Program Manager, Innovation

The salary range for this position is $59.48 - $80.30 (Hourly Rate)

Placement within the salary range is dependent on several factors such as relevant work experience and internal equity. For positions represented by a labor union, placement within the salary range is guided by the rules outlined in the collective bargaining agreement.

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section located at jobs.nm.org/benefits to learn more.

Northwestern Medicine is powered by a community of colleagues who are purpose-driven and committed to our mission to deliver world-class care. Here, you'll work alongside some of the best clinical talent in the nation leading the way in medical innovation and breakthrough research with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

We recognize where you've been, and we support where you're headed. We celebrate diverse perspectives and experiences, which fuel our commitment to equity and culture of service.

Grow your career with comprehensive training and development opportunities, mentorship programs, educational support and student loan repayment.

Create the life you envision for yourself with flexible work options, a Reimbursable Well-Being Fund and a Total Rewards package that support your physical, mental, emotional, and financial well-being.

Make a difference through volunteer opportunities we offer in local communities and drive inclusive change through our workforce-led resource groups.

From discovery to delivery, come help us shape the future of medicine.

Description

The Program Manager, Innovation is responsible for leading innovation initiatives, evaluations, and pilot efforts at Northwestern Memorial HealthCare.  The Innovation Program Manager (PM) drives project teams in achieving health system, regional and local priorities that advance the implementation of the innovation strategy for Northwestern Medicine.  The PM uses business planning, strategy, data analysis, change management, project management, and other skills in advancing these efforts.

The Program Manager, Innovation reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

Responsibilities:

• Leads the evaluation of innovative opportunities developed internally at NM or through external vendor partners by collaborating with NM leaders to assess needs, solutions, companies, and partnerships through a methodic business case review of products, markets, leadership teams, risks, finances, and alignment to NM goals and objectives.
• Partners with Clinical Operations, IT, Marketing, Patient Engagement, OGC, Compliance, Analytics, Operations, Process Improvement, Office of Investment, and other NM Departments to thoroughly vet opportunities. Facilitates decision-making by building relationships and working with people from diverse functional backgrounds.
• Conducts value analysis for innovation opportunities across 4 domains of Experience, Cost Avoidance/Efficiency, Risk Avoidance/Reduction, and Revenue Capture to pursue solutions that provide optimal value to NM. 
• Manages relationships with and works closely with startup company partners and entrepreneurs on how to successfully activate at NM.
• Guides the planning for potential innovation pilots and serves as the project manager for Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development, Proof of Concept (POC) creation, and pilot activations of innovative solutions.
• Manages the planning for innovation pilot activations by collaborating with stakeholders and vendor partners to define goals/ objectives, identify Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), assemble teams, design solutions, develop timelines, outline success metrics, define and manage tasks, and execute tasks needed to successful pilot innovative solutions.
• Creates regular status updates, executive report-outs, and presentations to effectively communicate progress and next steps for innovation opportunity evaluations and pilots.
• Creates and manages pilot project budgets including both capital and expense dollars to ensure pilots are appropriately funded and remain within the budget forecast.
• Oversees evaluation metrics of NM’s innovation offering with specific emphasis on user experience, focusing on the needs of patients, their caregivers, and NM providers.
• Works with IT, Analytics, and Operational Leaders to collect data and measure the anticipated “return on innovation” for innovation opportunities and upon completion of pilots assess the effectiveness of achieving the value to inform system-wide scaling decisions.
• Develops, refines, and leads innovation engagement programs with the NM workforce to foster innovation including the annual Innovation Challenge Grant, Innovation Champions, hackathons, and future programs that further advance innovation at NM.
• Assist with the facilitation of invention disclosure reviews between NM inventors, Office of General Counsel (OGC), Northwestern University, and other partners by soliciting invention disclosures, reviewing inventions to determine intellectual property needs, collaborating with partners to determine all involved parties, and execute agreements to foster internal inventions.
• Fosters relationships with innovation partner organizations including Chicago MATTER, Northwestern University, CB Insights, Gartner, and other healthcare innovation teams to build an innovation ecosystem to support NM.
• Conduct market research, gather industry benchmarking data, monitor emerging healthcare technology trends, attend industry conferences, and network with other healthcare innovation centers to identify high-impact innovative opportunities of relevance to NM.
• Identifies and pursues innovation offerings that align with the NM priorities and goals, enhance reputation, improve patient and provider experience, and improve financial performance.
• Actively contribute to internal Innovation team development and department growth and improvement initiatives including playbook/ process refinement, relationship building, roadshow and communication efforts, physical space planning, and use.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field with preference for project management business administration, engineering, innovation, entrepreneurship.
• 4-10-years’ experience in project management and health care related activities.
• Business skills, including business plan development, pro forma development and management.
• Experience managing projects in complex organizations amongst diverse stakeholders.
• Experience scoping, planning, implementing and evaluating pilot projects.
• Experience working in a health care provider environment.
• Experience performing data analysis and market research.
• Experience building executive level presentations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to include presentation, negotiation, persuasion, team facilitation and written communications skills.
• Ability to independently manage a varied workload of projects with multiple priorities.
• Strong time management skills and sound judgment.
• Comfort with ambiguity and complex problems.
• Strong understanding of business, health care, and innovation and how they can align to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in relevant field with preference for project management business administration, public health, and engineering.

Equal Opportunity

Management Responsibility:

• This position may have one to five direct reports

Population Served:

• Internal: All levels of management within NMHC and our campus partners including FSM, NMG, and NU.
• External: Visitors, patients, external vendors, business partners, and others as appropriate.

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.