Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives, SOM, Internal Medicine, SSLI

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education.

Position Overview

The Stravitz-Sanyal Liver Institute at VCU is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Program Manager who is responsible for overseeing and managing key projects that align with the Institute’s long-term strategic goals. This individual will work closely with leadership, cross-functional teams, and external stakeholders to drive research-based initiatives and strategic projects from inception to completion, ensuring the achievement of business objectives within scope, time, and budget constraints.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Execution: Collaborate with senior leadership to define and prioritize strategic initiatives. Develop detailed project plans that outline project scope, goals, deliverables, timelines, and resource requirements. Translate high-level strategic goals into actionable project plans and ensure alignment with organizational objectives.
• Research & Analysis: Manage research projects, including defining objectives, developing methodologies, and delivering results within budget and timeline. Review and submit sponsored project proposals, agreements, and administrative actions. Actively and accurately interpret and apply sponsor and university regulations requirements to ensure compliance. Lead and oversee research projects, ensuring alignment with strategic initiatives. Analyze research data, identifying patterns and insights, and develop actionable recommendations to inform business decisions. Present research findings and insights to senior stakeholders and influence strategic decisions.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Coordinate with internal teams to ensure the smooth execution of initiatives. Manage relationships with external partners, vendors, and consultants to gather insights and drive project outcomes.
• Project Management & Oversight: Oversee the day-to-day management of multiple projects, ensuring deliverables are met within time, scope, and budget. Monitor project progress, resolve issues, and adjust plans as needed to ensure successful project completion. Maintain regular communication with stakeholders to update on project status, milestones, risks, and changes.
• Risk Management & Problem-Solving: Identify potential risks and obstacles to the successful completion of projects and develop mitigation strategies. Proactively address challenges, ensuring minimal disruption to project timelines and objectives.
• Reporting & Documentation: Maintain comprehensive project documentation, including project plans, meeting notes, status reports, and final deliverables. Provide periodic reports to leadership, highlighting project status, key accomplishments, and future milestones.
• Continuous Improvement: Assess and identify opportunities for process improvements, ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of strategic initiatives. Incorporate lessons learned from completed projects to improve future project planning and execution.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, or a related field
• Background in research
• 3+ years of experience in project management, preferably in strategic initiatives or research-based roles.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools
• Proven experience in leading cross-functional teams and managing complex projects.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to translate data and research into actionable insights.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• PMP or other relevant certifications are a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree preferred

Additional Information

ORP Eligible: YES
Hours / weeks: 40 hours weekly
Title Details: Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Title: Program Manager (1-3), Sr. Program Manager (1-3), General Administration
Job Codes: (19221Y-19226Y)
University Job Family: General Administration
The position will remain open until filled, with a priority application review date of September 30, 2025.
VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran’s period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!
Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.
Please note that if you are employed as a university employee working in any of the health system’s facilities, you will need to follow VCU Health System policies, which will include but will not be limited to, vaccination requirements.
Qualifications: FLSA University Employee, Job FTE: 1, Exemption Status: Exempt, Restricted Position: No, E-Class: UF - University Employee FT, ORP Eligible: Yes, Salary Range: $83,000-$115,000, Compensation Type: Salaried, Target Hire Date: 9/30/2025