Assistant General Counsel, Privacy & Data Protection

Intuitive Surgical is seeking an Assistant General Counsel, Privacy & Data Protection to support our international operations. Based in Aubonne, Switzerland, you will be part of the Legal, External Affairs and Privacy team, driving legal excellence in commercial operations by ensuring market access and customer satisfaction through compliance with legal, industry and international standards. You will be a senior privacy professional supporting our EMEA businesses, reporting to the Associate General Counsel (Director), Privacy & Data Protection. The role involves providing strategic advice on all aspects of EMEA privacy laws and regulations, including the EU, UK, Switzerland, Israel and other relevant regions. You will support privacy efforts related to product and service development, functional and partner needs, consumer and healthcare privacy practices, and personal information accountability. This is a senior position with project and program ownership, requiring extensive experience advising on product and application development, assessing real-world privacy scenarios, and supporting strategic decisions.

Responsibilities

• Advise on all aspects of EMEA privacy and data protection laws and regulations, including GDPR, emerging laws, sector-specific laws, data protection authorities, court actions, and trends
• Guide product development and other teams on EMEA compliance for new and enhanced products and services
• Provide legal guidance regarding clinical trials, research & development, data analytics, data-related collaborations, HR, commercial contracting, cybersecurity, and related areas
• Collaborate with other privacy team members to develop strategic and global privacy approaches to data privacy and protection
• Develop and deliver trainings
• Provide legal guidance on data subject requests or queries related to Intuitive’s privacy and data protection practices
• Build contacts and participate in professional organizations
• Promote and evolve a culture of privacy compliance throughout the company

Requirements

• Minimum 10+ years of experience with privacy laws, particularly GDPR
• Law degree (JD or equivalent) and licensed in good standing to practice law
• CIPP/E certification required; additional data privacy certifications are an advantage
• Hands-on experience advising diverse functional teams on data privacy, data protection, digital laws, and assessing AI technologies
• Technology-oriented with experience in the life sciences industry, preferably in medical devices or product design
• Strong analytical and problem-resolution skills with the ability to balance business needs with legal risk
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to clearly and succinctly convey legal advice and gather input
• Demonstrated cross-functional collaboration with teams at various levels
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with experience working with international clientele
• Ability to assess and advise on risk in transactions and products
• Working knowledge of technology business models and familiarity with operational security issues preferred
• Project management and compliance experience preferred
• Ability to identify and plan legal strategies, operational plans, goals and metrics to drive Legal KPIs
• Ability to coach and train others and work autonomously while prioritizing multiple matters in a fast-paced environment
• Fluency in English and at least one additional European language (e.g., French, German, Italian and/or Spanish)
• Additional data privacy certifications and fluency in additional European languages are advantageous