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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

Senior Associate Director of Institutional Research Funding

Job Profile Title

Associate Director E, Business and Finance, Research Services

Job Description Summary

The Senior Associate Director of Institutional Research Funding serves as the central operational leader for the OVPR's portfolio of institutional funding programs. This role manages the competitive review and award processes for OVPR's centrally managed funding opportunities which include the University Research Foundation (URF), Research Facilities Development Fund (RFDF), Health Research Formula Funds (HRFF), Discovering the Future Fund, Community Engagement Research Fund, and others, as well as ad hoc and limited submission funding programs.
Operating with significant independent judgment and authority, the Senior Associate Director oversees university-wide platforms that support the research funding ecosystem-including InfoReady, Pivot, and Nature Masterclass-and leads outreach, communications, and training efforts to drive engagement across Penn's schools and research centers.
The role also carries significant analytical responsibility. The Senior Associate Director collaborates closely with the Vice Provost for Research to develop metrics, produce data-driven reports, and communicate insights about Penn's research funding portfolio. This work involves active partnership with the Office of Research Services, Institutional Research and Analysis, Central Communications, and Development and Alumni Relations.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Institutional Funding Programs: Leads the full award lifecycle of OVPR's centrally administered internal funding programs.
• Limited Submission and Ad Hoc Funding Opportunities- Manages Penn's limited submission program, through which the University nominates a single applicant to high-profile external funding competitions.
• Research Funding Data Analysis and Reporting: Responsible for research funding data analysis and reporting in support of the Vice Provost for Research.
• Institutional Research Platforms: Operational lead for OVPR-sponsored platforms that support the research community across the university.
• Institutional Research Funding Communications and Training: Plays a central and driving role in how the OVPR communicates institutional funding opportunities and builds the research funding literacy of Penn's academic community.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate brings a combination of operational rigor, analytical capability, and
• strong interpersonal and communication skills in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
• Specific qualifications include:
• Education and Experience:
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in a relevant field preferred.
• 7-10 years in research administration, higher education, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience in grant or award administration, program management,or a closely related function in a research or higher education context.
• Program and Administrative Skills:
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-phase programs and workflows withattention to detail and accountability for deadlines.
• Experience working across organizational units and building effective relationshipswith faculty, staff, and senior administrators.
• Familiarity with research funding ecosystems, including internal award programs,limited submission processes, or sponsored research administration.
• Analytical and Technical Skills:
• Comfortable working with institutional or sponsored research data, with the ability totranslate quantitative findings into clear narratives.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint required; experience with datavisualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with research information platforms such as Pivot, InfoReady, or similarsystems is advantageous.
• A working fluency with AI tools (such as Claude or Gemini) in a professional contextis expected.
• Communications and Interpersonal Skills:
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to writeclearly for varied academic audiences and to convene and facilitate groups withdiplomacy and discretion.
• Comfortable presenting data, program updates, and recommendations to seniorleadership.
• Experience developing training or informational programming for professionalaudiences is a plus

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Provost's Center

Pay Range

$110,907.00 - $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 protectedunder 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 benefitsto 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.

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