Executive Director, Penn Washington

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

Executive Director, Penn Washington

Job Profile Title

Director E, Academic Affairs, Global Affairs

Job Description Summary

Penn Washington connects the Penn campus and community to Washington, DC. This link occurs through programmatic efforts such as fellowships, events, activities and educational opportunities. The Executive Director for Penn Washington has a broad set of responsibilities aimed at achieving several key goals:

• working with Penn’s 12 schools and centers and programs to co-create activities relevant to each school’s mission;
• increasing visibility and links between Penn students, faculty and scholars and our federal and global policy communities;
• creating opportunities for Penn research to inform and influence policy; and
• expanding opportunities for Penn’s educational and academic programs to connect to Washington, DC.

Foremost among the Executive Director’s responsibilities will be to devise and shepherd multi-year projects on global policy issues through the Penn Biden Center and on domestic policy issues with our Penn Franklin Initiative. Our initial domestic projects are entitled “Fixing Congress” and “Fixing the University-Government Relationship” while global projects will be developed in collaboration with Penn partners, such as Penn Global and the Perry World House.

Reporting to the Vice Provost and Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, the Executive Director works closely with a broad group of faculty and University leaders to establish research and engagement priorities.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Responsible for the programmatic leadership, and administrative, financial, and operational management of Penn Washington. In alignment with the strategic goals of Penn Washington and the priorities of the 12 schools, conceive, develop, and deliver existing projects, strategies, and initiatives.  This includes recruiting and supervising senior scholars fo