CSIS Program Manager - University of Pennsylvania

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

CSIS Program Manager





Job Profile Title

Manager C, Academic Affairs, Academic Center





Job Description Summary

The Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) is a research and action organization based at the School of Social Policy and Practice. CSIS supports research initiatives, online education, residential programs, and campus events for individuals interested in social impact. Under the direction of the Managing Director and Faculty Director, the CSIS Program Manager will lead aspects of the Center’s online, on campus, and residential programs. The Program Manager will establish project goals, budgets, and ensure that each project features a team of CSIS staff, part-time instructors, student interns, and vendors that will work together to enact the educational mission of each project.


The manager will have a portfolio of projects that relate to online and residential educational programs, including but not limited to CSIS’s online Executive Programs and Impact House program, and other educational initiatives. CSIS currently has five executive programs, lasting four-to-eight months each, includes 20-150 students, and ~$900,000 budget each; five off-site week-long residential programs featuring 18-30 students with roughly ~$100,000 budget each; and three massive open online classes featuring more than 10,000 learners each. We refer to each Impact House and Executive Program, or the development of an online class offering, as a project. Associated with each project is its own recruitment and admissions cycle and educational team, comprised of part- and full-time instructional and logistics staff.


This is a 2-year term position, contingent upon funding.


* All SP2 staff are required to participate in convocation and graduation ceremonies as needed.





Job Description


Job Responsibilities



+ The program manager will manage educational programs including admissions processes, communications, enrollment, course creation, program evaluation, data management and community coordination, for projects the manager’s in portfolio. This will include interviewing applicant, reviewing applications, communicating admissions decisions, and student advising. Orient and steward students through their educational program, which entails facilitating program applicants’ smooth transition between recruitment, application, decision, and student status, and facilitating learning and community building online and at in-person educational experiences. Orientation and stewardship involves drafting program view books and program orientation manuals; facilitating activities including webinars or in-person sessions; establishing program calendars and holding the team and students accountable to program milestones; and establishing and overseeing a communication plan between the instructional team and students.This work will be done online via email, video conferencing tools such as Zoom, and on our learning management system Canvas, and in person during our on-campus and residential activities. The manager will draft budgets and program goals in collaboration with the Directors. Once parameters are established, the manager will work autonomously to implement all aspects of educational programs, informing CSIS Directors weekly of progress and seeking approval for budget changes over 10% in any category. The Program Manager will work relatively independently, to meet co-established program goals; identify gaps in planning or staffing; propose plans to address these needs and enact them with approval.




+ Manage data organization, analysis, program improvement, and budget efficiency-creating, for projects the manager’s in portfolio. The program manager will propose a plan for both data collection that happens as a byproduct of admissions, registration, and learning, including which data are collected and stored, and how to deploy those data useful in service of curriculum improvements or new program offerings. The program manager will also be responsible for analyzing and gathering insights from those data in service of the same. Key data relate to student demographics (location, career stage, venture stage, prior education, etc), and educational goals. This work will be done via tools including our learning management system Canvas, our student-progress and -payments tracking system Air Table, data collection system Survey Monkey or Qualtrics; communications tool Active Campaign, Excel, and other platforms.






+ This role will be responsible for all aspects of event planning of varying sizes, negotiating with vendors and contractors, tracking program goals against expenditures, and making budget recommendations. Manage financial tracking and reimbursement submission, travel and reimbursement, event planning, and communications with students and consultants. This work will be done via tools including payment collection tools Cybersource and Canvas Catalog; financial processing tool Concur; project management via Excel and Google Drive, and communication via Email, Slack, and Zoom. The program manager will own and delegate many event planning, administrative support, and payment tasks to a program coordinator responsible for working on that project as well as volunteers and student interns. Those delegated tasks including printing, ordering supplies, researching venues, crafting meals from catering menus, making name tags, securing audio-visual, and myriad other tasks associated with putting together intensive, multi-day learning experiences in which CSIS is responsible for learning, accommodation, and entertainment. As part of this work, the program manager will manage events budget, expenses and ROI, as well as tracking and reconcile the payment of those expenses and managing the payments and reconciliation for program participation fees to ensure timely payments of students. This work will be done via tools including Excel; Concur; Catalog; CyberSource, and in collaboration with the SP2 finance office and the CSIS finance director.



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+ Manage the implementation of new residential or online educational partnerships, per portfolio. This work will be done under the direction of the Managing Director and Faculty Director, in person and over email. Tasks include helping to craft presentations and demonstrations as part of the negotiating process; and once partnerships are established, stewarding new partners in adherence with the appropriate partnership agreement through our extensive online curriculum; training new partners on how to implement and adhere to CSIS’s recruitment, admissions, program implementation, quality control, evaluation, improvement, and budgeting goals.






+ Perform additional duties as assigned, including participation in convocation and graduation ceremonies as needed.



Qualifications

+ Bachelor’s degree and 3 to 5 years of experience or relevant combination of education and experience required; Master’s degree and 5 to 7 years of experience are preferred. Demonstrated ability to: organize tasks and set priorities, multi-task competently, take initiative and assume responsibility for complex projects in a small office environment with team approach, handle confidential information; strong verbal and written communication skills and strong interpersonal skills; computer expertise including entire MS Office suite, spreadsheet and database, networked computer environment; able to work accurately under pressure; knowledge of PENN systems a plus; creative thinking and dedication to tasks; and enjoys working as part of a fast paced team environment. Knowledge of design software a plus. Occasional travel, evening, or weekend work is required.








Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania





Department / School

School of Social Policy and Practice





Pay Range

$51,824.00 - $72,000.00 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, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.










Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.




Special Requirements Background check 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.




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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay



The University of Pennsylvania's special character is reflected in the diversity of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community that draws on the strength that comes with a substantive institutional commitment to diversity along dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran status, interests, perspectives, and socioeconomic status. Grounded in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action, Penn's robust commitment to diversity is fundamental to the University's mission of advancing knowledge, educating leaders for all sectors of society, and public service. The University of Pennsylvania prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.