and leadership engagement.

Additional Information

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.