Innovation Project Manager

#138377 Innovation Project Manager Filing Deadline:
Tue 2/17/2026

UC San Diego values and welcomes people from all backgrounds. If you are interested in being part of our team, possess the needed licensure and certifications, and feel that you have most of the qualifications and/or transferable skills for a job opening, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Apply by 02/04/26 for consideration with preference for rehire. All layoff applicants should contact their Employment Advisor.

Eligible Reassignment clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.

The Innovation Project Manager independently leads and directs multiple projects and/or programs of medium to large size and complexity while also owning key aspects of product strategy and delivery within the Jacobs Center for Health Innovation (JCHI) department. This role blends strong project execution discipline with product management capabilities, including defining product vision, prioritizing roadmaps, and ensuring solutions deliver measurable business and user value.

The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Health Innovation (JCHI) at UC San Diego Health develops digital solutions that expand what’s possible for healthcare. We facilitate the rapid, disciplined development, testing and implementation of new strategies to reimagine health care delivery, improve patient outcomes, patient and clinician experience, and reduce the cost of care. We believe the best way to make big improvements to patient health and health care delivery is to experiment quickly at low cost, only scaling once we find high impact solutions.

The Center provides an exciting and fast-paced opportunity for motivated, entrepreneurial individuals to effect systemic change at UC San Diego Health and across the healthcare industry.

This role plans and manages cross-functional and cross-organizational initiatives with high-risk or high-impact financial, operational, or legal implications. The role anticipates risks and proactively plans actions to avoid or mitigate impacts to schedules, budgets, deliverables, quality, and staffing. The PM3 provides leadership and sound decision-making in environments with competing priorities and senior-level stakeholders.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Project & Program Leadership

• Manage all aspects of the project and program life cycle (PLC), from initiation through delivery and close-out.
• Lead multiple concurrent projects and/or programs, including coordination of dependencies, resources, and timelines.
• Ensure appropriate project governance is established and followed (e.g., steering committees, change control, baseline management).
• Execute projects and product initiatives in accordance with PMO methodologies, approved plans, and stakeholder expectations.
• Monitor progress, manage risks and issues, and communicate status, tradeoffs, and recommendations to stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules using PMIS tools (e.g., MS Project, Service Now), including WBS, task dependencies, durations, resource assignments, and critical path.

Product Management & Strategy

• Partner with business, clinical, operational, and technical stakeholders to define product vision, objectives, and success metrics.
• Translate business and user needs into clear product requirements, epics, and user stories.
• Own and maintain product roadmaps, balancing strategic initiatives, technical debt, regulatory requirements, and operational needs.
• Prioritize features and enhancements using data, stakeholder input, and value-based frameworks.
• Serve as the voice of the customer and end user throughout the product and project lifecycle.

Stakeholder & Change Management

• Build strong relationships with executive sponsors, business owners, and cross-functional partners.
• Facilitate decision-making where competing interests and priorities exist.
• Support organizational change management by ensuring readiness, communication, and adoption of delivered solutions.

• Seven (7) years of related experience, or a Bachelor’s degree in related area plus three years of related experience/training. Relevant experience in project management, product…