Clinical & Translational Research Scholars Program Manager

UVA Health•Charlottesville, VA

About The Position

The Program Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for a career development program supporting early-career clinical, translational, and health researchers. The position currently oversees the iTHRIV Scholars Program, a competitive program intended to develop early-career researchers and strengthen their capacity to conduct impactful clinical and translational research. Serving as a central point of coordination among program leadership, faculty, mentors, institutional leaders, researchers, trainees, and administrative and operational partners, the Program Manager manages program planning, recruitment and selection, participant engagement, curriculum and professional development, stakeholder coordination, evaluation, data management, communications, reporting, and continuous improvement. The role combines strategic and project management, instructional design, evaluation, data analysis, communication, and relationship-building. The Program Manager helps ensure effective delivery, evaluation, and ongoing improvement of a university-based career development program. The position influences program strategy, participant experience, stakeholder engagement, operational efficiency, and demonstration of outcomes, while helping build the infrastructure, systems, and partnerships needed for continued growth and sustainability. This is an exempt-level, benefited position. The University will conduct background checks on hires if required. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States; the University will not sponsor or consider candidates requiring employment visa sponsorship now or in the future. The position remains open until filled.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
At least four years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience in program management, project management, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience managing complex programs or projects involving multiple stakeholders.
Ability to independently manage competing priorities, timelines, and deliverables.
Strong written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to establish effective working relationships with people from diverse professional and academic backgrounds.
Experience working with data, reporting systems, or program evaluation processes.
Ability to plan, implement, monitor, and continuously improve complex programs with multiple simultaneous priorities.
Ability to connect day-to-day program operations with broader institutional and organizational goals.
Ability to manage timelines, deliverables, dependencies, and stakeholders across multiple projects.
Ability to communicate complex information clearly to diverse audiences.
Ability to facilitate meetings, workshops, presentations, and professional development activities.
Ability to build productive relationships and collaborate with faculty, researchers, administrators, leaders, and external partners.
Ability to collect, analyze, interpret, and communicate program data to support decision-making and demonstrate impact.
Understanding of adult learning principles and ability to translate learning objectives into effective educational experiences.
Ability to independently identify challenges, develop solutions, and implement process improvements.
Exceptional attention to detail and ability to manage complex information, deadlines, and competing priorities.
Ability to adapt programs and processes as institutional priorities and participant needs evolve.
Ability to learn and effectively use data, project management, communication, and other technology platforms.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or equivalent advanced training.
Experience supporting clinical, translational, biomedical, or health research.
Experience managing career development, researcher development, fellowship, training, or academic programs.
Knowledge of adult learning theory, instructional design, or professional education.
Experience with program evaluation, outcomes assessment, or continuous quality improvement.
Experience developing databases, dashboards, automated workflows, or other data-management systems.
Experience with grant proposal development, sponsored research, or grant reporting.
Experience developing websites, visual communications, data visualizations, or other digital educational resources.
Experience facilitating workshops, seminars, or professional development programs.
Experience working in an academic medical center, research institution, university, or similarly complex organization.
Project Management Professional (PMP/PMI) certification.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership for program planning, implementation, management, and continuous improvement.
Establish program goals, priorities, policies, workflows, and timelines; coordinate activities and ensure timely deliverables.
Identify challenges and implement solutions to improve program effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.
Lead recruitment, application review, selection, onboarding, and ongoing participant engagement.
Monitor participant progress, provide individualized support, and foster professional growth and collaboration.
Design, coordinate, and evaluate curricula, workshops, seminars, and professional development activities in collaboration with faculty and subject-matter experts.
Develop evaluation strategies, metrics, and data-collection processes to assess program effectiveness, participant outcomes, and long-term impact.
Manage databases, tracking systems, dashboards, and reporting tools, and streamline or automate administrative workflows.
Analyze program data, communicate findings, and use evaluation results to guide decisions and continuous improvement.
Build and maintain partnerships with faculty, mentors, institutional leaders, researchers, trainees, and administrative teams.
Coordinate cross-functional activities, strengthen institutional collaborations, and contribute to researcher and workforce development initiatives.
Develop and maintain program websites, digital resources, communications, presentations, reports, and educational materials.
Communicate program accomplishments, outcomes, and impact through institutional and professional channels.
Contribute to grant proposals, funding applications, progress reports, and initiatives supporting program sustainability.
Track program accomplishments and deliverables for institutional and sponsor reporting.
Collaborate on manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, and other scholarly products.