Program Manager

Job Title: Research IT Program Manager
Type: W2 Contract
Location: PA / NJ / DE / MD (primarily remote with occasional expensed travel)
Schedule: Monday–Friday, Daytime
Start: ASAP
Duration: Through June 30 (strong likelihood of extension; potential long‑term conversion)


Role Overview
Penn Medicine is seeking a Senior Research IT Program Manager to lead multiple large‑scale, multi‑year initiatives within the Research Computing and School of Medicine environment. This role will focus on standing up and driving early‑phase program execution for critical cybersecurity, infrastructure, and research IT initiatives—most immediately centered on NIST 800‑171 compliance within high‑performance computing (HPC) environments.
This is a highly visible role working across research IT, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and university stakeholders, with regular interaction with executive leadership. The ideal candidate is a strong program leader who can bring structure, momentum, and clarity to complex, politically nuanced environments.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate multiple concurrent research IT programs transitioning from business case and high‑level planning into detailed scoping and execution
Serve as the primary program driver for NIST 800‑171 security compliance initiatives within research computing environments
Partner closely with research IT leadership, cybersecurity teams, infrastructure teams, and external consulting partners to define scope, timelines, and dependencies
Develop and manage integrated program plans, schedules, and status reporting across multiple workstreams
Drive execution through structured governance, recurring status meetings, and cross‑functional accountability
Support a two‑phase HPC cluster initiative, including:

Short‑term implementation of NIST controls on existing clusters
Longer‑term consolidation and rebuild of clusters into a new data center environment
Help scope and advance a multi‑year cybersecurity roadmap for the School of Medicine, including segregation of sensitive research data, managed vs. unmanaged devices, access controls, and BYOD considerations
Perform early‑stage analysis and discovery (including use of analytics and AI‑driven insights) to help answer key planning questions (e.g., scope, cost, duration, staffing models)
Translate complex technical and regulatory topics into clear, executive‑level updates and recommendations
Participate in and occasionally co‑present during leadership and executive meetings

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Required Qualifications

Senior‑level Program Management experience (healthcare, research, or higher‑education environments
Proven ability to lead large, complex, multi‑year programs with multiple stakeholders and dependencies
Strong technical acumen with the ability to engage directly with engineers, infrastructure teams, and cybersecurity partners
Experience working within research computing or research IT environments (distinct from clinical operations)
Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks
Demonstrated ability to navigate organizational complexity and political nuance within large institutions
Excellent communication skills, including comfort presenting to executive and senior leadership audiences
Analytical mindset with the ability to support early‑phase scoping, roadmap development, and investment planning

Nice to Have / Pluses
NIST 800‑171 strongly preferred
Experience supporting HPC environments, data centers, or large infrastructure rebuilds
Exposure to cybersecurity roadmap development or enterprise security programs
Experience coordinating with external consulting partners and internal cyber teams
Background leveraging data, analytics, or AI to inform planning and decision‑making

Benefit packages for this role will start on the 1st day of employment and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as HSA, FSA, and DCFSA account options, and 401k retirement account access with employer matching. Employees in this role are also entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.