Director, Nationally Competitive Fellowships

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

Director, Nationally Competitive Fellowships

Job Profile Title

Director B, Academic Affairs

Job Description Summary

About CURF
The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) at the University of Pennsylvania houses Penn’s campus-wide undergraduate research efforts and management of nationally competitive fellowships processes in one centralized office serving the entire University. Leading with the principle that “research and fellowships are for everyone,” CURF promotes and supports academic engagement through research and fellowships across all areas of the University. CURF is the campus home for two academic scholarly programs, the University Scholars and the Benjamin Franklin Scholars, and serves as the administrative hub for the President’s Innovation and Engagement Prizes and the Thouron Award.

Reporting to the Executive Director of CURF, the Nationally Competitive Fellowships Director (NCF Director) will lead a team that works to support all students as they pursue transformative experiences through participation in nationally competitive fellowships. The NCF Director will oversee CURF’s fellowships outreach plan with the Associate Director for Fellowships and Assistant Director for Outreach and Operations to promote these opportunities to undergraduate, graduate, professional students, and alumni and to recognize recipient successes. The NCF Director will collaborate with faculty and administrators throughout the University to recruit a competitive and diverse pool of applicants for scholarships such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Schwarzman, Churchill, Truman, Beinecke, Udall and Goldwater scholarships, among others. The NCF Director will also take the lead in promoting the Thouron Award, an internal scholarship program between universities in the United Kingdom and Penn that offers a life-changing opportunity for exceptional students. The NCF Director will also serve as the liaison between Penn and the foundations awarding the nationally competitive fellowships.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities:

Scholarship Advisor for Post-Graduate Nationally Competitive Fellowships

• Manages fellowships advising for Penn undergraduate, graduate, and professional students as well as young alumni 
• Develops and conducts workshops with the Associate Director of Fellowships to provide applicants experience with interviewing and writing personal and program statements 
• Manages Penn’s institutional endorsement process for those fellowships requiring letters of endorsement
• Promote the Thouron Award to Penn students and recent alumni, and provide advising for this unique internal opportunity to pursue post-graduate study in the U.K.
• Develops and supervises the application process for undergraduate scholarship programs such as the Truman, Goldwater, Udall, and Beinecke
• Monitors trends in fellowship advising and advises Penn administration on best practices
• Represents Penn as an active member and leader within the National Association of Fellowships Advisors
• Recruits and trains faculty and staff members to serve on campus endorsement committees and practice interviews
• Provides support to faculty on writing of fellowship recommendation letters 
• Serves as the primary point of contact with scholarship foundations 

Nationally Competit