IS Product Owner/Program Manager

Join one of the nation’s most comprehensive academic medical centers, UChicago Medicine, as an IS Product Owner/Program Manager.  

We’re seeking a dynamic IT Product Owner who is passionate about leveraging technology to transform healthcare operations and thrives at the intersection of strategy, collaboration, and execution. In this high-impact enterprise role, you will translate complex clinical and technical needs into actionable product strategies, champion quality improvement initiatives, and develop scalable, reliable solutions that measurably enhance patient care, staff experience, and operational performance. You’ll partner closely with operational stakeholders to optimize workflows and collaborate with clinical application and infrastructure teams to ensure seamless integration across our environment. 

In this capacity, you will lead the vision and delivery of cutting-edge Real-Time Location Services (RTLS) and enterprise Temperature Monitoring Systems across UCM. Through patient, staff, and asset tracking, you will help establish a real-time, location-aware network of care—where patients and caregivers are visible as dynamic nodes within the broader system of care delivery. This capability enables teams to proactively identify bottlenecks, resolve care delays in real time, enhance throughput, and elevate the patient experience while supporting optimal clinical outcomes. Simultaneously, you will harness high-fidelity location and environmental data to enable value stream mapping, operational analytics, and scalable quality improvement initiatives across the enterprise. 

This position will be flexible with work-from-home opportunities with the requirement to come onsite to our site locations around Chicagoland as needed. You will need to be based in the greater Chicagoland area. The IS Product Owner/Program Manager manages multiple related projects and/or work streams within a product/program at the milestone level with supporting details managed by the project teams. Identifies and manages interdependencies within and across projects with the program. Facilitates teams that include all levels of the organization. Builds strong relationships with senior executives in both IT and business partners. Leads program governance teams through complex reviews, facilitates decision making.  

Essential Job Functions     

Program Management and Execution 

• Integrates expert knowledge of PMLC with insights and knowledge across the enterprise. 

• Manages multiple projects (with support of the PMO) and/or work streams within a program at the milestone level with supporting details managed by the project teams. 

• Planning (Initiation and Definition) – creates and manages all components of the initiation phase; including but not limited to project kickoff, stakeholder identification and analysis, risk assessment, schedule creation, budget creation, and resource identification. 

• Project Execution (Design, Build, Test/Train, Go Live) – manages all components and deliverables of project execution including but not limited to solution design, implementation, test planning and execution, training planning and execution, cutover and go-live. 

• Project Closure – manages all components of project closure including production turnover, lessons learned, and overall close out. 

• Monitoring and Control – Drives resolution of all project risks, action items, status reporting, scope and schedule, financial and budget establishment and reporting, meeting facilitation, vendor engagement, change management, and project resources.   

Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving  

• Thinks strategically using data to drive decisions and solutions. 

• Demonstrates understanding of business operations for multiple departments or operational areas. 

• Develops and manages program and project budgets and other financial aspects of the work they are overseeing (e.g., forecasting, estimating). 

• Understands the business case process and maintains a business case for the programs/projects they are managing. 

• Understands the vendor contracting processes and participates in the negotiation of contracts for goods and services. 

• Understands how to gather information and conduct analysis to gain a full understanding of issues and problems, including root cause identification. 

• Anticipates functionality/system/application problems based on experience. 

• Identifies and escalates issues immediately and drives them to conclusion. 

Communication and Formal Status Reporting 

• Adept at facilitating executives 

• Excellent executive message development and presentation skills. 

• Manages challenging group dynamics to achieve positive business outcomes. 

• Conveys difficult messages with empathy and concise rationale. 

• Has a high level of self-awareness as well as awareness of other’s emotions. 

• Identifies others’ communication styles and tailors messages accordingly to achieve desired results consistently. 

• Communicates to diverse audiences so that information is credible, digestible, and easily understood. 

Relationship Building and Management 

• Leads teams to find solutions to complex problems, and delivers pragmatic solutions aligned to customer needs. 

• Skilled at identifying stakeholders and building a complex stakeholder management plan. 

• Provides definitive points of view and recommendations on program needs/risks. 

• Works with teams and stakeholders to create new value for customers. 

• Partners with stakeholders up to the ‘C’ level to support their decision-making processes; challenges thinking to ensure accountability and good stewardship. 

• Skilled in vendor management 

Required Qualifications    

• 10 - 12 years of previous experience 

• In depth knowledge of integrated health care systems, technologies, and platforms 

• Significant experience with multiple project and portfolio management  

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical or healthcare field 

• Experienced in vendor contracting and management.MS Project, Word, Excel, PowerPoint 

Preferred Qualifications  

• MS/MBA  

• CPHIMS certification 

• Multiple project management methodologies and software development cycles (Waterfall/Kanban/Agile) 

Position Details    

• Job Type/FTE: Full-time    

• Shift: Day    

• Location: Hyde Park      

• Department: IT Business Office    

• CBA Code: Non-Union  

We’ve been at the forefront of medicine since 1899. We provide superior healthcare with compassion, always mindful that each patient is a person, an individual. To accomplish this, we need employees with passion, talent and commitment… with patients and with each other. We’re in this together: working to advance medical innovation, serve the health needs of the community, and move our collective knowledge forward. If you’d like to add enriching human life to your profile, UChicago Medicine is for you. Here at the forefront, we’re doing work that really matters. Join us. Bring your passion.

UChicago Medicine is growing; discover how you can be a part of this pursuit of excellence at: UChicago Medicine Career Opportunities.

UChicago Medicine is an equal opportunity employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, civil union status, parental status, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status and other legally protected characteristics.

Must comply with UChicago Medicine’s COVID-19 Vaccination requirement as a condition of employment. If you have already received the vaccination, you must provide proof as part of the pre-employment process. This is in addition to your compliance with the Flu Vaccination requirement as well. Medical and religious exemptions will be considered consistent with applicable law. Lastly, a pre-employment physical, drug screening, and background check are also required for all employees prior to hire.

Compensation & Benefits Overview

UChicago Medicine is committed to transparency in compensation and benefits.  The pay range provided reflects the anticipated wage or salary reasonably expected to be offered for the position.

The pay range is based on a full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) and is reflective of current market data, reviewed on an annual basis. Compensation offered at the time of hire will vary based on candidate qualifications and experience and organizational considerations, such as internal equity. Pay ranges for employees subject to Collective Bargaining Agreements are negotiated by the medical center and their respective union.

Review the full complement of benefit options for eligible roles at Benefits - UChicago Medicine.