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 delivery of UChicago Medicine’s Community Connect Program, enabling affiliated and partner organizations to leverage UCM’s EHR and technology ecosystem. You will guide the onboarding, implementation, and ongoing optimization of Community Connect sites, ensuring technical readiness, workflow alignment, and long-term operational success. This includes coordinating across clinical, technical, and operational teams to deliver a cohesive, scalable model that strengthens community partnerships, expands access to high-quality care, and supports a unified patient experience across the region.

This position will be local remote and will require travel to site locations around Chicagoland for implementations as needed. You must be based in the 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 within the program. A strong grasp of the distinction between product management/ownership (defining value, outcomes, and roadmaps) and project/program management (driving execution, timelines, and delivery) is essential. This leader bridges both worlds, ensuring product strategy is translated into executable plans and project teams follow disciplined processes without stifling innovation. 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 and facilitates decision making. This role also oversees vendor partnerships, ensuring accountability for delivery, performance, and support, and provides direct oversight of technical build activities to ensure solutions are architected, configured, and deployed to meet enterprise standards.

Essential Job Functions     

Program Management and Execution 

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

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

• Oversees technical build activities, ensuring alignment with architectural standards, security requirements, and operational readiness.
• 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 and performance management, change management, and project resources.
• Develop program dashboards, KPIs, and communication mechanisms to ensure transparency and executive visibility.
• Drive operational discipline—ensuring teams meet process requirements, adhere to governance checkpoints, and maintain audit ready documentation.
• Support product teams by translating strategic goals into actionable project plans, milestones, and dependencies.
• Demonstrated success leading role sensitive transitions (operating model transformation, RACI changes, new governance, or tooling/process migrations).
• Expertise in project management delivery models.

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. 
• Establish listening frameworks with executive stakeholders, customers, end users, and team members to assist with continuous improvement.

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. 
• Manages vendor relationships, ensuring alignment on scope, deliverables, SLAs, and long-term product lifecycle needs.
• Oversees vendor-led technical work, ensuring quality, compliance, and integration with internal systems.

Required Qualifications    

• 10 - 12 years of previous experience 
• Bachelor’s degree in a technical or healthcare field, or 10 years of healthcare IT experience. 
• Must have 8 years of Information Technology Project Leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a PMO like role OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. 
• In-depth knowledge of integrated health care systems, technologies, and platforms
• Significant experience with multiple project and portfolio management
• Experienced in vendor management
• MS Project, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Experience with Epic Community Connect or similar EHR extension programs

Preferred Qualifications  

• MS/MBA  
• Epic certification in outpatient suite of applications
• Strong program/portfolio management experience in IT healthcare.
• Proven ability to collaboratively design and facilitate governance frameworks and operational structures from the ground up.
• Multiple project management methodologies and software development cycles (Waterfall/Kanban/Agile)
• Lean Six Sigma Training

Position Details    

• Job Type/FTE: Full-time    
• Shift: Day    
• Location: Hyde Park      
• Department: IT Community Connect Services     
• CBA Code: Non-Union