Director of Design Strategy

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The Director of Design Strategy provides strategic leadership and vision for design initiatives across The Nudge Unit, overseeing the integration of human-centered design methodologies, behavioral sciences, and implementation science to transform healthcare delivery. This role leads a multidisciplinary design team and manages cross-functional partnerships with executives, clinicians, and operational leaders to drive systemic change that improves health outcomes, patient experience, and operational efficiency at scale. The Director of Design Strategy serves as the primary design leader, working closely with leadership to establish design as a core competency within the organization's innovation strategy. The role combines deep expertise in design strategy with strong leadership, systems thinking, and a proven track record of delivering transformative change in complex environments.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 7 to 10 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required

Nice To Haves

Master's and 5-7 years preferred.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Vision: Define and continually refine the overarching design strategy for The Nudge Unit in alignment with enterprise priorities.
Partner with senior leadership to embed human‑centered design and systems thinking into strategic planning and decision-making.
Architect innovation roadmaps that deploy design to address complex, system‑level healthcare challenges.
Team Leadership and Development: Build, mentor, and scale a high‑performing design team.
Establish clear performance metrics and progression frameworks.
Cultivate a culture of curiosity, collaboration, rigor, and excellence that enables sustained delivery at pace.
Program Management and Portfolio Oversight: Direct a multi‑project portfolio spanning clinical, operational, and research domains.
Institute governance structures, stage‑gate milestones, and KPI tracking.
Optimize design resource allocation and manage program budgets, where applicable.
Ensure initiatives deliver quantifiable outcomes and durable impact.
Cross‑Functional Partnership and Stakeholder Management: Forge and steward strategic relationships with clinical leaders, informatics partners, CHTI collaborators, and operational executives.
Facilitate alignment across diverse stakeholder groups on design objectives and implementation pathways.
Represent the design perspective in leadership forums and executive presentations.
Collaborate with academic partners, subject‑matter experts, and peer health systems to advance design practice.
Design Excellence and Oversight: Provide leadership, creative direction and methodological rigor across design research, facilitation, ideation, prototyping, and user testing for high‑impact engagements.
Codify standards, toolkits, and best practices.
Define and monitor metrics to assess program effectiveness and ROI.
Serve as creative director for The Nudge Unit’s brand.
Capacity Building and Education: Elevate design literacy within The Nudge Unit, CHTI, and the broader health system.
Develop and deliver workshops, trainings, and practical tools that equip staff and clinicians to apply design thinking in their own work.
External Engagement and Thought Leadership: Represent The Nudge Unit externally to disseminate insights, cultivate partnerships, and enhance visibility as a leader in health‑system innovation and design.
Contribute to the field through publications, speaking engagements, and thought leadership.
Other duties as assigned to support the unit, department, entity, and health system organization.

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.
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.
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.
From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff.
Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments.
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.