Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives

University of Pennsylvania

20h•$133,000 - $175,000

About The Position

Reporting administratively to the Vice President and Chief of Staff and working day-to-day under the direction of the Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives is a senior member of the President’s Office and an integral member of the President’s leadership team. The Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives is responsible for advancing Penn Forward and other major strategic initiatives of the University from concept through coordination, execution, evaluation, and communication. This role requires close collaboration with senior leaders, schools, centers, and administrative units across the University, as well as strong project management, communication, and stakeholder-engagement skills. The Senior Director will help ensure momentum, coherence, and accountability across complex, multi-year initiatives while supporting the President’s Office in advancing institutional priorities. Accelerated contributions to the science and scientific impact of the University are key elements of successful outcomes. Integrity, exceptional judgment, intellectual curiosity, a collaborative spirit, and the ability to drive progress in complex environments will be essential traits for success in this role.

Requirements

Bachelor of Arts and 7 to 10 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic initiatives, project management, consulting, higher education administration, executive communications, or a related field; experience managing complex, high-visibility initiatives is strongly preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and communicate clearly with diverse audiences.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment with sound judgment and attention to detail.
Demonstrated ability to move high level initiatives from strategy to execution.
Strong interpersonal skills and a proven ability to build trusted relationships across organizational boundaries and levels of seniority.
Experience supervising, mentoring, or developing early- and mid-career professionals.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion, tact, and professionalism.
A proactive, solutions-oriented approach, with the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with others.
A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to advancing the University’s mission and values.
Flexibility and availability to respond outside of normal business hours as needed.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree and 10 years experience preferred.
Knowledge of the University of Pennsylvania or similar complex academic institutions, including governance structures, culture, and decision-making processes.
Experience supporting institution-wide strategic planning or large-scale change initiatives.
Ability to translate strategic goals into actionable plans and to sustain progress over time.

Responsibilities

Serves as a central driver of Penn Forward and other strategic initiatives as assigned, ensuring initiatives move from planning to implementation with clear milestones, timelines, and deliverables.
Partners closely with the Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, operational leads, and senior administrators across the University to coordinate workstreams, align efforts, and resolve barriers to progress.
Provides high-level project management for complex, cross-institutional initiatives, including tracking progress, identifying risks and dependencies, and escalating issues as appropriate.
Engages actively with a wide range of stakeholders—including faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, and external partners—to support collaboration, shared understanding, and sustained momentum.
Prepares and coordinates briefings, presentations, updates, and materials for the President, senior leadership, and governance bodies related to strategic initiatives.
Encourages progress through clear communication, follow-up, and support, helping translate strategic intent into operational action.
Supervises, mentors, and develops 3–6 interns at any given time, typically early-career professionals or recent graduates, including responsibility for hiring, onboarding, training, work planning, feedback, and performance management
Conducts research and analysis on strategic questions, peer-institution practices, and emerging trends relevant to the University’s priorities; synthesizes findings into actionable insights.
Leads stakeholder communication in coordination with the VP University Communications and other communications officers.
Undertakes additional projects and responsibilities as assigned by the Vice President and Chief of Staff or the Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives.
Supports the general operations and evolving priorities of the Office of the President.
Assists with time-sensitive or unforeseen initiatives requiring senior-level coordination and discretion.
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.