Project Manager, Digital Health Behavior Research

About the role

The UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) is a world‑renowned center for precision nutrition research located on the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, NC, within the Charlotte region. The institute features wet labs, clinical facilities, a vivarium, and a metabolic chamber, and is within walking distance of shops, restaurants, a minor‑league ballpark, theater, and music hall of fame. The Connected Health Applications and Interventions (CHAI) Core, an NIH‑funded facility, provides digital health intervention development, qualitative research, UX research, and project management services. The Digital Health Project Manager serves as the primary point of contact for research teams developing digital health interventions, guiding projects from concept through implementation, managing scope, timelines, budgets, and deliverables while ensuring alignment between user needs, research objectives, and technical feasibility.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary point of contact for research teams developing digital health interventions and applications.
• Guide projects from initial concept through implementation, partnering with investigators, designers, developers, and qualitative researchers.
• Manage project scope, timelines, budgets, and deliverables.
• Facilitate requirements gathering and lead project planning activities.
• Develop software specifications and user stories.
• Coordinate user experience and usability research.
• Support quality assurance testing.
• Manage communication among project stakeholders.
• Build trusted relationships with investigators and proactively identify risks and dependencies.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time and within scope while maintaining a user‑centered approach to digital intervention design.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years of experience in project management, digital product management, user experience research, software development, healthcare technology, research administration, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and defined timelines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple concurrent projects.
• Experience working independently in a highly collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health, health sciences, information science, human‑computer interaction, communications, business, or a related field (preferred).
• PMP, Agile, Scrum, or other project management certification (preferred).
• Experience working with digital health technologies, software development teams, user experience research, or health‑related research projects (preferred).
• Experience with Jira or similar project management tools (preferred).
• Experience with Figma or similar digital design tools (preferred).
• Familiarity with usability testing, qualitative research methods, or user‑centered design principles (preferred).
• Experience supporting grant‑funded research projects or academic research environments (preferred).
• Working knowledge of web design, UX/UI best practices, and accessibility principles to effectively partner with designers and developers (preferred).

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including health, life, and retirement plans.
• Paid leave and programs supporting a healthy work/life balance.
• EHRA Non‑Faculty permanent employees eligible for up to 24 days of annual leave per calendar year.
• Professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development, and lifelong learning.

Schedule

Full‑time position, 40 hours per week.