Director of Asynchronous Programs, Wharton Online - Wharton Executive Education

University of Pennsylvania

About The Position

The Director of Asynchronous Programs, Wharton Online, is a critical role on Wharton Executive Education’s (WEE) Program Design and Management Team. This position is responsible for directing the creation and launch of new online, primarily asynchronous, open enrollment offerings. The Program Director is also responsible for the management of existing programs/courses, including content updates, modifications informed by learner feedback and data, and overall learner satisfaction of these courses/programs. Under the supervision of Wharton Online’s Senior Director, the Director will work closely with the Instructional Design & Content Strategy team, Director of Project & Content Management, Wharton faculty, and colleagues from WEE’s Marketing and Client Relations teams to assess market demand for new and existing content. In concert with these teams and colleagues, the Director will lead the development of these online executive education offerings to be consistent with the mission and goals of the Wharton School, Executive Education, and Wharton Online (WO). They are accountable for understanding and assessing market and learner needs, ensuring a high quality of instruction that delivers on those needs, and responding to and implementing learner feedback. They will work collaboratively with faculty and the online team to develop innovative, sophisticated and robust educational solutions and identify faculty to deliver program content that enhances and meets the learning objectives of participants. The Director must demonstrate financial acumen and be responsible for ensuring positive contribution to the profitability of WO through cost management and support of both the marketing and client relations teams. As part of the content development process, the Director will create appropriate post-program follow-up initiatives for OE offerings to ensure participants’ program satisfaction and assess their success in the application of program tools/knowledge. This position requires matrixed oversight of program delivery teams, with the expectation that each program is delivered with consistent program performance standards and seamless delivery. The Director must have the demonstrated ability and willingness to work with ease across cultures and geographies, and be willing to work non-traditional hours at times.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 5-7 years' experience required, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience in designing educational solutions preferably in a high-end solutions environment or higher education, academic environment.
Experience in consultative, adult learning theory and practices in industry and academic institutions strongly preferred.
Understanding of the executive education market and trends.
Knowledge of faculty and resources available to Wharton Executive Education.
The Director must have the demonstrated ability and willingness to work with ease across cultures and geographies.
Overall strategic and critical thinker and persuasion skills with executive audiences.
Maintain Wharton as a leader of innovative and financially successful programs through a proven track record of leading the development of innovative educational program solutions for learners and leaders across industries, expanding Wharton’s markets, conducting market analyses, and providing learner-focused experiences, as well as suggesting improvements to programs and processes.
Work independently and effectively to manage and deliver a high volume of programs in assigned portfolio that provides sophisticated educational solutions across industries.
Willingness to develop an in-depth understanding of Wharton faculty areas of expertise.
Financial acumen P&L experience. Responsible for assuring positive contribution to the profitability of the department through cost management and support of marketing/client relations teams.
Experienced, highly skilled in written and verbal communications.
Self-starter and proven ability to work autonomously as well as collaboratively as a member of a program/project team in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
Strategic-thinking partner with demonstrated personal strengths that contribute to building a strong, dynamic and unified organization.
Familiarity with market research, business development and strategy, and marketing channels.
Experience utilizing learning management systems (LMS like Canvas, Coursera, etc.), Salesforce, or other CRM systems.
Strong understanding of metrics and dashboards.
Action-oriented, results-driven approach to a professional team.
Ability to negotiate complex and difficult environments.
Ability to analyze and understand international and domestic business trends and the concerns of learners, industry leaders, and executives.
Be innovative in approaches to educational and management problems.
Ability and willingness to travel internationally and domestically.
Ability and willingness to work non-traditional hours, including weekends, early mornings and late evenings as needed.

Nice To Haves

7-10 years’ experience preferred.
Master’s degree in a related field highly preferred.
Experience in industry beyond the learning and development function a plus.
Experience in living and/or working with global clients a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of new online Open Enrollment programs by keeping current on latest trends in business and conducting marketing analyses to identify new products and programs.
Work collaboratively with Executive Education colleagues (online, marketing, client relations) and Wharton faculty to develop robust online open enrollment offerings.
Cultivate and deepen relationships with new and existing online faculty through outreach and communication.
Create and lead the refresh and update cycle of existing Open Enrollment offerings to match market demand.
Ensure high-quality customer experience throughout the learning journey (pre, during, and post program) across the online portfolio.
Oversee implementation of appropriate post-program follow-up to measure customer satisfaction and their ability to apply learning solutions.
Actively engage in follow-up practices with learners and faculty as needed.
Demonstrate financial acumen by ensuring a positive contribution to Wharton Online’s bottom line by: Conducting market analyses to identify and recommend new programming with commercial potential. Being responsible for cost management of individual programs by outlining faculty payment terms and production/post-production costs.
Develop an in-depth understanding of Wharton and external faculty areas of expertise to better develop programs and incorporate new faculty into the Open Enrollment portfolio. Match expertise to learner and market needs. Serve as lead team member for initial faculty outreach.
Manage the effort of the delivery team to ensure that OE online programs are delivered with exceptional customer service for learner and faculty. Provide post-program feedback to online to help inform future business decisions and updates.
Serve as an advocate and role model in using the latest technology to develop executive education programs; keep current on developments in other units and other related cross-school initiatives. Become proficient in all current and future office processes and administrative systems, which support scheduling, faculty compensation, and project management (e.g. Salesforce, Engage, Basecamp, etc.).
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
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.
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 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 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.
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.