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Associate Director, Pitch Competitions, Venture Lab

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

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JOB DETAILS
SALARY
$66,000–$75,000 Per Year
SKILLS
Adobe Creative Suite, Alumni Relations, Analysis Skills, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Budget Management, Budgeting, Business Administration, Business Growth, Closing Costs, Communication Skills, Competitive Analysis/Strategy, Cross-Functional, Data Analysis, Data Entry, Data Management, Decision Support, Ecosystems, Entertainment and Media, Entrepreneurship, Establish Priorities, Event Management, Follow Through, Interpersonal Skills, Laboratory, Laboratory Management, Leadership, Legal, Mentoring, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Mortgage, Multitasking, Music, Network Support, News Reporting, Operational Audit, Operational Support, Organizational Skills, Performance Metrics, Presentation/Verbal Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Program Evaluation, Project Planning, Project Tracking, Project/Program Management, Recruiting Strategy, Reporting Dashboards, Reporting Skills, Risk Management, Salesforce.com, Scholarship, Startup, Stewardship, Strategic Planning, Student Services, Team Lead/Manager, Team Player, Theater Production, Time Management, Training/Teaching, University Library, Willing to Travel, Writing Skills
LOCATION
Philadelphia, PA
POSTED
7 days ago


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

Associate Director, Pitch Competitions, Venture Lab





Job Profile Title

Associate Director C, Student Services, Academic Programs





Job Description Summary

Wharton School Overview

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.


Venture Lab is a partnership by The Wharton School, Penn Engineering, and The Stuart Weitzman School of Design that provides a physical start here button to serve all students and alumni across the University of Pennsylvania who are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. Housed in Tangen Hall, Venture Lab is the hub of entrepreneurship for the University of Pennsylvania. We provide students with resources to launch and grow their students businesses through programming, workshops, community, and over 1.5 Million a year in undiluted funds. At seven stories and 68,000 square feet, Venture Lab is the largest student entrepreneurship hub in the world.





Job Description


The Associate Director provides leadership and management for Venture Lab’s pitch competitions, including the annual Startup Challenge, pitch nights, and the B-School Disrupt event, and related awards for student founders at the University of Pennsylvania. This work will enable Venture Lab to deliver co-curricular learning opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship to Penn students and connect them to Penn alumni leaders and experts for practical instruction, advice, mentoring, and networking support. The position is responsible for strategy, program design, and end-to-end execution of these competitions and related student founder programming, including alumni judge recruitment, budget and work plan management, and risk management. The role requires strong project management fundamentals across complex, multi-part initiatives; systems thinking; comfort analyzing and interpreting competition and program data to inform decisions; and the judgment to navigate time-sensitive, high-visibility events involving alumni and student stakeholders. The position reports to the Senior Director of Venture Lab and works closely with cross-functional internal teams and Penn alumni, students, and external partners.Reporting to the Senior Director of Venture Lab, the Associate Director will:



+ Lead the annual Startup Challenge, a multi-stage competition held throughout the academic year that provides Penn student contestants the opportunity to present their business ideas or startups and receive feedback from alumni judges. Develop strategy and manage execution, including the application process, analyzing competition data and tracking progress across multiple rounds to ensure reviews are completed on time, multiple rounds of judging, alumni judge recruitment, and coordinated delivery across cross-functional teams of the work plan, budget, communications plan, and risk management.


+ Lead pitch nights throughout the academic year, providing Penn students with opportunities to develop effective communication skills, receive feedback, validate their business ideas, and gain exposure to the Penn entrepreneurship community. Responsibilities include strategy, recruitment and selection of student presenters, engagement of judges from the Venture Lab ecosystem, and partnerships with Penn organizations on themed events.


+ Lead the relaunch and end-to-end execution of the B-School Disrupt event, partnering with peer institutions and internal functional teams to produce a cross-institutional showcase of student and alumni ventures and coordinate alumni judges. Collaborate with the Venture Lab founders team to manage the Summer at Venture Lab initiative.


+ Prepare management reports and presentations for Venture Lab leadership. Design and maintain performance measurement frameworks, analyze program data to surface insights and recommend improvements, and support Salesforce data entry and management. Collaborate with Wharton External Affairs to produce donor stewardship reports and impact reports, incorporating feedback from Venture Lab and Wharton senior leadership.





The position requires frequent interaction with seasoned, accomplished alumni entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other professionals engaged in entrepreneurship and innovation careers, including significant donors. The position is also responsible for cultivating an open rapport and a professional, supportive educational approach with undergraduate and graduate student entrepreneurs and innovators from all disciplines across the University of Pennsylvania. The position requires excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills; strong collaboration and team building skills; a forward-thinking mindset; and demonstrated creativity, problem solving, critical analysis, initiative, judgment, decision-making skills, and bias toward action.




This position is based in Philadelphia. After successful completion of the introductory period, this position is hybrid eligible with some weeks requiring more in-person work as needed. While the schedule is generally business hours, the Associate Director must be able to work early mornings/evenings/weekends and to travel as needed.




Qualifications:


Required:



+ Bachelor's Degree and minimum 3-5 years of professional experience related to entrepreneurship, innovation, or program management, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Master's degree and experience with co-curricular or experiential learning initiatives preferred.


+ Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end program and/or event management across complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives, including strategy, program design, budget and work plan management, and risk management for time-sensitive, high-visibility events. Strong project management skills, including the ability to coordinate dependencies and handoffs across cross-functional teams, develop dashboards, frameworks, and systems to support program operations and evaluation, and establish priorities across multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced environment.


+ Demonstrated forward-thinking mindset, creativity, and systems thinking, with strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including the ability to analyze and interpret competition and program data in Excel or similar tools to evaluate program outcomes and inform decisions.


+ Ability to translate ideas into structured plans and executable workstreams and move them forward with initiative and follow-through.


+ Demonstrated ability to take ownership of projects and exercise sound judgment in navigating time-sensitive, high-visibility situations involving internal and external stakeholders. Intellectual curiosity and a collaborative working style, including proactive communication, the ability to ask clarifying questions, incorporate new information, and adapt thoughtfully as priorities and circumstances evolve, receptiveness to feedback, and accountability for deliverables and outcomes.


+ Proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office required, including strong Excel skills for analyzing, manipulating, and structuring data to support reporting and decision-making; experience with Beautiful.ai, Monday.com, Typeform, ActiveCampaign, Qualtrics, and SurveyMonkey Apply preferred. Adobe Creative Suite experience a plus.







Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania





Department / School

Wharton School





Pay Range

$66,000.00 - $75,000.00 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 protected under 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 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.

+ 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



The University of Pennsylvania’s special character is reflected in the wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community and help create an educational and working environment that best supports the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship. 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 protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

About the Company

U

University of Pennsylvania

Penn's beautiful urban campus provides easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. We offer excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for you and your family, as well as generous retirement benefits, professional development opportunities and flexible work options. Penn is a diverse, multicultural learning community at the cutting edge of research and information technology. Click here to read more about why we're a Best Employer. Not only does Penn offer a unique environment within the city of Philadelphia to work, we also provide a wide array of employee benefits. From a competitive retirement program and comprehensive health care options to health promotion and wellness services and tuition assistance, there's a wealth of opportunities and resources available to you at Penn.

Penn is frequently cited as an outstanding employer:

  • Recipient of the 2010 Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation Corporate Leadership Award for commitment to supporting worklife balance programs.
  • Selected as a recipient of the 2010 Healthy Workplace Award by the Philadelphia Business Journal and presenting sponsor UnitedHealthcare
  • Recognized as a 2010 Top Workplace by The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News.
  • Recipient of the 2009 Vision Award for commitment to workforce diversity and economic inclusion.
  • Selected for Computerworld's 100 Best Places to Work in IT six years in a row!
  • Recognized by the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children as a 2006 Best Employer for Working Parents
  • Named a Best Place to Work in the November 2007 issue of Philadelphia Magazine.
  • Designated a Best Workplace for Commuters by the National Center for Transit Research
COMPANY SIZE
100 to 499 employees
INDUSTRY
Advertising and PR Services
FOUNDED
1990
WEBSITE
http://www.cmimedia.com/