Program Manager, PCI Ventures

University of Pennsylvania•Philadelphia, PA

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Manager for PCI Ventures is responsible for leading the planning, execution, and operational oversight of programs that support innovation and startup development. This role manages the full lifecycle of Ventures programming—including seminars, pitch competitions, and showcases—while also overseeing marketing initiatives, startup company formation processes, CRM/database administration, and select financial and administrative operations. Working closely with the Executive Director and PCI Ventures team, the Program Manager ensures that programs are delivered strategically, efficiently, and in alignment with organizational priorities. This role also supports other PCI groups and staff members as needed on organizational and administrative needs. This position requires strong project management skills, sound judgment, and the ability to balance strategic coordination with hands-on execution in a dynamic, innovation-focused environment. The role operates in a hybrid work setting.

Requirements

Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience, along with at least 2 years of relevant experience in program management, operations, startup support, higher education administration, or a related field.
The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience planning and executing events or multi-stakeholder programs and be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook.
Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM/database system is required.
The role demands strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create and edit content for reports, web, or marketing materials.
Candidates must demonstrate excellent organizational and project management skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.

Nice To Haves

Preferred candidates will have experience supporting startup company formation activities, such as LLC filings, compliance documentation, and government or federal grant registrations.
Experience developing or supporting marketing and communications campaigns, including digital and social media outreach, is strongly desired.
Familiarity with federal grant registration platforms (e.g., SAM.gov, Grants.gov), experience working within a university, innovation, venture capital, or entrepreneurial ecosystem, and experience with financial processing, invoice management, or budget tracking are advantageous.
Demonstrated ability to identify opportunities for operational improvement and implement system enhancements is also preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the planning and execution of PCI Ventures programs and events, including seminar series, pitch competitions, showcases, and related initiatives.
Oversee event strategy and logistics, including speaker recruitment and engagement, marketing coordination, vendor management, registration processes, and post-event evaluation to ensure high-quality delivery aligned with Ventures’ strategic goals.
Oversee company formation and compliance activities for Ventures-supported startups, ensuring accurate and timely completion of company legal entity filings, Delaware LLC tax processing, registered agent management, and government grant registrations. Coordinate operational setup including company domains, websites, and email infrastructure, serving as a procedural resource to venture teams.
Develop, manage and execute marketing and communications initiatives to promote Ventures programming and portfolio companies, including the Ventures annual report. Partner with Marketing and Communications at PCI, and additional innovation organizations as needed, to align messaging, manage campaign timelines, oversee content dissemination across multiple channels, and evaluate engagement metrics to strengthen program visibility and impact.
Cultivate and maintain strategic relationships with Penn innovation partners and program sponsors to expand engagement, strengthen collaboration, and support the growth and sustainability of Ventures initiatives.
Serve as primary administrator of the Ventures Salesforce database, overseeing data governance, system optimization, report generation, data integrity, and coordination of cross-platform integrations. Produce reports and analytics to support leadership decision-making and program evaluation.
Manage designated financial operations for Ventures programming, including invoice generation and processing, purchase order creation, procurement card reconciliation, and maintenance of the monthly equity tracking file, ensuring compliance with University policies and financial procedures.
Provide operational and administrative support to the Ventures team and other PCI teams, as assigned, ensuring efficient coordination of meetings, travel, expense processing, supply management, and internal workflows. Identify and implement process improvements to enhance team effectiveness and operational efficiency.
Perform additional duties 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.