Open Position – Program Lead
Horizon Surgical Systems Inc.
Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. is revolutionizing the world of surgical ophthalmology by developing a novel, AI driven, and imaging-guided surgical robotic system. Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. aims to expand access to care, provide superior capabilities to the human surgeon, and enhance patient outcomes. Microsurgery in general and Ophthalmology are subfields of surgery for which the surgical outcomes can be significantly improved by robotic systems to allow superior dexterity, precision, accuracy, and visualization beyond the human surgeon’s own capabilities.
We are seeking highly motivated, and intellectually inquisitive individuals looking to make a positive impact on healthcare via the development of robotic technology. The core values of Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. are:
- Commitment to Excellence: We aim to deliver superior patient outcomes and surgeon experiences
- Passion for Creativity and Innovation: We are driven by new ideas and aim to push the boundaries of what's possible
- Teamwork and Camaraderie: We achieve our best when we collaborate and work together
- Welcoming of Critical Opinion: We are enriched by constructive criticism and support the best ideas
- Personal Accountability: We honor our commitments and take responsibility for our actions
Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. offers:
- An opportunity to build autonomous surgical robotic systems driven by image guidance and AI technology for the future of affordable, high-quality healthcare.
- The opportunity to work alongside clinicians, engineers, and global leaders in cutting-edge AI, imaging, and robotics technology.
- Competitive compensation and an excellent company-paid benefits package.
Role Description
Horizon Surgical Systems is building the world's first AI-native surgical robot for ophthalmic surgery. Cataract surgery is the most-performed procedure in medicine, and we're turning it into a physical-AI robotic workflow and surgery.
We are seeking a Program Lead with demonstrated experience managing complex, cross-functional medical device programs. In this role, you will drive execution and maintain organizational alignment across R&D, manufacturing, quality, clinical, and regulatory functions, coordinating both waterfall and agile workflows to keep programs on schedule and on target.
This is a senior individual contributor role with a defined path into program leadership. The successful candidate will serve as the operational core of a high-stakes development program, with increasing ownership as the company scales toward commercialization.
What You Will Do
- Lead program management and execution across multiple concurrent workstreams spanning R&D, manufacturing, quality, clinical, and regulatory functions - maintaining schedule integrity, clear ownership of action items, and consistent follow-through.
- Maintain integrated project plans, Gantt charts, and program schedules across hardware, robotics, software, and AI teams; identify and flag deviations early with clear rationale and proposed mitigations.
- Integrate regulatory affairs, quality, clinical, and manufacturing into program planning; ensure project strategies align with design control requirements, applicable regulatory pathways, and quality system obligations.
- Proactively identify program risks and issues across all functions; escalate to senior leadership with supporting context and proposed mitigations.
- Prepare and deliver sharp, accurate program status reports to senior leadership; surface what is on track, what is at risk, and what needs a decision - before anyone has to ask.
- Serve as the on-site coordination hub in Los Angeles, bridging a distributed team and keeping alignment tight between remote and in-person members.
What You Will Bring
- Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Biomedical, Mechanical, Electrical, or closely related field) - required. Advanced degree is a plus.
- 8–12 years of project or program management experience in medical device product development - required. Candidates without medical device industry experience will not be considered.
- Demonstrated ability to carry complex, multi-disciplinary hardware-software programs through full development cycles - from concept through verification, validation, and regulatory submission.
- Deep fluency with both waterfall and agile methodologies; able to apply the right approach to the right workstream and switch between them without losing momentum.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication; able to distill complex, multi-team program status into concise, decision-ready summaries for senior leadership.
- High organizational intelligence - experience building accountability and alignment across multi-disciplinary teams without direct authority.
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a high-growth, resource-constrained environment; capable of establishing structure and process in the absence of established frameworks.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with FDA design controls, stage-gate development processes, IDE or 510(k) pre-submission activities.
- Background in surgical robotics, ophthalmic devices, capital equipment, or complex electromechanical product development.
- Familiarity with systems engineering principles, requirements traceability, or V-model development.
- PMP or equivalent certification.
Why Horizon?
- Meaningful ownership from day one - this is a high-visibility, high-impact role with direct influence over program outcomes, not a support or process function.
- A structured path into program leadership - near-term, the role provides deep engagement with a complex, high-stakes development program; long-term, it is designed to evolve into independent leadership as Horizon scales.
- An opportunity to contribute to a technology platform with the potential to meaningfully advance ophthalmic surgery and patient outcomes at global scale.
- Horizon provides a competitive compensation and benefits package including health, life, and retirement.
- Travel Requirements: Minimal / as needed
- Relocation: Negotiable
See your impact at horizonsurgicalsystems.com/careers
This is an exciting opportunity to join a high-tech startup that is poised to revolutionize surgical robotics in ophthalmology.