IS Program Manager

The Program Manager, Third-Party Services is responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination, and successful delivery of programs and initiatives involving external vendors and service providers that support Children’s National Medical Center. This role ensures that third-party partners align with organizational priorities, regulatory requirements, and service level expectations while supporting operational and clinical excellence.

The Program Manager serves as the primary liaison between internal stakeholders and external partners, managing service delivery across multiple simultaneous vendors, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, and driving continuous improvement in vendor performance, governance, and collaboration. This role is accountable for ensuring no single vendor or inter-vendor gap becomes a constraint on clinical operations or platform go-live success.

Minimum Education
Bachelor's Degree Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Management, or a related field. (Required)
Master's Degree Masters degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Management, or a related field. Master's degree is a plus. (Preferred)

Minimum Work Experience
5 years Proven experience as a Program Manager or related role in the IT or Healthcare industry, with a successful track record of delivering complex programs. (Required)

Required Skills/Knowledge
Strong understanding of project and program management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, etc.) and tools (e.g., Jira, Microsoft Project, etc.).
Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead and inspire cross-functional teams.
Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with a keen attention to detail.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
Proven experience in risk management and mitigation strategies.
Experience with Healthcare IT project/program management is desirable.
Demonstrated ability to build successful working relationships with external vendors or out-sourced professional services providers.
Familiarity with Cerner Millennium, Epic, PeopleSoft/Fusion, and ServiceNow is desirable.

Required Licenses and Certifications
Project Management (PMP) (Preferred)

Functional Accountabilities
Job Duties
 

• Vendor & Partner Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for designated third-party vendors and service providers.
• Establish strong partnerships with vendors to ensure alignment with Children’s National’s mission, priorities, and service expectations.
• Facilitate regular service reviews, governance meetings, and strategic planning sessions with vendors and internal stakeholders.
• Monitor vendor performance against Service Level Agreements (SLAs), contracts, and key performance indicators.
• Manage interdependencies and accountability boundaries across multiple concurrent vendors to prevent service gaps, overlap, and finger-pointing during critical program periods.

• Program & Project Oversight

• Lead and coordinate complex programs involving third-party service providers across multiple departments.
• Develop program plans, timelines, milestones, and resource coordination across vendors and internal teams.
• Ensure effective communication and collaboration between IT, clinical, operational, and vendor teams.
• Identify and manage risks, dependencies, and issues that may impact program delivery.

• Financial & Sourcing Accountability

• Develop business cases for sourcing model changes, contract expansions, or vendor transitions.
• Maintain financial tracking of vendor spend against budget; flag variances and support IS finance reporting.
• Model operational and financial impact of vendor changes to support executive decision-making.

• Service Delivery & Operational Excellence

• Monitor and improve vendor-provided services to ensure reliability, performance, and compliance with healthcare standards.
• Track operational metrics and performance trends to drive service improvements.
• Coordinate issue resolution and escalation for vendor-related incidents or service disruptions.

• Governance, Compliance & Contracts

• Ensure third-party engagements adhere to organizational policies, regulatory requirements (HIPAA, security standards), and contractual obligations.
• Partner with procurement, legal, and compliance teams on vendor onboarding, contract renewals, and performance reviews.
• Maintain documentation of vendor governance processes, program plans, and operational procedures.

• Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with clinical, operational, and administrative leaders to understand service needs and priorities.
• Provide clear program updates, reporting, and executive-level summaries.
• Facilitate alignment across internal teams to support initiatives involving external partners.

• Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to optimize vendor services, reduce risk, improve efficiency, and increase value.
• Implement best practices for vendor management, program governance, and service delivery.
• Support strategic initiatives involving outsourcing, service modernization, or vendor transitions.

Organizational Accountabilities
Organizational Accountabilities (Staff)
Organizational Commitment/Identification 

• Anticipate and responds to customer needs; follows up until needs are met

Teamwork/Communication

• Demonstrate collaborative and respectful behavior

• Partner with all team members to achieve goals

• Receptive to others’ ideas and opinions

Performance Improvement/Problem-solving

• Contribute to a positive work environment

• Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to change

• Identify opportunities to improve clinical and administrative processes

• Make appropriate decisions, using sound judgment

Cost Management/Financial Responsibility

• Use resources efficiently

• Search for less costly ways of doing things

Safety

• Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performance

• Continuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentation

• Stop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situation

• Demonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communication

• Actively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workers

• Attend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performance