Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for X-Ray Program Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The X-Ray Program Manager leads end-to-end program execution for diagnostic X‑ray imaging portfolios, combining clinical understanding of radiography and radiation safety with program and project management discipline to deliver capital equipment installations, upgrades, regulatory/compliance initiatives (FDA/IEC/ISO), vendor and service contract management, clinical training, and continuous quality improvements across multiple sites or a regional footprint. This role is accountable for schedule, budget, risk, stakeholder communication, and clinical adoption to ensure safe, reliable, compliant, and cost-effective X‑ray imaging operations.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Radiology Technologist / Lead Radiologic Technologist with demonstrated leadership in imaging projects
Clinical Applications Specialist or Field Service Engineer at an imaging equipment vendor (PACS/DICOM experience preferred)
Project Manager or Program Coordinator in clinical engineering, hospital capital projects, or medical device implementation

Advancement To:

Director, Imaging Services or Director, Radiology Program Management
Head of Clinical Engineering or Director of Diagnostic Imaging Capital Programs
Senior Program Manager, Medical Devices or VP, Clinical Operations (Imaging)

Lateral Moves:

Imaging Product Manager for X‑ray or radiography equipment
Clinical Project Manager for PACS, RIS, or enterprise imaging initiatives

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the end-to-end program management for X‑ray imaging equipment initiatives, including needs assessment, capital planning, procurement, vendor selection, contract negotiation, installation, commissioning, and clinical acceptance testing, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet clinical requirements.
Develop detailed program schedules, integrated master plans, resource forecasts and milestone tracking for multiple simultaneous X‑ray equipment deployments across hospital departments or multi-site networks to ensure alignment with operational and capital timelines.
Serve as the single point of accountability for cross-functional program governance, coordinating clinical leadership, facilities, IT (PACS/DICOM/RIS interoperability), radiation safety officers, biomedical engineering, procurement, and vendor partners to drive decision-making and resolve escalations quickly.
Manage end‑to‑end vendor management and commercial relationships for X‑ray systems and service contracts, including RFP/RFQ development, commercial evaluation, vendor scoring, SLA definition, warranty and preventative maintenance agreements, and cost containment strategies.
Lead regulatory and compliance activities related to X‑ray equipment, ensuring adherence to FDA guidance, IEC standards, NRC or state radiation regulatory requirements, ISO quality systems, and local accreditation requirements, and prepare documentation for audits and inspections.
Oversee risk management, change control, and quality assurance processes for imaging equipment programs, including failure mode analysis, corrective and preventive action (CAPA) tracking, safety reporting, and proactive mitigation plans to protect patient and staff safety.
Coordinate clinical workflow redesign and change management for radiology departments to ensure new X‑ray technology is integrated into clinical pathways, improves throughput, and minimizes patient wait times while maintaining image quality and diagnostic confidence.
Define and track program KPIs such as equipment uptime, first pass acceptance rate, mean time to repair (MTTR), service response times, imaging throughput, and ROI metrics to measure program success and support executive reporting.
Lead capital equipment procurement strategy for X‑ray assets, advise on total cost of ownership, lifecycle planning, trade‑in opportunities, and budget prioritization to support executive planning for multi‑year imaging equipment refresh cycles.
Drive clinical training and competency programs for radiology staff and stakeholders, creating training plans, overseeing vendor-provided applications training, and validating clinical competency through acceptance testing and hands‑on sessions.
Oversee installation and site readiness activities for X‑ray projects, including shielding assessments, room layout, power and HVAC coordination, IT and DICOM integration, and building permit coordination to ensure safe and timely commissioning.
Partner with IT and cybersecurity teams to ensure PACS, modality connectivity, DICOM compliance, and secure data transfer for X‑ray systems, managing interface specifications, testing, and production cutover to hospital networks.
Manage budget, forecasting, and financial reporting for X‑ray programs including capital spend, operating expenses for service contracts, cost variance analysis, invoice validation, and financial close for each project.
Facilitate cross-functional steering committees and regular program reviews with executive stakeholders to communicate program status, risk posture, mitigation plans, and decisions required, ensuring transparent governance and escalations are managed effectively.
Lead clinical trials or research imaging implementations that require specialized X‑ray protocols, coordinate with research teams, ensure regulatory approvals, and manage equipment modifications or calibrations needed for investigational use.
Implement standardized acceptance testing protocols and performance verification (image quality testing, dose measurement, DAP/fluoroscopy monitoring) to validate equipment performance against manufacturer specifications and clinical requirements.
Coordinate spare parts, logistics, and supply chain management for X‑ray systems, ensuring critical components and consumables are available to minimize downtime and support rapid service response.
Establish and maintain detailed program documentation libraries (project charters, requirements, test plans, SOPs, technical manuals, risk registers) to support continuity, regulatory recordkeeping, and future audit readiness.
Work closely with clinical leaders to translate clinical needs into technical requirements for new X‑ray systems, ensure optimal modality selection, detector technology choices, and advanced imaging features are aligned with diagnostic goals and operational constraints.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives such as Lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen events within imaging services to enhance throughput, reduce variability in exam times, and lower patient dose while maintaining diagnostic quality.
Supervise and mentor project managers, implementation specialists, and technical staff assigned to X‑ray programs, providing coaching, performance feedback, and ensuring professional development aligned with program goals.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to imaging utilization, downtime causes, dose metrics, and operational KPIs to inform program decision-making and prioritize interventions.
Contribute to the organization's long-term imaging strategy and roadmap, advising on modality mixes, technology refresh cycles, and capital investment priorities to achieve enterprise imaging objectives.
Collaborate with business units to translate clinical and operational data needs into engineering and IT requirements, defining interoperability, storage, and analytics needs for X‑ray image data sets.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering or informatics teams when X‑ray program initiatives intersect with analytics, PACS upgrades, or enterprise imaging projects.
Assist procurement and legal teams with contract reviews and compliance checks for modality accessories, aftermarket upgrades, and service level agreements to reduce organizational risk exposure.
Coordinate patient safety campaigns and radiation dose awareness programs with Radiation Safety Officers and clinical staff to improve dose optimization and patient communication regarding imaging procedures.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program and project management of capital medical equipment, including phased rollouts, multi-site deployments, and complex scheduling across clinical stakeholders.
Deep knowledge of X‑ray technology, radiographic imaging principles, fluoroscopy systems, digital detectors, DR/CR, and basic modalities integration.
Regulatory compliance expertise: familiarity with FDA device regulations, IEC 60601 series, IEC 62304/62366, ISO 13485, and local radiation safety regulations.
PACS, DICOM, HL7, and RIS integration experience, including modality worklist, image routing, compression, and interoperability testing.
Vendor selection, RFP/RFQ creation, commercial evaluation, contract negotiation, and SLA/Service Agreement management for medical imaging equipment.
Clinical acceptance testing, IQ (image quality) testing, dose metrics validation (CTDI, DAP for fluoroscopy), and performance verification protocols.
Capital procurement, budgeting, total cost of ownership analysis, and ROI modeling for medical device investments.
Technical understanding of site readiness requirements: shielding calculations, power/HVAC sizing, and construction coordination for imaging rooms.
Experience with maintenance and service delivery models, remote diagnostics, spare parts management, and vendor performance measurement.
Data analysis and reporting skills for imaging operations metrics using Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent analytics tools.
Experience with quality systems, CAPA processes, audit readiness, and technical documentation control.
Knowledge of cybersecurity best practices for medical devices and networked imaging modalities, including secure DICOM practices.

Soft Skills

Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills, able to translate technical complexity into program-level decisions for clinicians, operations, and finance.
Strong leadership and team-building capabilities to coach cross-functional teams and external vendor partners through complex implementations.
Problem-solving orientation with demonstrated ability to analyze root causes, develop mitigation strategies, and drive to closure under competing priorities.
Excellent organizational skills with a bias for action, able to manage multiple projects and escalate effectively when needed.
Change management aptitude, including experience in training, adoption planning, and overcoming resistance to new clinical workflows.
Negotiation and conflict resolution skills, particularly in commercial and clinical vendor relationships.
Attention to detail for regulatory documentation, acceptance testing, and contract compliance.
Customer-centric mindset with the ability to balance operational constraints with clinician and patient needs.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Radiologic Technology, Healthcare Administration, Nursing, or a related technical field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree (MBA, MHA, MS Biomedical Engineering) or advanced clinical qualification (ARRT, CNMT) and certifications in project/program management (PMP, PgMP) or Lean/Six Sigma.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Radiologic Technology / Diagnostic Imaging
Biomedical Engineering
Healthcare Administration / Health Systems Management
Business Administration (MBA)
Clinical Informatics / Health IT

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–10 years of progressively responsible experience managing imaging equipment projects, clinical implementations, or medical device programs within hospitals, health systems, or medical device manufacturers.

Preferred:

7+ years in program or project management focused on radiology/imaging equipment with demonstrable successes in multi-site X‑ray deployments.
Experience leading cross-functional teams including clinical, technical, facilities, and IT stakeholders.
Prior experience with capital equipment procurement, vendor negotiations, and regulatory compliance for medical imaging devices.