University of Pennsylvania · 1 week ago
Associate Director, VIP Incubator, Venture Lab, Wharton School
Philadelphia, PA
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$66K/yr - $75K/yr
3+ years expThe University of Pennsylvania is a prestigious institution known for its education and research, and it is seeking an Associate Director for its VIP Incubator at the Wharton School. This role involves leading the Venture Initiation Program, managing its operations, and providing co-curricular learning opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship to students.
Continuing EducationEdTechEducationSTEM EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Lead the VIP Incubator program, providing Penn students with the opportunity to develop and to receive feedback on their business ideas or startups. Develop the program strategy, plan program curriculum, prepare and manage program budget
In consultation with Senior Director, lead program management, including all program logistics and day-to-day execution. This includes application development and selection process, selection criteria and rubric, student experience, summer programming, partner onboarding/engagement, administrative tasks, alumni and external partner-led workshops, collaboration with other Venture Lab programs, data tracking and reporting, and other tasks associated with this program
Lead the development, program design and delivery, alumni merchandise showcase program, and space planning and development of one of Venture Lab's innovative learning labs, the Retail Lab - a space that serves as a teaching tool that showcases alumni ventures; gives students opportunity to test products, conduct customer and market research; host events, speakers and workshops in collaboration with other programs and centers
Prepare management reports and presentations for Venture Lab leadership to deliver. Develop performance measurement plan. Collect and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs). Support Salesforce data entry and management. Collaborate with Wharton External Affairs to create donor stewardship reports. Create impact reports and use feedback from Venture Lab and Wharton senior leadership to identify and execute approved improvements. Support other time-sensitive reporting as needed
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree and minimum 3-5 years of professional experience related to entrepreneurship and innovation
Demonstrated experience with program management, developing dashboards and frameworks for business and programs
Demonstrated ability to establish priorities, manage shifting priorities, and handle numerous time-sensitive projects with multiple deadlines
Demonstrated forward-thinking mindset and creativity, problem solving, critical analysis, initiative, judgment, and decision-making skills
Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
Demonstrated experience managing budgets, creating detailed project work plans, and managing complex projects with cross-functional and cross-organizational teams
Demonstrated ability to function both independently and as part of a team. Excellent collaboration and team building skills
Ability to interact effectively and comfortably with diverse group of students, senior executives/professionals, and staff with demonstrated ability to cultivate and manage relationships professionally and with good judgment with a variety of stakeholders. Must have a high degree of professionalism
The successful candidate will be adept with technology: Must possess skill in Google software applications (Docs, Sheets, Slides) as well as the Microsoft Office suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook); Experience with cloud-based tools such as Beautiful.ai, Monday.com, and Typeform; email marketing tools such as ActiveCampaign; and additional tools such as Qualtrics, SurveyMonkeyApply; Experience with Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat a plus
Preferred
Masters Degree a plus
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.
Company
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is an American private Ivy League Research University that excels in producing future leaders.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
University of Pennsylvania has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (7)
2024 (3)
2023 (2)
2022 (3)
2021 (5)
2020 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$81.46MKey Investors
National Science FoundationUS Department of EnergyParent Project Muscular Dystrophy
2024-08-28Grant
2023-06-26Grant· $18M
2022-09-15Grant· $55M
Leadership Team
Mark Dingfield
Executive Vice President
Angela Duckworth
Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor
Recent News
2026-01-16
The Philadelphia Inquirer
2026-01-16
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