1. What is a Project Manager at Lee Health?

As a Project Manager at Lee Health, you are at the center of operational excellence and strategic growth for one of the largest public health systems in Florida. This role is not just about tracking timelines; it is about driving initiatives that directly impact patient care, community health, and organizational efficiency. You will be responsible for leading complex, cross-functional projects that require a deep understanding of healthcare operations, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder alignment.

The impact of this position spans across multiple domains within the organization. Depending on your specific alignment—whether you are working as a Community Health Program Manager, overseeing Capital Sourcing, or managing Payor Contracts—your work ensures that our resources are utilized effectively and our community receives the highest standard of care. You will bridge the gap between clinical needs and business objectives, translating high-level strategy into actionable, measurable results.

Working at Lee Health requires agility and resilience. Our environment is dynamic, and project scopes can evolve rapidly to meet the changing needs of the healthcare landscape. You can expect a challenging but deeply rewarding experience where your leadership will directly contribute to the well-being of the Fort Myers community and beyond.

2. Common Interview Questions

3. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for a Project Manager interview at Lee Health requires a strategic approach. We evaluate candidates not just on their technical project management skills, but on their ability to navigate complex organizational structures and lead with empathy.

Focus your preparation on the following key evaluation criteria:

Behavioral Competency and Leadership – We rely heavily on behavioral interviewing to understand how you have handled real-world challenges. Interviewers will look for your ability to influence without authority, manage cross-functional teams, and drive consensus among diverse stakeholders, including clinical staff and executive leadership. You must demonstrate these skills using clear, structured examples.

Adaptability and Ambiguity Navigation – Healthcare is a rapidly evolving sector, and project parameters at Lee Health can shift even while initiatives are in flight. We evaluate your capacity to pivot gracefully when goals change, re-align your resources, and maintain team morale during periods of uncertainty.

Process and Problem-Solving – We expect you to bring a structured approach to solving operational bottlenecks. You will be assessed on how you define problems, gather data, design solutions, and implement sustainable processes. Candidates who can articulate a clear methodology for risk mitigation and resource allocation stand out.

Healthcare Domain Awareness – While you do not always need to be a clinician, understanding the nuances of healthcare operations—such as payor contracting, capital sourcing, or community health dynamics—is crucial. We look for candidates who understand the regulatory and operational constraints unique to our industry.

4. Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a Project Manager at Lee Health is rigorous, thorough, and designed to ensure a strong mutual fit. You will typically begin with an initial screening by our HR team, which focuses on your background, high-level qualifications, and basic cultural alignment. This is often followed by multiple virtual or in-person interviews with various levels of the organization, including peer project managers, department directors, and the hiring manager.

A defining characteristic of our process is the heavy emphasis on behavioral assessments. You should expect to spend roughly an hour with each interviewer, answering deep-dive questions based on the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) framework. Furthermore, for critical project management roles, Lee Health frequently utilizes a comprehensive third-party psychological and behavioral assessment. This stage is designed to evaluate your working style, resilience, and decision-making under pressure.

Because our organizational needs can shift, you may occasionally find that the focus of the role evolves slightly between your initial screen and your final interview. We value candidates who remain flexible and approach these shifts as opportunities to showcase their broad strategic capabilities.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from your initial HR screen through the multiple behavioral rounds and the specialized third-party assessment. Use this to pace your preparation, keeping in mind that the later stages—particularly the behavioral testing—will require significant mental endurance. Variations in this timeline may occur depending on the specific department, such as Capital Sourcing versus Payor Contracting.

5. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed in your interviews, you must understand exactly what our teams are looking for. Below is a detailed breakdown of the primary areas where you will be evaluated.

Behavioral and Situational Leadership

Because project managers at Lee Health must align diverse teams, your behavioral track record is the most critical component of your evaluation. Interviewers will probe deeply into your past experiences to see how you handle conflict, drive accountability, and communicate across different levels of an organization. Strong performance here means providing highly specific examples that highlight your direct contributions and leadership style.

Be ready to go over:

• Stakeholder alignment – How you build consensus between clinical leaders, financial teams, and external vendors.
• Conflict resolution – Your approach to navigating disagreements regarding project scope, budget, or timelines.
• Change management – How you guide teams through new software implementations or operational restructuring.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Crisis communication protocols, managing vendor non-performance, and executive-level reporting strategies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to align two stakeholders who had completely opposite goals for a project."
• "Describe a situation where a critical project was falling behind schedule. What specific actions did you take to course-correct?"
• "Walk me through a time you had to implement a new process that was met with significant resistance from the team."

Adaptability and Scope Management

Projects at Lee Health can experience scope changes due to shifting regulatory requirements, funding adjustments, or immediate clinical needs. We evaluate how you handle these pivots. A strong candidate does not just accept changes; they proactively analyze the impact on the timeline and budget, and communicate these impacts transparently to stakeholders.

Be ready to go over:

• Scope creep mitigation – Techniques you use to keep projects focused while accommodating necessary changes.
• Agile prioritization – How you decide which deliverables to pause when urgent organizational priorities emerge.
• Resource reallocation – Strategies for moving budgets or personnel when a project's direction changes mid-flight.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe a time when the requirements of your project changed significantly halfway through. How did you handle it?"
• "Tell me about a situation where you lacked the necessary resources to complete a project but still had to meet the deadline."
• "How do you manage your team's morale when leadership abruptly shifts the strategic direction of your work?"

Process Improvement and Execution

We look for project managers who are not just administrators, but true problem solvers. You will be evaluated on your ability to look at an inefficient workflow, identify the root cause of the delay, and implement a streamlined solution. Strong candidates will speak to specific methodologies (like Lean, Six Sigma, or Agile) and demonstrate how they track post-implementation success.

Be ready to go over:

• Root cause analysis – How you identify why a project failed or a process is broken.
• KPI development – The metrics you establish to ensure a project delivers its intended value.
• Risk management – How you build contingency plans for high-stakes healthcare initiatives.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through a time you identified a major inefficiency in your organization's operations. How did you fix it?"
• "Explain your process for identifying and mitigating risks at the beginning of a complex project."
• "Tell me about a time a project you managed failed to meet its key objectives. What did you learn?"