Program Manager, Health Equity - 140783

This position will work a hybrid schedule which includes a combination of working both onsite at Lightwave Ave, San Diego and remote.

This position is part of the UC San Diego Health Department of Health Equity and reports to the Senior Director of Health Equity. The role also works directly with Crystal Cene, MD, MPH, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Associate Chief Medical Officer (ACMO), Health Equity, who is also a Professor of Medicine in the UC San Diego Department of Medicine and an active health services and health equity researcher.

The Project Manager independently leads and directs multiple health equity projects and programs of medium to large complexity. Core responsibilities include coordinating and facilitating the Health Equity Council and its embedded workgroups, translating Health Equity strategy into actionable workplans, and synthesizing data into reports, including materials used for accreditation submissions such as the Joint Commission's Excellent Health Outcomes for All Certification. The role also supports research administration, which makes up approximately 10-15% of overall effort, including funding applications, budgets, and manuscript and presentation preparation.

This is a high-level, hands-on project management position in a demanding, matrixed academic medical center environment. It requires strong leadership and change management skills, sound process improvement judgment, fluency with technology and AI tools to drive efficiency, and a solid working knowledge of health care delivery and health equity practice.

Program & Project Leadership

• Apply broad project management expertise and health care industry knowledge to lead large scale, system wide programs advancing health equity goals.

• Develop and maintain project and program schedules and critical paths, tracking all interfaces among component projects and external dependencies.

• Monitor progress across multiple concurrent projects.

• Build the project management skills and capacity of other Health Equity team members.

Health Equity Council & Strategic Coordination

• Coordinate and facilitate the Health Equity Council and its embedded workgroups.

• Translate Health Equity strategy into actionable workplans and track progress against system wide priorities.

• Facilitate multi organizational collaboration on requests, prioritization, and forecasting among senior executives.

• Serve as liaison between senior leadership, initiative champions, and partner departments.

Quality & Process Improvement

• Identify clinical improvement opportunities; apply change management and process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) to design and implement improvement activities and countermeasures.

• Analyze data and define improvement metrics to track and report outcomes.

• Evaluate and apply technology and AI tools, such as workflow automation, data analysis platforms, and AI assisted reporting, to streamline processes and improve team efficiency.

Data, Reporting & Accreditation

• Synthesize data and prepare reports for senior leadership, funders, and accreditation bodies.Research Support.

• Prepare research funding applications; create and manage budgets.

• Complete and submit IRB applications related to human subjects and HIPAA.

• Write progress reports and support preparation of manuscripts and reports for funding agencies, professional meetings, and journals.

Leadership & Relationship Management

• Provide hands on leadership and process subject matter expertise to project and program teams and senior management.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships across departments.

• Travel to sites and work in client designated areas as required.

• Advanced degree in a related field MBA, MPH, or MHA preferred or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in a health care related field, including overseeing large-scale projects related to health services delivery and/or research.

• Demonstrated skill in change management and process improvement methodologies in a complex environment.

• Proficiency with technology and AI tools, and the ability to apply them to streamline workflows and improve process efficiency.

• Applied knowledge of project management frameworks, such as PMI's Body of Knowledge or System Development Lifecycle.

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects end to end, from development of funding applications through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination.

• Knowledge of health equity principles and strategies, with skill in aligning health equity strategy within broader organizational priorities.

• Demonstrated ability to lead in a collaborative environment, build consensus, and promote the exchange of information among project teams, staff, and external units.

• Strong executive communication and presentation skills; sound, evidence-based judgment as a strategic and analytical thinker.

• Clinical background (e.g., nursing, social work, or related discipline) combined with experience in clinical quality improvement and health care operations.

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification and expertise using the DMAIC process for data driven improvement.

• Prosci or other formal change management certification.

• Health services research and grant management experience.

• Experience with health system data or analytics tools used for equity reporting (e.g., Tableau, EHR-based dashboards).

• CAPM, PMP, or PgMP Project Management Institute certification, or other formal project management training.

• Experience with grant-writing, writing and publishing peer-reviewed publications or reports

• Must be able to work varied hours, days, shifts, on call, and locations based on the 24-hour Medical Center's business needs.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.

• Must have access to reliable transportation and a valid CA driver's license to travel to multiple work sites, including meetings and events on and off campus within Southern California.