Project Manager - Research and Clinical Initiatives

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Job Summary

Manages clinical research projects according to specifications and reports project results. Defines and manages project resource needs within specified timelines and budget. Has working knowledge and experience in own discipline. Continues to build knowledge of the organization, processes and customers. Uses prescribed guidelines or policies to analyze and resolve problems. Receives a moderate level of guidance and direction. Employees in this classification typically analyze, compare and evaluate various courses of action and have the authority to make independent decisions on matters of significance, free from immediate direction, within the scope of their responsibilities. Primary activities and decision-making authority are predominantly performed independently affecting business operations to a substantial degree. Under FLSA, this is the exempt job classification for this title. Incumbents in this position must meet the full criteria for exempt status: salary level, salary basis, and duties tests.

Responsibilities*

Core Responsibilities

1. Project Planning, Execution, and Tracking (30%)

• Plan Development: Establish comprehensive project charters, work breakdown structures, detailed project plans, timelines, and key performance milestones.
• Workflow Management: Monitor daily progress, identify potential bottlenecks or critical path risks, and implement proactive risk-mitigation strategies.
• Task Alignment: Define roles, responsibilities, and deliverable expectations for cross-functional project teams.
• Project Frameworks: Utilize appropriate project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Lean/A3, MS Project) suited to academic and clinical workflows.

2. Operational Communication and Stakeholder Engagement (20%)

• Operational Liaison: Serve as the primary point of contact connecting team members, principal investigators, institutional leaders, and external partners.
• Meeting Facilitation: Lead regular team huddles, steering committee meetings, and working group sessions.
• Stakeholder Reporting: Prepare concise progress briefings, executive dashboards, and milestone summaries tailored to diverse internal and external audiences.
• Collaborative Culture: Foster an inclusive, transparent, and collaborative environment across multidisciplinary units.

3. Pharmacy Technician Support (20%)

• Program Coordination: Support enrollment, participation, and completion tracking for pharmacy technicians from Tribal Health Clinics enrolled in the online Pharmacy Technician University (PTU) 101 program.
• Learner Support: Facilitate weekly office hours to provide guidance, address questions, troubleshoot barriers, and support pharmacy technicians as they progress through the PTU 101 program.
• Opportunities for training: During meetings and tracking, identify opportunities for additional training and technical assistance for pharmacy technicians to support access to medicines (e.g., financial coordination, insurance applications) and safe distribution (e.g., quality improvement).
• Reporting: Maintain accurate program records and track enrollment, participation, progress, and completion to support program evaluation and reporting.

4. Resource, Financial, and Budget Stewardship (10%)

• Budget Monitoring: Manage and track overall project budgets, subcontract allocations, and monthly expenditures in alignment with institutional financial standards.
• Resource Allocation: Coordinate workload distribution, staff effort fractions, and physical/technical resources to optimize project delivery.
• Vendor & Subaward Administration: Oversee procurement, consultant agreements, sub-recipient monitoring, and vendor deliverables.

5. Documentation, Quality Assurance, and Compliance (15%)

• Record Keeping: Maintain Dropbox or other data storage sites; maintain centralized, audit-ready project archives, decision logs, SOPs, and protocol documentation.
• Grant & Regulatory Compliance: Ensure strict adherence to University Standard Practice Guides (SPGs), IRB requirements, human subject protections, data safety monitoring, and federal funding guidelines (e.g., NIH, AHRQ, NSF).
• Reporting: Compile and submit mandatory progress reports (e.g., NIH RPPRs, sponsor deliverables, annual stewardship reports).

6. Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

• Contribute to continuous quality improvement initiatives, process mapping, and special administrative projects as requested by leadership.

U-M Project Manager Specialization Tracks

Depending on the specific department or institute, this role may emphasize aspects of both of the following specialized tracks:

• Track A: Research and Project Support

• Grant Coordination: Manage clinical studies, observational cohorts, and interdisciplinary research grants

• Multi-Center Logistics: Coordinate data collection workflows, logistics and communication across sites.

• Protocol & IRB Oversight: Facilitate IRB submissions, protocol amendments, data use agreements (DUAs), and material transfer agreements (MTAs).

• Track B: Clinical Operations & Tribal/Community Clinic Outreach

• Clinical & Technical Support: Organize and coordinate clinical, technical, and operational support for tribal health clinics and rural healthcare centers, with particular focus on supporting pharmacy operations and pharmacy technician support.

• Culturally Responsive Outreach: Facilitate community-partnered initiatives with cultural humility, respecting local governance, tribal sovereignty, and community review processes.

• Virtual Care & Health IT Rollouts: Oversee technical training and workflow integration in underserved or remote clinical settings.

Required Qualifications*

Education/Certifications: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Public Health, Life Sciences, Education, or a related field. Pharmacy technician training, with current or renewable certification.

Experience:

Intermediate Level: Minimum of 3-5 years professional project management experience and pharmacy technician experience.

Senior Level: Minimum of 5-8 years of progressively responsible project management experience, preferably in higher education, an academic medical center, or a research setting and pharmacy technician experience.

Tools & Technical Skills: Experience with project management platforms (e.g., Advanced Excel, MS Project, Trello) and research data platforms (e.g., REDCap, Qualtrics).

Desired Qualifications*

Certifications: Project management platforms (e.g., Smartsheet, MS Project, Trello)

U-M Systems Knowledge: Familiarity with U-M institutional systems (e.g., M-Pathways, eResearch Proposal Management/IRB, Concur) and U-M Standard Practice Guides (SPGs).

Grant Expertise: Knowledge of local, state, and federal grant guidelines and sponsor reporting standards.

Community/Clinical Experience: Background collaborating with tribal health organizations, community health centers, or rural health networks.

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.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin 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.