Program Manager

West Health • Washington, DC

2d • $110,000 - $125,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Manager will serve as the operational backbone supporting West Health’s active and high-profile Health Care Cost and Affordability portfolio. This role is designed for a highly organized, systems-minded project management professional who excels at bringing structure to complex, multi-stakeholder environments. The Program Manager will own the planning infrastructure for a portfolio of research, policy, and communications initiatives spanning West Health’s Health Care Cost and Affordability work. The ideal candidate thrives on building systems from scratch, maximizing the use of existing tools, and keeping teams accountable to milestones without adding unnecessary bureaucracy. This is a visible, high-impact role that requires demonstrated technical project management rigor and strong communication skills. The Program Manager will work closely with internal teams to ensure that work products move efficiently from inception to completion.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 5–7 years of project management experience, ideally in a healthcare, policy, research, or nonprofit setting.
• Demonstrated experience building project management systems and tools from the ground up.
• Proficiency with project management platforms (e.g., Asana, Monday.com, Smartsheet, Jira) and productivity tools (Microsoft 365, SharePoint).
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Co-Pilot) to accelerate work product; skilled at prompt construction, output evaluation, and iterative refinement.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams with competing deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to translate complex, technical content for diverse audiences.
• High degree of discretion and sound judgment in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Ability to work both independently and within a team environment.
• Effective time management skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Must believe in public health and science.

Nice To Haves

• advanced degree (e.g., MPH, MPA, MBA) preferred
• PMP certification is highly preferred
• Experience with digital and web development/engineering processes and methods, preferred.
• Familiarity with healthcare policy is a plus but not required.
• Experience with legal contracting a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end project tracking for the portfolios, including milestones, deliverables, dashboards, dependencies, and risks – surfacing opportunities and adjacencies across the body of work.
• Design and maintain project management infrastructure from the ground up—building dashboards, timelines, status trackers, and workflow tools tailored to each portfolio’s needs.
• Audit and maximize use of existing project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Asana, Monday.com, SharePoint, or equivalent); identify gaps and implement improvements.
• Facilitate recurring portfolio reviews, including agenda development, pre-read preparation, meeting facilitation, and action item tracking.
• Proactively flag timeline slippage, resource constraints, and interdependencies to portfolio leads and senior leadership.
• Develop and maintain a portfolio calendar integrating key internal deadlines, external publication windows, congressional calendars, and partner timelines.
• Coordinate across research, policy, communications, and external partners to ensure smooth handoffs and aligned expectations.
• Establish and maintain catalogue of updated project and strategy briefs; drive fidelity to established or new standard operating procedures to support consistent project execution.
• Identify and implement automation or workflow enhancements to reduce manual tracking burden on substantive staff.
• Serve as an internal resource and trainer on project management tools and best practices.
• Leverage AI tools and technology to maximize delivery and implementation around established or emerging workflows.
• Prepare clear, concise status updates and portfolio summaries for internal teams and varying audiences (leadership, communications, data science, etc.).
• Coordinate with external partners and vendors to track commitments and ensure deliverable timelines are met.
• Support senior leadership in preparation for external convenings.
• Manage scheduling logistics for multi-stakeholder planning meetings and working groups.
• Maintain organized shared file systems and documentation repositories for both portfolios.
• Commitment to West Health’s values and mission.

Benefits

• Up to 10% Annual Performance Bonus
• Hybrid Work Schedule
• Comprehensive Benefits Package – including Medical, Dental, Vision, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, and a Flexible Spending Account
• 100% Premium Coverage for Employee Medical, Dental, Vision, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life Insurance, plus 70% coverage for dependents for medical, dental and vision
• Generous 5% Retirement Plan Match
• Professional Development Reimbursements
• 15 Days of Paid Time Off plus 16 Paid Holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level