
Senior Director, AI Systems and Platforms
Edwards Lifesciences
Summary
Innovation starts from the heart. Our Advanced Innovation & Technology (AI&T) teams harness imagination, courage, and resourcefulness to think beyond what is currently possible and create solutions for patients many years into the future. If you are an early-stage innovator, the Edwards AI&T team is the place for you to take the next step in your career. We will give you the tools and resources you need to create groundbreaking innovations that shape the future of structural heart technology.
Job description
How you will make an impact:
- Design reusable, secure, multi-tenant AI services that product and business teams can consume without rebuilding common capabilities
- Operate the AI platform as an internal product with defined customers, roadmap, service levels, adoption measures, and developer experience
- Chair the operating cadence of the AI Center of Excellence
- Own build, buy, or rent decisions for AI capabilities, with the authority to stop an internal build
- Own the reference architecture and enforce technical standards across all AI initiatives
- Own the AI gateway, model routing, and observability layer
- Build and lead delivery pods that include engineers from IT under a formal shared-capacity agreement
- Own and rationalize the AI platform estate, including vendor spend attribution
- Own production reliability for AI applications
What you'll need (Required):
- Bachelor's degree plus 12 years of experience in software or AI architecture, including at least 5 years in a formal technical leadership or chief architect capacity
- Experience negotiating a formal shared-capacity or co-delivery model with an internal IT organization
What else we look for (Preferred):
- AI reference architecture design, platform rationalization, and vendor spend management (FinOps)
- Hands-on fluency with enterprise cloud AI platforms, API and microservices design, MLOps or LLMOps, observability, and secure production operations; experience with major cloud platforms is illustrative rather than mandatory
- Player-coach technical leadership: setting direction and writing code or reviewing designs personally, not managing through layers
- Platform product management, internal developer-platform design, service-level management, and adoption measurement
- Experience consolidating a fragmented platform or vendor estate
- Experience chairing or running a cross-functional technical governance body
- Demonstrated ability to manage one or more teams and provide coaching and feedback, including responsibility for all employee actions, hire/fire authority, and partnering with HR on all aspects of employee relations
- Ability to interact professionally with all organizational levels and proactively escalate issues to appropriate levels of management
- Ability to work and excel within a fast-paced, dynamic, and constantly changing work environment
- Ability to ensure team alignment to strategic goals and initiatives through regular communication
- Ability to coach and mentor team members, including dotted-line reports as necessary; align team members in roles that best leverage their strengths and support growth and skill diversification
- Adhere to all company rules and requirements, including pandemic protocols and Environmental Health & Safety rules; take adequate control measures to prevent injuries to themselves and others, protect the environment, and prevent pollution within their span of influence/control
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree plus 12 years of experience in software or AI architecture, including at least 5 years in a formal technical leadership or chief architect capacity
- Experience negotiating a formal shared-capacity or co-delivery model with an internal IT organization
Benefits
- Competitive salaries
- Performance-based incentives
- Diverse benefits programs
Company overview
Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW) is the leading global structural heart innovation company, driven by a passion to improve patient lives. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Irvine, California, the company specializes in developing breakthrough technologies for cardiovascular diseases. As a pioneer in the medical device industry, Edwards focuses on transcatheter heart valves, surgical heart valves, hemodynamic monitoring systems, and vascular solutions. The company's patient-focused culture inspires its 16,000+ employees worldwide to deliver life-changing innovations that address complex heart health challenges. Edwards serves patients in over 100 countries through its comprehensive portfolio of products including the SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve system, INSPIRIS surgical valves, and advanced monitoring technologies. With a commitment to research and development, the company invests 17-18% of its revenue back into R&D efforts, maintaining its position at the forefront of structural heart innovation. Edwards Lifesciences has impacted over one million patients globally through its transformative medical technologies.