University of Pennsylvania · 1 day ago
Executive Director, Venture Lab
Philadelphia, PA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$164K/yr - $215K/yr
10+ years expThe University of Pennsylvania is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. They are seeking an Executive Director for the Venture Lab, responsible for maximizing its impact and visibility while ensuring a collaborative workplace ecosystem.
Continuing EducationEdTechEducationSTEM EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Maximizing Venture Lab’s impact, visibility, community, brand recognition, and partnerships
Ensuring the workplace functions as a high-performing, collaborative ecosystem
Working closely with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and external partners, aligning with University priorities and expanding stakeholder networks
Driving organizational growth, leading change, and strengthening culture
Providing accessible, hands-on leadership to a team of professional staff, advancing strong management practices, operational efficiency, and a consistently high level of service to all constituents
Providing strategic oversight of programming, core support functions, and resource management, including more than 80 funds comprising a self-sustaining budget of over $8 million annually
Supporting donor stewardship and cultivating relationships that ensure financial sustainability
Providing oversight so the facility operates as a vibrant, strategically aligned hub for the entrepreneurial community
Qualification
Required
A Master's degree and 10+ years of leadership experience are required, or equivalent combination of education and experience
Proven track record in organizational growth, change leadership, and building high-functioning teams
Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on leadership, ensuring both high-level alignment and indirect oversight of daily execution
Strong people management skills with ability to coach leaders, address performance gaps, and strengthen collaboration
Demonstrated ability to engage with a variety of audiences (e.g., student, alumni, community) through workshops, office hours, or similar forums
Demonstrated success in partnership development, brand-building, and donor stewardship
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to represent the organization effectively at local, national, and global levels
Proven ability to manage complex, multi-million-dollar budgets and diverse funding sources, with a focus on financial sustainability
Regular in-person presence is required. Must also be able to work evenings and weekends as needed, and travel domestically and internationally
Preferred
Demonstrated success leading within higher education or similarly complex, matrixed institutions with multiple stakeholders and governance structures
Substantive experience in the startup landscape and entrepreneurial ecosystem
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
Faculty Co-Director of Wharton People Analytics
Recent News
2026-01-13
Company data provided by crunchbase