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Senior Project Manager - Innovation
The Senior Project Manager - Innovation will join the Technology, Data & Innovation Project Management Office within the Chief Technology and Digital Officer Project Management Department. This department is responsible for leading complex, strategic, and innovation-focused technology initiatives that support enterprise priorities, enable emerging capabilities, and ensure disciplined project delivery across technology and business partners.
The Senior Project Manager plays a critical role in advancing institutional innovation by independently managing large, complex programs and projects that align technology, data, and innovation efforts with organizational strategy. The Senior Project Manager serves as the agent for project sponsors, leading cross-functional teams, mentoring project resources, and ensuring delivery excellence through established PMO standards. Through strong leadership, business acumen, and technical insight, the Senior Project Manager - Innovation helps translate innovation into measurable outcomes.
The ideal candidate brings extensive experience leading large-scale, healthcare technology-driven innovation initiatives. This individual demonstrates a proven track record leading innovation, R&D, or emerging tech initiatives (e.g., AI/ML, automation, cloud modernization, IoT, data platforms), experience delivering enterprise scale IT solutions with measurable business outcomes, and familiar with innovation frameworks such as design thinking, lean experimentation, rapid prototyping, or venture incubation.
Minimum $123,000 – Midpoint $154,000 – Maximum $185,000
Work Location: Hybrid schedule with preference for candidates in the Houston, Texas area; onsite presence required twice per month.
This role offers the opportunity to directly contribute to MD Anderson’s mission by leading innovation-driven technology initiatives that support patient care, research, and operational excellence. The Senior Project Manager - Innovation benefits from a collaborative environment that values professional growth, strategic impact, and work-life balance while working on initiatives that shape the future of healthcare technology.
• Employer-paid medical coverage starting day one for employees working 30+ hours/week, plus optional group dental, vision, life, AD&D, and disability insurance.
• Accruals for PTO and Extended Illness Bank, plus paid holidays, wellness, childcare, and other leave options.
• Tuition Assistance Program after six months of service and access to extensive wellness, fitness, and employee resource groups.
• Defined-benefit pension through the Teachers Retirement System, voluntary retirement plans, and employer-paid life and reduced salary protection programs.
Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategic Alignment
• Lead large, complex, and strategic programs and projects as the agent for the project sponsor.
• Motivate, inspire, and guide cross-functional teams toward shared goals and outcomes.
• Demonstrate strong facilitation, negotiation, problem-solving, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills.
• Coach and mentor Technology, Data & Innovation Project Managers and contract project resources.
• Align project execution with business strategy and organizational priorities.
Stakeholder & Business Management
• Engage leaders and stakeholders to demonstrate value and manage expectations.
• Establish and manage expectations for sponsors, steering teams, customers, users, and project teams.
• Collaborate with sponsors, owners, and key stakeholders to ensure requirements are fully documented.
• Participate in customer meetings to maintain awareness of institutional operations and needs.
Project Delivery & Methodology
• Apply project management frameworks and best practices supporting portfolio, resource, governance, and quality management.
• Adhere to Technology, Data & Innovation PMO guiding principles and standards across all deliverables.
• Initiate, plan, execute, control, and close projects following PMO methodology.
• Develop, maintain, and present comprehensive project documentation including scope, schedules, timelines, budgets, risk logs, status reports, test plans, training plans, and transition to operations.
• Ensure timely, accurate updates within PMO platforms and obtain customer approvals at all key milestones.
Financial, Resource & Risk Management
• Oversee allocation of human and financial resources to support project success.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, cost analysis, and invoices to maintain financial control.
• Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues.
Technical & Operational Execution
• Translate business goals into actionable strategies and tactical plans.
• Partner with technical teams to document requirements, specifications, and system designs.
• Drive quality of deliverables against defined metrics and outcomes.
• Coordinate end-user training, production support models, and go-live readiness activities.
Requirements
EDUCATION
- Required: Bachelor's Degree
- Preferred: Master's Degree Computer Science, Software Engineering, Management Information Systems, Healthcare Administration or related field.
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Required: 6 years Experience to include five years in project management and five years in application and/or infrastructure services. or
- Required: 4 years Experience is required to include three years in project management and three years in application and/or infrastructure services with preferred degree.
- May substitute required education degree with additional years of equivalent experience on a one to one basis.
- Preferred:
Experience: Extensive experience leading healthcare technology‑driven product or system innovation projects, ideally involving hardware, embedded systems, or integrated platforms. Proven track record leading innovation, R&D, or emerging‑tech initiatives (e.g., AI/ML, automation, cloud modernization, IoT, data platforms). Experience delivering enterprise‑scale IT solutions with measurable business outcomes. Familiarity with innovation frameworks such as design thinking, lean experimentation, rapid prototyping, or venture incubation.
Technical & Domain Skills: Strong understanding of modern IT architectures: cloud services, APIs, microservices, data pipelines, security fundamentals. Ability to evaluate and translate emerging technologies into practical use cases. Comfortable partnering with engineering teams to define technical feasibility, constraints, and solution approaches. Ability to interpret data analytics, user research, and technical metrics to guide decisions.
Strategic & Business Capabilities: Ability to define innovation roadmaps, opportunity assessments, and business cases. Skilled at identifying high‑value problems and validating assumptions through experimentation. Experience managing portfolio-level prioritization and balancing short‑term wins with long‑term bets. Strong financial acumen: ROI modeling, cost/benefit analysis, and value realization tracking. Comfortable running pilot programs, proof‑of‑concepts, and phased rollouts.
Work Location: Hybrid work schedule with onsite presence twice per month and preference for candidates located in or near Houston, Texas.
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
- Preferred: Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)-PMI
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, paid time off, retirement, tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.
This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.
It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state, or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html
