Job Details

Director of Global Initiatives and Partnerships, Education Entrepreneurship

Position Number: 9969207
Location: Philadelphia, United States
Position Type: Economic and Business Development

Director of Global Initiatives and Partnerships, Education Entrepreneurship

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 of Global Initiatives and Partnerships, Education Entrepreneurship

Job Profile Title

Director C, Academic Affairs

Job Description Summary

The Director of Global Initiatives and Partnerships will build and grow a portfolio of programs, products, and partnerships that connect Penn GSE with emerging opportunities in education and educational technology around the world.

Working at the intersection of education, entrepreneurship, technology, business, and design, the Director will identify significant unmet needs and emerging opportunities across global education and edtech markets and translate them into high-impact, scalable initiatives. The role combines global market intelligence, product development, partnership building, revenue generation, and strong execution, with particular emphasis on emerging technologies and artificial intelligence and their rapidly evolving applications across learning.

A central purpose of the position is to strengthen a global innovation ecosystem around Penn GSE. The Director will create a two-way bridge between Penn GSE and entrepreneurs, companies, investors, funders, education leaders, and innovators across regions and markets-bringing emerging ideas, technologies, talent, market knowledge, and opportunities into the Penn GSE community while connecting external partners with relevant Penn expertise, talent, networks, and resources.

The Director will have a strong emphasis on building: understanding global markets and customer needs; identifying opportunities where Penn GSE can create distinctive value; developing and testing new education and edtech products and programs; establishing the partnerships and resources required to launch them; and creating pathways for successful initiatives to generate revenue and scale across markets. This position will also be responsible for overseeing and managing the Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC), the most prestigious education-focused business plan contest, awarding over $2 million in prizes since 2010 and attracting ventures from more than 50 countries.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Work with the MSEd/MBA Director and others to build, market, direct, and grow a continuum of programming in innovation, entrepreneurship, and AI. Identify, incubate, lead, and grow new programs in areas that meet GSE's global strategic priorities and position GSE as an innovation leader.
Oversee and manage the Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition. This includes managing all operations of the competition including but not limited to budget, operations, planning, event planning and coordinating logistics.
Establish strong partnerships with a variety of aligned organizations, secure substantial sponsorships to support the work, collaborative agreements to build capacity to implement the work broadly and drive thought leadership. Build stakeholder engagement across diverse constituents in support of these initiatives, both internal to GSE and Penn and external. Understand the needs of these partners and design solutions to address them.
Manage current and future programs for both impact and financial performance. Establish and monitor measures of educational impact, market demand, participation and reach, partner value, revenue, margin, and return on investment. Use these measures to determine where to invest, iterate, scale, or discontinue initiatives. Identify successful initiatives with potential for broader reach and develop the partnerships, distribution channels, operating models, and resources required to expand them. Document the successful completion of short and long-term goals through measured returns and outcomes for these programs and initiatives.
Secure substantial funding. Receive sponsorships, strategic investments, and philanthropic support, and secure collaborative agreements to build capacity to implement the work broadly and drive thought leadership.
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL:

A Master's degree and 5-7 years relevant experience required

Leadership bringing AI-enabled education products to market, with a strong understanding of the evolving global AI and edtech landscape, customer needs, competitive dynamics, adoption challenges, and opportunities for scale

Global market orientation and experience identifying, developing, or bringing education, edtech, or related products and programs to market across different geographies, customer segments, or institutional contexts

Success securing corporate sponsorship, philanthropic support, strategic partnerships, or other external resources to launch and grow programs and initiatives

Track record designing and executing global competitions, conferences, convenings, fellowships, accelerators, or similarly complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, timelines, budgets, and successful delivery

Familiarity with venture development, accelerators, startup ecosystems, investment networks, and the financing and scaling of education and edtech ventures

Experience developing global professional learning, certificate, micro-credential, or other non-degree education products

Passion for and experience in identifying new business ideas and partnerships in education and edtech environments

Superior organizational, communication and presentation skills with ability to communicate information clearly and concisely with senior executives and faculty

Experienced leader and team player with high energy, results orientation and creativity

PREFERRED:

Experience in education entrepreneurship, educational technology, innovation, workforce development, executive or professional education, or related fields

Experience working across academic, corporate, entrepreneurial, philanthropic, and/or government environments

Experience developing programs or partnerships involving universities or educational institutions in multiple countries

Experience working within a university and in schools and successfully navigating complex, decentralized institutional environments

*All applicants must submit a cover letter, along with their CV, detailing their interest in the position. The CV section allows for multiple uploads.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Graduate School of Education

Pay Range

$95,136.00 - $130,000.00 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

Equal Employment 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.

To apply, visit https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/Graduate-School-of-Education/Director-of-Global-Initiatives-and-Partnerships--Education-Entrepreneurship_JR00130112