Savira Sharma

Global Plant Supplier Engineering Director @ Intuitive

About

I’m a senior operations and global supplier engineering leader specializing in scaling complex hardware and medical device ecosystems with clarity, discipline, and strategic alignment. I currently lead a global team of supplier and process engineering leaders partnering with 150+ suppliers across multiple geographies to deliver over 5,000 critical components supporting advanced medical robotics platforms. My work sits at the intersection of supply continuity, cost structure resilience, quality, and organizational scale. Over 20+ years across automation, manufacturing, and supplier engineering, I’ve developed a systems-level perspective on how to scale operations without losing margin, quality, or execution velocity. I don’t just solve supply problems — I build the structures, mechanisms, and leadership alignment that prevent them. I’m known for turning operational complexity into strategic clarity —aligning technical teams, suppliers, and executives around a roadmap that protects growth and de-risks scale. My focus areas include: • Building scalable supplier and plant operating models • Protecting margin through cost transparency and structural levers • Rebuilding supplier partnerships to improve resilience and performance • Designing organizations that scale with clarity and ownership • Leading transformation with strong culture and execution discipline I’m particularly passionate about developing technical leaders and building cultures where accountability, trust, and collaboration drive measurable results. Beyond my core role, I serve as a board member and former chair of Intuitive’s Women in Tech network, fostering mentorship, advancement, and community for women in engineering. I also selectively serve as a strategic advisor to growth-stage hardware and medical device companies, focused on scalable supplier strategy, cost structure resilience, and operational continuity. If you’re building, fixing, or scaling complex hardware or medtech operations, I’m always open to thoughtful conversation.

Country

United States

City

San Francisco Bay Area

Industry

Medical Device

Skill

Board Advisory Services, Advisory Boards, Business Advisory Services, People Development, Gross Profit Analysis, Career Development Coaching, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership Development, Supply Chain Management, Quality System, Manufacturing, Medical Devices, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, ISO 13485, Quality Systems, Change Management, Continuous Improvement, FDA, Quality Management

Experience

Global Plant Supplier Engineering Director

Intuitive

2026-1 - Present · 9 mos

Sunnyvale, California, United States

I lead the global Plant Supplier Engineering (PSE) organization, responsible for ensuring supply continuity, operational readiness, and supplier performance across multiple manufacturing plants worldwide. Our team operates at the intersection of plant execution and supplier capability — ensuring the right part reaches the right plant at the right time, with the right cost structure and quality performance to support scale. We oversee more than 5,000+ production components across a global supplier network, partnering closely with plant operations, global supply chain, quality, and commodity engineering teams to reduce disruption, protect margin, and strengthen supplier resilience. Key focus areas include: • Driving plant-level supply continuity and rapid issue containment • Improving supplier performance (quality, delivery, responsiveness) • Aligning supplier engineering structure across global sites • Reducing plant pain caused by supplier instability • Scaling operational mechanisms to support long-term growth • Enabling cost and margin protection through supplier strategy In this role, I am focused on building a globally aligned PSE operating model — shifting from reactive firefighting to proactive, structured supplier risk management and long-range capability planning. Beyond execution, I prioritize leadership development and role clarity within the PSE function, ensuring our teams operate with ownership, strategic alignment, and measurable impact at scale.

Director SinglePort Supplier Process Engineering | Women @ Intuitive Advisory Board

Intuitive

2022-9 - 2026-2 · 3 yrs 6 mos

Sunnyvale, California, United States

Senior Manager SinglePort Supplier Process Engineering | Women In Tech Board Member

Intuitive

2021-1 - 2022-9 · 1 yr 9 mos

Sunnyvale, California, United States

Manager Supplier Process Engineering | Women In Tech Chair

Intuitive

2018-4 - 2021-1 · 2 yrs 10 mos

Senior NPI & Sustaining Supplier Process Engineer | Women In Tech ERG Member

Intuitive

2017-1 - 2018-5 · 1 yr 5 mos

Senior NPI Supplier Process Engineer | Women In Tech ERG Member

Intuitive

2015-11 - 2017-1 · 1 yr 3 mos

Senior Supplier Quality Engineer

Stryker

2013-2 - 2015-12 · 2 yrs 11 mos

San Francisco Bay Area

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Abbott

2008-8 - 2012-3 · 3 yrs 8 mos

Senior Automation Engineer

Genentech

2004-11 - 2007-5 · 2 yrs 7 mos

South San Francisco, California, United States

Education

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services

2021-3 - 2022-3 · 1 yr 1 mo

Stanford LEAD is a year-long, 9-course program which develops effective leaders who embody five core leadership competencies: critical analysis, self-awareness, interpersonal acumen, situational awareness, and holistic communication. These leaders complete coursework in key business fundamentals: finance, strategy, and critical analytical thinking, as well as elective coursework which equips them to successfully address and navigate the challenges and opportunities inherent in fostering and implementing change within their organizations. Throughout the program, participants exchange ideas and collaborate on projects with small teams of like-minded, like-motivated peers, and engage with world-renowned Stanford GSB faculty, Silicon Valley leaders, coaches, thought leaders, and luminaries through regular live events, discussions, and facilitated feedback.