Innovation and Entrepreneurship Director - Penn Engineering

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Director - Penn Engineering

Job Profile Title

Director C, Academic Affairs, Academic Administration

Job Description Summary

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Director will support the strategy, development and execution of programs under the purview of the Vice-Dean of Innovation & Entrepreneurship including the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program. Shape new curricular and co-curricular activities to transform engineering education and in particular develop real-world skills and an entrepreneurial mindset to complement the technical skills in traditional curriculum. Connect with professors, design courses and co-curricular activities and work closely with the Executive Director of Corporate Engagement to partner with companies on this endeavor. This position requires a proactive, self-motivated individual with the ability to independently learn, take initiative and to shape new programs within the engineering context.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program Strategy and Development
• Work closely with the Vice Dean of Innovation & Entrepreneurship to develop and execute the strategic vision for innovation and entrepreneurship programming within Penn Engineering.
• Identify opportunities to develop new programs that complement students’ technical education with real-world skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Research emerging trends and best practices in engineering entrepreneurship, innovation education, experiential learning, and workforce preparation.
• Develop new initiatives from concept through implementation, including defining objectives, audiences, resources, partners, and measures of success.
• Evaluate existing programs and recommend enhancements, new approaches, or areas for expansion.
• Proactively identify opportunities and needs and independently develop solutions and programs to address them.

• Gather and analyze feedback from students, faculty, alumni, and corporate partners to inform program development.
 

Curricular Development & Faculty Engagement
• Partner with non-EENT faculty to develop and enhance courses and curricular experiences focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, product development, and other real-world skills starting with the Materials Science & Engineering department.
• Identify faculty across Penn Engineering and the University who can contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship education within their core classes.
• Work with faculty to translate ideas and emerging areas of interest into compelling educational experiences for engineering students in core non-EENT courses.
• Develop new course concepts, modules, workshops, and other curricular offerings that complement the traditional core engineering curriculum.
• Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and identify opportunities to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation into existing academic programs.

Co-Curricular & Experiential Program Development
• Design and implement co-curricular experiences that give students opportunities to apply entrepreneurial and innovation skills outside the classroom.
• Develop workshops, speaker programs, competitions, and other experiential-learning opportunities.
• Create opportunities for students to engage directly with entrepreneurs, alumni, industry leaders, investors, and technology innovators and manage the mentorship program for students.
• Develop programming that exposes students to real-world problems and helps them build skills in areas such as customer discovery, communication, teamwork, leadership, product development, and commercialization.
• Assess student participation and outcomes and continuously improve programming based on feedback and results.

Corporate & External Partnerships
• Work closely with the Executive Director of Corporate Engagement to identify and develop opportunities for companies to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship education.
• Build relationships with companies and external partners to host companies identified as “Leaders in Residence” to support the design of their curricular and co-curricular activities within the school including site visits, internships and speaking engagements.
• Cultivate relationships with entrepreneurs, alumni, startups, investors, and other members of the innovation ecosystem who can contribute to student learning, mentorship and program development.
• Help develop mutually beneficial models for sustained corporate participation in curricular and co-curricular programming.

Engineering Entrepreneurship Program support
* Oversee Program Coordinator for EENT and provide guidance and support to her activities

• Provide strategic and programmatic support for the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program and its portfolio of curricular and co-curricular activities.
• Work with program faculty and staff to ensure that existing offerings align with the broader Innovation & Entrepreneurship strategy for Penn Engineering.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen connections among courses, certificates, minors, fellows programs, experiential opportunities, and other entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Develop new pathways for undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship programming.
• Support efforts to increase the visibility, reach, and impact of Engineering Entrepreneurship across Penn Engineering.

Program Awareness
• Support the agenda and materials for the bi-annual BoTIE meeting

* Build awareness of innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities and help create a stronger community among students, faculty, alumni, entrepreneurs, and industry partners.
• Collaborate with communications and other Penn Engineering teams to showcase programs, student experiences, and outcomes.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, technology or a related field; advanced degree preferred, and seven to ten years of professional experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, engineering, product development, technology commercialization, industry engagement or a related area or an equivalent combination of education and experience.  Demonstrated experience developing and launching new programs in a complex organization. Strong understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship, including such areas as opportunity identification, customer discovery, product development, commercialization, venture creation and/or innovation within established companies. Demonstrated ability to work effectively in complex organizations and leadership to translate ideas into programs. Experience building relationships with companies, entrepreneurs, alumni, investors, or other external partners and incorporating these relationships into core activities.  Excellent project and program management skills including the ability to take an initiative from concept through design, implementation, assessment and continuous improvement. Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively across disciplines with faculty, students, senior administrators, corporate partners and entrepreneurs. Demonstrated ability to work independently, identify opportunities, take initiative and create structure in an evolving environment rather than simply administer established programs. Ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously and move comfortably between strategic planning and hands-on execution.  

Experience in academic administration, marketing, event coordination, or a related field. Exceptional organizational, communication, and written skills. Proficiency in social media management tools, content creation platforms, and survey tools like Qualtrics. Basic website management experience (e.g., WordPress) and marketing tool experience (e.g., Canva and Adobe Suite). Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative in addressing challenges. Demonstrated ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and learn new skills as needed.

Office-based role with occasional events requiring evening or weekend hours.

Frequent use of computer systems and software, including social media and marketing tools.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Pay Range

$95,136.00 - $135,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay