Project Manager-Operational Systems and Strategic Initiatives

The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

On-campus fitness facility

Tuition reimbursement

Paid holidays

Job summary

The Senior Project Manager at MCW leads complex, cross-functional initiatives supporting operational systems strategy, process optimization, and organizational transformation across the CIBMTR Registry.

You will partner with the Director of Operational Systems Strategy & Integration to drive priorities, align stakeholders, and improve business processes across IT, Data Operations, and Statistical Operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; 5+ years in project management in healthcare or registry operations preferred.
• Master’s degree preferred in business, IS, healthcare admin, PM, or related field.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives with business and tech teams; strong change management capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead large, cross-functional projects to improve operational systems and processes.
• Translate goals into actionable plans; define milestones and outcomes.
• Drive execution with alignment to priorities and strategies; manage risks and dependencies.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s degree in related field

Tools

MS Project

Excel

Job description

Summary

The Senior Project Manager leads complex, cross-functional initiatives that support operational systems strategy, process optimization, and organizational transformation across the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) Registry. Partnering closely with the Director of Operational Systems Strategy & Integration, the role drives execution of strategic priorities, improves business processes, and facilitates systems-related initiatives. The position ensures alignment among Information Technology, Data Operations, Statistical Operations, and Project Management stakeholders. Beyond traditional project management, the role applies business analysis, process improvement, stakeholder management, and change leadership capabilities to bridge strategy and execution across complex operational environments.

Primary Responsibilities

• Strategic Project Leadership Lead large, complex projects that support operational systems improvements and organizational strategic objectives.
• Translate high-level business goals into actionable project plans, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Drive project execution while ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and operational strategies.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and opportunities that may impact project success.

Cross-Functional Coordination

Facilitate collaboration among Information Technology, Data Operations, Statistical Operations, and business stakeholders. Build alignment across teams with competing priorities and objectives.

• Coordinate project activities that span multiple departments and operational functions. Escalate and resolve issues that may impact timelines, scope, or business outcomes.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Partner with business leaders to identify opportunities for workflow optimization and operational efficiency.
• Support initiatives focused on systems integration, data flow improvements, and process standardization.
• Document current-state and future-state processes and assist with business requirements development.
• Recommend solutions that improve the scalability, quality, and effectiveness of operational processes.

Change Management & Adoption

• Support organizational readiness efforts associated with new processes, systems, and operational changes.
• Develop stakeholder engagement and communication plans.
• Facilitate workshops, process design sessions, and project steering meetings.
• Help drive user adoption and business ownership of implemented solutions.

Project Governance & Reporting

• Maintain project plans, schedules, risk logs, and issue management processes.
• Prepare executive-level status updates, dashboards, and progress reports.
• Ensure project deliverables, decisions, and action items are documented and tracked.
• Support portfolio planning and prioritization activities.

Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge – Skills – Abilities

Knowledge

Project management practices, including planning, scheduling, governance, and risk and issue management. Agile, Scrum, Lean, or Six Sigma methodologies. Business analysis and requirements gathering. Systems implementations, integrations, and operational modernization. Change management and organizational readiness principles. Healthcare, research, registry operations, or data-driven organizations (preferred).

Skills

Stakeholder management, meeting facilitation, and executive communication. Business process analysis, including mapping current-state and future-state processes. Development of executive dashboards, status reports, and project performance metrics. Development of stakeholder engagement and communication plans. Problem solving and data-driven decision making.

Abilities

Influence teams and drive results without direct authority. Build alignment and relationships across teams with competing priorities. Manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities. Translate strategy into actionable plans and measurable outcomes (strategic and systems thinking). Partner effectively with both business and technology teams. Adapt to changing organizational needs (organizational agility).

Qualifications

Appropriate experience may be substituted for education an on equivalent basis. Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s Degree Minimum Required Experience: 5 years Preferred Education: Master’s degree in business administration, Information Systems, Healthcare Administration, Project Management, or a related field. Preferred Experience: Experience in healthcare, research, registry operations, or data-driven organizations; supporting systems implementations, integrations, or operational modernization initiatives; and developing executive dashboards and project performance metrics. Project management experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives, including partnering with business and technology teams and facilitating process improvement or business transformation initiatives Preferred Certification/Licensure(s): PMP certification Physical Requirements Work requires occasionally lifting moderate weight materials, standing, or walking continuously. Work Environment Occasional exposure to dust, noise, temperature changes, or contact with water or other liquids. Work is performed in an environmentally controlled environment. Sensory Acuity Ability to detect and translate speech or other communication required. May occasionally require the ability to distinguish colors and perceive relative distances between objects.

Why MCW?

Outstanding Healthcare Coverage, including but not limited to Health, Vision, and Dental. Along with Flexible Spending options 403B Retirement Package Competitive Vacation and Paid Holidays offered Tuition Reimbursement Paid Parental Leave Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) Pet Insurance On campus Fitness Facility, offering onsite classes Additional discounted rates on items such as: Select cell phone plans, local fitness facilities, Milwaukee recreation and entertainment etc.

For a brief overview of our benefits see: Benefits Overview For a full list of positions see: MCW Careers

At MCW all of our endeavors, from our internal operations to our interactions with our partners, are driven by our shared organizational values: Caring – Collaborative – Curiosity – Inclusive – Integrity – Respect. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that values diversity in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives through merit-based processes and in alignment with all applicable laws. We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within. Our values define who we are, what we stand for and how we conduct ourselves at MCW. If you believe in embracing individuality and working together according to these principles to improve health for all, then MCW is the place for you. For more information, please visit our institutional website.

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

About Us

Together, we can build a healthier world. A student, an educator, a scientist and a community leader — alone, they can do many things. Together, the question isn’t what they can do, but what can’t they. The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) brings together the most inquisitive, passionate minds in science, medicine, education and community engagement to tackle today’s toughest challenges in health and society. Academic medicine is at the center of where scientists, physicians and students work hand-in-hand with the community to ask the most important questions and fuel the cycle of innovation that shapes the future of medicine. Medical College of Wisconsin The tireless pursuit of knowledge and the power of academic medicine is at the core of everything we do at MCW. Bringing together the world’s top scientists and clinicians, inspired students and invested communities, we are driven to solve the most complex challenges in health and society. With around 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty and approximately 3,500 full-time employees, MCW is home to a diverse group of thought leaders working in collaboration to pioneer pathways to a healthier world and drive a continuous cycle of life‑changing discovery.