Project Associate Manager

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent medical, dental and vision 

2:1 retirement match

Job summary

University of Michigan in Ann Arbor seeks a project manager to lead departmental initiatives, coordinate faculty and staff, and track milestones from planning through completion. The role emphasizes stakeholder communication and data-informed decision making.

Hybrid work arrangement is available; you will collaborate across clinical and academic teams to improve operations, financial oversight, and strategic initiatives with supervision from the Chief Department Administrator.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two years of related experience; experience coordinating projects or operational initiatives in an academic, healthcare, or similarly complex setting.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines, set priorities, and follow through with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience extracting, cleaning, and reporting data, and proficiency with Microsoft Excel and related tools used to prepare reports for decision-makers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify trends and translate findings into clear recommendations.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to work effectively and diplomatically with faculty, staff, and senior leaders.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively within a team.
• Demonstrated judgment, discretion, and the ability to maintain confidentiality when handling payroll, financial, and personnel information.
• A high degree of initiative and resourcefulness, and comfort with changing priorities and direction from multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Strategic initiatives: Manage the Department's key strategic initiatives as projects on behalf of the Chief Department Administrator.
• Translate the priorities set by the Chair and Department leadership into project plans with a defined goal, scope, owners, timeline, resources, and measures of success.
• Coordinate the faculty, staff, and partner units assigned to each project, keep the work on schedule from decision through completion, and report status, risks, and results to the Chief Department Administrator and the Chair, including recommended next steps.

Skills

Project coordination

Data extraction & reporting

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Independent work

Education

Master's degree in healthcare administration or related field

Two years of related experience

Tools

Microsoft Excel

REDCap

Tableau

Job description

Under direct supervision, responsible for management, performance, and completion of a small project or phases of a larger project. Responsible for coordinating activities of project team, identifying appropriate resources needed, and developing schedules to ensure timely completion of project. Must be familiar with project objectives, as well as the role and function of each team member, to effectively coordinate the activities of the team. Communicates with the Chief Department Administrator regarding status of specific projects.

Responsibilities*

• Strategic initiatives: Manage the Department's key strategic initiatives as projects on behalf of the Chief Department Administrator. Translate the priorities set by the Chair and Department leadership into project plans with a defined goal, scope, owners, timeline, resources, and measures of success. Coordinate the faculty, staff, and partner units assigned to each project, keep the work on schedule from decision through completion, and report status, risks, and results to the Chief Department Administrator and the Chair, including recommended next steps.
• Strategic Oversight Committee: Coordinate the work of the Strategic Oversight Committee, made up of the Chair, the Vice Chairs, the Chief Department Administrator, and other Department leaders. Build the agenda, prepare the materials and analyses the committee needs to decide, run the meetings, record decisions, and manage follow-through so that each decision becomes a tracked project with an owner and a completion date.
• Clinical enterprise projects: Manage the Department's projects with the clinical enterprise. Serve as the Department's project point of contact with enterprise leaders and teams, align Department initiatives with enterprise plans, timelines, and processes, and bring enterprise decisions and opportunities back to Department leadership for action.
• OR operations: Manage projects that improve operating room performance. Monitor OR utilization and trends, engage the OR team on improvement opportunities, and coordinate initiatives that keep OR utilization maximized. Serve as the first point of contact for OR matters and work with the Chief Department Administrator to plan and implement changes that balance surgeon satisfaction with optimized OR utilization.
• Profit and loss oversight: Manage the Department's P&L review cycle. Ensure each faculty P&L statement is accurate, reflects the work of our faculty, and is corrected when it does not. Track trends and risks, prepare clear summaries for leadership, and coordinate the corrective projects that follow.
• Financial monitoring: Coordinate the monthly review of payroll, gift fund utilization, CME expenses, and departmental financials. Flag changes in trends to the Chief Department Administrator and manage any follow-up actions to completion.
• Internal controls: Partner with the Chief Department Administrator on the oversight and continuous improvement of internal control processes. Plan and track the projects that keep the Department in compliance with university policies and best practices.
• Data infrastructure: Manage the Department's weekly and monthly data extraction, cleaning, and reporting cycle so that the Department maintains a trusted data stack. Coordinate delivery of reports to key stakeholders on a set schedule to inform decision‑making.
• Faculty consultations: Manage the Department's faculty consultation program. Prepare customized reports for faculty on a set cadence, schedule and run consultation meetings with faculty every six months to walk through their practices and track the improvement opportunities identified through to completion.
• Quality initiatives: Manage the Department's quality projects, including APP peer review, quality metric reporting and monitoring, stent tracking, and REDCap database management. Coordinate the staff and faculty involved, maintain timelines, and report progress.
• Special projects: Manage short‑term and long‑term special projects assigned by the Chief Department Administrator across HR, finance, strategy, and clinical operations: define scope, identify the resources needed, build the schedule, coordinate the project team, and report status through completion.

Required Qualifications*

• Master's degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, or a related field, oran equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two years of related experience; experience coordinating projects or operational initiatives in an academic, healthcare, or similarly complex setting.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines, set priorities, and follow through with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience extracting, cleaning, and reporting data, and proficiency with Microsoft Excel and related tools used to prepare reports for decision‑makers.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to identify trends and translate findings into clear recommendations.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to work effectively and diplomatically with faculty, staff, and senior leaders.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively within a team.
• Demonstrated judgment, discretion, and the ability to maintain confidentiality when handling payroll, financial, and personnel information.
• A high degree of initiative and resourcefulness, and comfort with changing priorities and direction from multiple stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience in an academic medical center or clinical department, including familiarity with faculty practices and departmental operations.
• Experience with quality improvement, performance measurement, or peer review processes.
• Experience with REDCap, Tableau, or similar data capture and reporting tools.
• Experience monitoring budgets, payroll, or financial reports and summarizing variances.
• Familiarity with University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine policies, systems, and internal control standards.
• Experience supporting change management or process improvement, including Lean or similar methods.

Why Join Michigan Medicine?

Michigan Medicine is one of the largest health care complexes in the world and has been the site of many groundbreaking medical and technological advancements since the opening of the U-M Medical School in 1850. Michigan Medicine is comprised of over 30,000employees and our vision is to attract, inspire, and develop outstanding people in medicine, sciences, and healthcare to become one of the world's most distinguished academic health systems. In some way, great or small, every person here helps to advance this world‑class institution. Work at Michigan Medicine and become a victor for the greater good.

What Benefits can you Look Forward to?

• Excellent medical, dental and vision coverage effective on your very first day
• 2:1 Match on retirement savings

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes .

Work Schedule

Hybrid - Tues, Wed, Thur, in-person and Mon, Fri remote

Work Locations

Taubman Center

Background Screening

Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre‑employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background screenings. Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre‑employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U‑M campuses.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.The review and selection process maybegin as early as the eighth day after posting.This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.