Technical Project Specialist III

Technical Project Specialist III Job Title: Technical Project Specialist III Department Name: 7P410:PUBLIC HEALTH - RESEARCH Work Location: Lexington, KY Grade Level: 47 Salary Range: $58,302-96,179/year Type of Position: Staff Position Time Status: Full-Time Required Education: BS Required Related Experience: 5 yrs Physical Requirements: Sitting for extended periods of time Shift: Typically Monday – Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Additional hours as needed Job Summary: Lead Technical Projects Advancing Kentucky's Rural Health Transformation The University of Kentucky is seeking a Technical Project Specialist III to join the College of Public Health/Public Health Analytics and Informatics. This position coordinates technical and program activities supporting Kentucky's Rural Health Transformation and PoWER Program, working across teams to keep complex initiatives aligned and on schedule. The role will partner with program leaders, researchers, pilot sites, and public health stakeholders to strengthen implementation, support data-informed decision-making, and advance program goals. What You'll Do Coordinate and manage technical activities to implement or enhance research and information systems supporting Rural Health Transformation stakeholders. Lead cross-team project activities, establish project goals and timelines, monitor progress, and ensure key deliverables remain on track. Work with stakeholders and researchers to define data sources and data elements needed for data sharing agreements and support agreement execution. Provide strategic guidance to local implementing agencies in PoWER pilot site catchment areas, identifying strengths and opportunities while supporting consistent application of the PoWER model. Track project risks and dependencies, identify potential delays, and escalate issues to program leadership when needed. Collect, review, and analyze information from PoWER pilot sites and conduct initial reviews of operational data for completeness and quality. Synthesize site feedback and implementation learnings to support ongoing program refinement, including HANDS workflows, implementation approaches, and standard operating expectations. Participate in planning, policy recommendations, measure development, problem resolution, project reporting, and other deliverables. Provide project and initiative updates to program stakeholders, including the Kentucky Department for Public Health's Division of Maternal and Child Health and PoWER Program leadership. Complete special projects as assigned. What You'll Bring Strong project management, planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills. Leadership skills and experience with personnel management. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex concepts into meaningful conclusions. Ability to build productive working relationships and use emotionally intelligent communication to support collaboration and shared problem-solving. Experience using project management software and managing timelines, risks, dependencies, and deliverables. Flexibility and strong time-management skills in a complex, collaborative environment. Experience with public health research, public health surveillance, or public health informatics is preferred. Minimum Requirements Bachelor's degree 5 years of related experience What's In It for You Play a meaningful role in Kentucky's Rural Health Transformation, supporting initiatives designed to strengthen rural health programs and services. Contribute to a major grant-funded initiative spanning federal fiscal years 2026–2030 and collaborate with public health leaders, researchers, and program stakeholders. Hybrid work eligibility, with approval. UK's Exceptional Benefits Why Now? Kentucky's Rural Health Transformation requires close coordination across technical, research, public health, and implementation teams. As PoWER pilot sites put program approaches into practice, timely project oversight, consistent implementation, strong stakeholder communication, and careful review of operational information will be critical to continued progress. This role will help turn implementation experience and site-level feedback into actionable program improvements while supporting the timelines, measures, data activities, and deliverables associated with this CMS-funded initiative. This project is 100% funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a total of $212.9 million in budget year 1 with 100% by CMS/HHS. The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) grant spans five budget periods aligned with federal fiscal years (FY2026–FY2030). Funding is disbursed annually by CMS based on achievement of performance metrics. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government. Skills / Knowledge / Abilities - Project Management Certification preferred, Microsoft Project, clarity, or other PM tool experience Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? - No Preferred Education/Experience - At least 5 years of of experience as a community health worker, social worker, public health professional, or in a related field. Minimum of 2 years of HANDS experience at the local or state level Deadline to Apply - 10/21/2026 Our University Community - We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus. The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status. Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen. Posting Specific Questions Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*). * Please select the answer that best describes your employment experience in project management. None More than 0, up through 1 year More than 1 year, up through 3 years More than 3 years, up through 5 years More than 5 years * Do you have paid employment experience working with other staff members to define project requirements and create project goals and timeline? What project management tools do you use? (Open Ended Question) * Please select the response which best represents your number of years of paid employment experience acting as a team leader. None More than 0 up through 2 years More than 2 years up through 4 years More than 4 years up through 6 years More than 6 years * Provide examples of projects you have managed and worked on. (Open Ended Question) * Do you have experience with public health research, public health surveillance, or public health informatics projects? Yes No Applicant Documents Required Documents Resume Cover Letter Optional Documents University of Kentucky