Program Coordinator

The Program Coordinator reports to the Patient Family-Centered Care Manager and works within the broader Family, Guest, and Volunteer Services department. This team focuses on creating an excellent patient experience for patients, families, and volunteers. The Program Coordinator coordinates program management activities, including data tracking and analysis, and implements results that meet the department's goals and objectives.

An ideal candidate is a skilled connector and coordinator, energized by community partnership, comfortable with detailed program operations, and committed to helping lived experience shape meaningful decisions.

Introduction

At St. Jude, patients and families help shape programs, services, education, research, quality, and safety efforts across the institution. As a Program Coordinator in Patient Family-Centered Care, you will help recruit, welcome, prepare, and connect patient and family advisers with meaningful opportunities to share their lived experience. This role brings structure and consistency to a growing program while helping advisers and institutional partners feel informed, supported, and ready to collaborate.

Why this role matters

This role increases PFCC’s capacity to support thoughtful, high-quality engagement across St. Jude. As requests for adviser participation continue to grow across caregiver events, research activities, education, councils, and specialized placements, this position helps ensure each opportunity is coordinated, respectful, and meaningful. The work also supports community-informed research and programs by helping participants feel prepared, valued, and confident that their perspectives matter.

What you will do

• Recruit and engage patient and family advisers whose experiences align with institutional needs.
• Guide applicants through onboarding and connect advisers with appropriate opportunities.
• Build trusted relationships and create a consistent experience for advisers and institutional partners.
• Maintain workflows, data, communications, and systems that keep the program organized and responsive.
• Develop and coordinate communication materials that support recruitment, awareness, and engagement.
• Support assigned steering councils, PFAC meetings, advisers, staff champions, and institutional partners.
• Help ensure engagement is coordinated, equitable, and respectful of patients’ and families’ time, experience, and expertise.

What we are looking for

• Experience with community advisory boards, public health, community engagement, volunteer coordination, research engagement, or lived-experience partnership.
• A relationship-centered approach that helps people feel welcomed, prepared, heard, and valued.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects, partners, meetings, and deadlines at once.
• Clear communication, thoughtful judgment, and a commitment to closing the feedback loop.
• Curiosity, initiative, and a practical mindset for improving systems as the program grows.
• Job Responsibilities: Administer one or more programs or projects.
• Define program or project requirements, identify interdependencies with internal or external departments or service providers, and coordinate to receive their input.
• Develop communications regarding the program or project; Develop project plans and/or programmatic processes.
• Develop and track metrics, provide complex data analysis & interpretation, and develop program-related reports.
• Make recommendations for program or process improvements by providing input for systemic changes to program or project management processes to improve planning, scope management, and risk prevention.
• Support the design and implementation of policies, processes, and procedures.
• Develop processes to execute program initiatives.
• Engage with internal program management teams and external vendors for coordination.
• May mentor less experienced team members.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet the department and institution's goals and objectives.
• Maintain regular and predictable attendance.
• Minimum Education and/or Training: Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum Experience: Minimum requirement: 3+ years of experience delivering programs.
• Significant experience working with project planning tools (e.g., MS Project, Microsoft SharePoint, ServiceNow, Smartsheet, Clarity, Planview, MS Office).
• Special Skills, Knowledge and Abilities: Ability to think critically, draw insights, and connect the dots. Openness to change and ability to adapt to changing times with resilience and flexibility.
• Is able to apply knowledge/skills within own area to deliver tasks with limited guidance
• Ability to look at data more critically and draw meaningful conclusions. Conducts root-cause analysis as needed. Quickly rebounds from setbacks, including creating viable plans to move forward. Helps others understand the need for change and adapt to it.
• Communicates complex ideas effectively to diverse audiences and influences others to see different points of view.
• Effectively relays understanding of diverse perspectives. Can communicate upward and downward as needed. Presents information clearly and thoughtfully, tailored to the audience.
• Focuses on setting high targets, following through, and delivering results. Anticipates roadblocks and circumvents challenges.
• Shows support for the new direction even when details are not finalized. Uses a data-driven approach to spot early indications of underperformance and takes corrective actions. Celebrates successes. Works with partners in their function to find the best solutions that align with functional priorities. Works effectively to find solutions.
• Skills in planning, forecasting, tracking, reconciling, budgeting, and spending. Ability to use related tools and systems to operate efficiently.
• Demonstrates a good understanding of budget planning and tracking tools & processes as well as related internal policies and procedures related to grants, contracts, etc. Tracks, reconciles, and reports budget for own area, highlighting any deviations and escalating as needed. Communicates with other teams to drive budgeting processes, collect information, and share reports.
• Skills in organizing, analyzing, and synthesizing data. Uses tools and systems to drive accuracy and efficiency. Ability to think critically, draw insights, and communicate them.
• Demonstrates strong knowledge/skills within area on a consistent basis to solve complex problems independently
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of more advanced data management tools, systems, and processes. Can carry out more complex data analysis, working with large/complex data sets to create reports for senior leaders. Exhibits strong critical thinking to identify trends and draw out insights; works with a high level of independence.
• Skilled in managing programs with an understanding of customer needs and overall institutional/departmental goals. Can define project/program goals, drive execution, and manage risks.
• Has working knowledge of project management and planning tools. Can effectively sequence and prioritize tasks within programs and works more independently to manage day-to-day issues, escalating as needed. Understands the overall program goals & customer needs, coordinates with cross-functional teams, and tracks dependencies & risks.
• Skilled in sourcing, identifying, and managing vendor relationships; negotiating contracts; and holding vendors accountable. Demonstrates learning agility and a strong grasp of vendor-provided systems and technologies.
• Participates in vendor evaluation processes based on a clear understanding of business needs and requisite vendor capabilities. Monitors vendor performance against desired outcomes, and proactively collaborates with vendor teams to pre-empt potential issues.
• Physical Demands and Working Conditions: The physical demands described here represent those an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; kneel; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
• An essential function of the job is complying with all applicable federal, state, and local safety and health regulations that apply to this job.
• The employee must move around the workspace to access work surfaces and shelves, cabinets, drawers, and equipment at, below, or above the work surface.
• Nothing in this job description limits management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time as business needs dictate. This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. The information contained herein is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of the job, nor is it intended to be an all-inclusive list of the skills and abilities required to do the job.