Senior R&D Program Manager

About Orthopaedics

Fueled by innovation at the intersection of biology and technology, we’re developing the next generation of smarter, less invasive, more personalized treatments. Our Orthopaedics teams help keep more than 6 million people moving each year while delivering clinical and economic value to surgeons and healthcare systems. Our teams build solutions for joint reconstruction; trauma and craniomaxillofacial; sports, extremities, and elective foot and ankle; spine; and robotics and digital surgery.

Purpose

The Platform Program Manager – Knee Robotics (VRAS) provides platform-level program leadership for the Knee robotics portfolio within Digital R&D. Unlike a Project Manager, who is accountable for execution of an individual project, this role aligns multiple projects, platform priorities, cross-functional dependencies, and governance mechanisms into a coherent delivery model. The role operates as a senior cross-functional leader across software, firmware, systems, mechanical, electrical, V&V, clinical, quality, regulatory, and commercial interfaces to drive prioritization, technology roadmaps, tradeoff decisions, integrated planning, and executive visibility in a regulated medical device environment.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the Knee Robotics (VRAS) platform program, integrating strategy, priorities, technology roadmap and execution across multiple projects and workstreams.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Project Managers across the Knee Robotics (VRAS) portfolio, setting clear expectations, providing direction and prioritization, and fostering consistent project management practices and a high-performance culture.
• Own platform-level governance, including prioritization, sequencing, escalation pathways, and decision forums that span the full Knee portfolio.
• Establish and drive the platform operating cadence, including PI planning, quarterly reviews, executive program reviews, and cross-functional governance routines.
• Own integrated program plans, milestones, critical path, and interdependencies across projects to ensure execution remains aligned to strategic objectives and delivery commitments.
• Lead Project Managers to ensure project-level plans, RAID items, and change impacts are integrated into a platform-level view for leadership decision-making.
• Resolve cross-project resource, timeline, and scope conflicts that cannot be solved within a single project.
• Develop platform-level recommendations on investment tradeoffs, resource allocation, sequencing, and roadmap adjustments to support leadership decisions.
• Lead financial planning and performance reviews for the platform in partnership with PMO Operations, including forecasts, funding needs, and execution transparency.
• Oversee external partner and contractor execution at the platform level, ensuring scope clarity, performance management, and alignment to business and technical objectives.
• Ensure platform readiness for design reviews, phase-gates, and major investment decisions through clear evidence, cross-functional alignment, and proactive risk management.
• Provide concise executive communications, dashboards, and scenario-based recommendations that synthesize project-level inputs into a clear platform-level view.

Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of increasing responsibility in program or project leadership within regulated product development environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-project programs, portfolios, or platform-level delivery models across complex cross-functional organizations.
• Experience with Class II or III medical devices, robotics, knee reconstruction technologies, or software-enabled systems preferred.
• Experience leading complex programs through phase-gate execution, design controls, and cross-functional governance processes.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Certifications/Licenses and Affiliations

• Strong technical background in medical device development and/or surgical robotics, with the ability to engage credibly across software, systems, hardware, and clinical domains.
• Strong command of regulated medical device development, including phase-gate execution, design controls, and quality system requirements such as FDA 21 CFR 820.30 and ISO 13485.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional programs and influence senior stakeholders across technical, functional, and business domains.
• Strong strategic and operational judgment, with the ability to frame tradeoffs, recommend priorities, and guide decisions under uncertainty.
• Ability to integrate multiple project plans, risks, and dependencies into a platform-level view that supports governance and executive decision-making.
• Proficiency in Agile/SAFe, Lean or hybrid delivery models; ability to translate technical scope into PI/iteration plans, manage dependencies, and drive execution to milestones.
• Proficiency with program and engineering execution tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Planisware/Cadence PPM, Jira/Azure DevOps) and disciplined documentation practices.
• Ability to establish operating mechanisms, governance routines, and escalation pathways that improve delivery predictability and accountability across multiple projects.
• Strong financial and program controls acumen, including forecasting, scenario planning, budget management, and performance reporting at the platform or portfolio level.
• Excellent executive communication skills, with the ability to translate technical and operational complexity into clear decision-ready narratives.
• Experience working with external development partners and suppliers, and assessing the downstream impact of changes on requirements, traceability, verification, cybersecurity, and regulatory deliverables.