Position Summary
The Project Manager will provide project management, research coordination, stakeholder coordination, and implementation support for the development of a Rhode Island Special Care Dentistry Program. The Project Manager will independently own and execute substantial pieces of this complex, cross-system project while working closely with the Project Lead/Chief, Office of Oral Health, on priorities, substantive work, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and key project decisions.
- This position is responsible for project execution and coordination and will manage activities and deliverables, bringing questions, issues, and recommendations to the Project Lead for discussion and direction as appropriate.
- The project will assess Rhode Islanders requiring special care dentistry, the current service-delivery system, provider and workforce capacity, financing and regulatory considerations, and relevant national models.
- Findings will be used to develop Minimum Program Requirements, evaluate multiple potentially viable service-delivery models and configurations, and inform procurement.
- The Project Manager is expected to exercise appropriate initiative and judgment in managing assigned project activities, identifying issues and potential solutions, and recommending next steps, while collaborating closely with the Project Lead on project direction, priorities, and key decisions.
Key Responsibilities
1. Project Management and Coordination
- Maintain the Master Implementation Schedule and workplan; translate activities into weekly work and track assignments, deadlines, dependencies, decisions, and deliverables.
- Coordinate multiple workstreams and identify schedule risks; maintain project, action, and decision tracker; provide status updates; and monitor progress toward the January 2027 procurement release objective.
- Coordinate and support Rhode Island and national research on population needs, service-delivery, providers and workforce, referral networks and partnerships, financing and Medicaid, regulatory requirements, barriers and opportunities, national programs, best practices, innovations, workforce models, and sustainability.
- Conduct and support program, fiscal, and policy analyses; synthesize information, identify gaps, and prepare reports, recommendations, and decision-support materials for consideration by the Project Lead and leadership.
- Coordinate across state agencies, providers, community organizations, academic programs, and other partners to support a coordinated planning process.
- Work comfortably and effectively with senior leaders and subject-matter experts and collaborate closely with the Project Lead to plan and coordinate stakeholder engagement and address significant issues and developments.
- Maintain the stakeholder matrix and coordinate outreach, invitations, interviews, meetings, and follow-up.
- Prepare agendas and meeting materials, document stakeholder input, organize key themes and findings, and coordinate Planning Group meetings and action items.
- Support development of Minimum Program Requirements and related gap, opportunity, risk, and readiness analyses.
- Support evaluation of multiple potentially viable service-delivery models and configurations by organizing benefits, limitations, requirements, risks, costs, workforce, regulatory, accessibility, and implementation considerations associated with each approach.
- Models may include fixed-site, FQHC-based, mobile, modular/portable, hub-and-spoke, hybrid, and other approaches identified during planning. Will support comparison and decision-making but will not select the final model.
- Maintain the procurement workplan and organize Minimum Program Requirements into procurement-ready documents.
- Support procurement strategy development, coordinate with procurement personnel and internal reviewers, support RFI/RFP preparation, comments, revisions, approvals, and final submission.
- Perform other related tasks and address additional topics that arise during the planning process, as assigned by the Project Lead based on emerging needs and priorities.
Education and Experience
- Master’s degree in project management, public administration, business administration, healthcare administration, public health, or a related field.
- Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible project management experience, including experience managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and experience across several of the following areas: research, analysis, program development, healthcare, government, consulting, procurement, or organizational transformation.
- Experience with research, collaboration, data-management, project management, and productivity tools is strongly preferred.
- Experience across several of the following areas is preferred: healthcare or public-sector consulting, healthcare program development or health-system transformation, Medicaid or public health, oral health, dental systems or special care dentistry, disability services, workforce planning, procurement/RFP development, regulatory analysis, program implementation, or research and evaluation.
- Direct dental experience is not required if the candidate demonstrates strong project management, research, analytical, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Highly organized, analytical, and practical
- Able to manage and keep work moving forward across multiple workstreams.
- Exercises a high level of comfort working with senior leaders, subject-matter experts, and stakeholders with different perspectives and priorities.
- Ability to take ownership of assigned work, manage multiple concurrent workstreams, analyze complex information, develop recommendations, and coordinate work across organizations
- Strong written and verbal communication, and attention to detail.
- Able to identify issues and potential solutions and collaborate with the Project Lead to determine appropriate next steps.
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams is required.
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