Senior Project Manager, HAIL

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Job Category

Academic Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

Project Program Manager

Job Summary

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is launching a bold new initiative in AI and Health, a partnership between the College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence (CAI) and the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). Bringing together one of the nation’s leading academic health enterprises with a new college dedicated to computing and AI, the initiative aims to make UW–Madison a destination for research, education, and innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human health.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to help build this initiative from the ground up. Working closely with the AI in Health Task Force Leader, you will turn an ambitious vision into an operating program: shaping strategy, convening faculty, clinicians, students, and industry and community partners, and laying the organizational foundation (including the first staff hires) that will drive the initiative’s teaching and research mission. This is a rare opportunity for a seasoned leader of large, complex initiatives to have a visible, lasting impact on how a major public research university advances AI for health.

In this role, you will

• Strategic vision: Partner with the Task Force Leader to define and refine the strategic vision, goals, and multi-year roadmap for the AI in Health initiative across CAI and SMPH, and translate it into actionable work plans, milestones, and success metrics.
• Convening and engagement: Plan and lead regular meetings, working groups, workshops, and seminars that bring together SMPH, CAI, and other campus, health system, industry, government, and community partners to identify research and teaching directions and spark initial collaborative projects.
• Building the team: Work with leadership, HR, and finance in both CAI and SMPH to define, secure approval for, and launch searches for staff positions that will drive the initiative’s teaching and research mission in health, AI, and connected areas; coordinate recruitment logistics and onboarding.
• Program and project management: Establish the initiative’s operating rhythm, including timelines, action-item tracking, risk and issue management, and budget monitoring, so that commitments across both units stay on schedule.
• Seeding collaboration: Help design and administer early-stage mechanisms such as pilot or seed-funding programs, faculty matchmaking, and project kickoffs; track emerging projects from idea to launch.
• Landscape and opportunity mapping: Build and maintain an inventory of existing AI-and-health expertise, projects, data resources, and programs across campus and partner organizations to identify synergies and gaps.
• Research development: Identify external funding opportunities (e.g., federal agencies, foundations, industry) and coordinate the planning and assembly of large, multi-investigator and center-scale proposals.
• Education initiatives: Support CAI and SMPH faculty in scoping new courses, certificates, training programs, and other learning opportunities in AI and health.
• Governance and partnerships: Staff the task force and any advisory committees (agendas, briefing materials, minutes, decision tracking) and help navigate institutional processes for partnerships, data access, and agreements with campus offices.
• Communications and reporting: Prepare reports, presentations, and briefings for deans and senior leadership; coordinate initiative communications such as web content, newsletters, and event announcements; and report on progress against goals.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Sets priorities, allocates tasks, and collaborates with project staff to meet program targets and milestones. Manages the change control process and acts as the mid-level decision making authority
• Creates a program plan and structure, monitors progress and performance against the program plan, and identifies, resolves, or escalates program risks and issues
• Facilitates the estimation of program costs, resources, and time required to complete the overall program, monitors activities and budgets, directs and leads component project manager activities for consistency and alignment, and works with program leadership to ensure these targets are met. Follows established change control processes if targets can no longer be met
• Leads and manages efforts to determine and coordinate the sharing of resources among component projects to the overall benefit of the program
• Prepares regular reports to communicate the status of the program within and beyond the program team, communicates program goals, risks, and status with program executive level, program sponsors, and stakeholders, and develops and uses appropriate dashboards, measures, and reporting tools
• Manages the activities of outside contractors and vendors to ensure they are integrated into the program and that the organization receives satisfactory standards of service

Department

UW-Madison, College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence

Compensation

The starting salary is negotiable depending on qualifications and experience.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as

• Generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off
• Competitive insurances and savings accounts
• Retirement benefits

More Benefits information can be found here.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience planning, launching, and managing large, complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives or programs within a large organization (e.g., a university, academic medical center, health system, government agency, or corporation).
• Demonstrated success leading cross-unit or cross-organizational initiatives from concept through implementation, including developing work plans, timelines, milestones, and budgets.
• Experience convening and facilitating meetings, working groups, or events with senior leaders, faculty or subject-matter experts, and external partners, and driving follow-through on outcomes.
• Ability to translate high-level strategic goals into concrete, prioritized action plans and to manage multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-paced, evolving, start-up environment.
• Experience coordinating hiring, recruitment, or team-building processes in a large organization.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including preparing briefings, reports, and presentations for executive audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to work effectively across organizational cultures.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft 365, Smartsheet, Asana, or similar).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing initiatives in an academic, research, or academic medical center setting, including working with faculty and shared governance.
• Familiarity with artificial intelligence, data science, digital health, biomedical informatics, or health care delivery and research.
• Experience with research development, such as coordinating multi-investigator grant proposals, center grants, or internal seed-funding programs.
• Experience building or managing academic–industry or academic–health system partnerships.
• Experience supporting the development of educational or training programs.
• Knowledge of UW–Madison or comparable large public university administrative, HR, and financial processes.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP) or equivalent formal training.

Education

Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, health administration, business administration, public policy, computer or data science) preferred.