Senior Applications and Data Solutions Developer, Penn Arts and Sciences

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

Senior Applications and Data Solutions Developer, Penn Arts and Sciences

Job Profile Title

Application Developer Senior

Job Description Summary

Our group seeks a versatile and creative problem solver who can work with non-technical clients to understand complex operational needs and develop practical technology solutions. This broad role spans application development, institutional data reporting, administration and improvement of an existing portfolio of platforms and services, and the development of automated and self-service tools, requiring the ability to move comfortably between projects, technologies, and problem domains while working independently and collaboratively.

Job Description

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. The School of Arts and Sciences forms the foundation of the scholarly excellence that has established Penn as one of the world's leading research universities. We teach students across all twelve Penn schools, and our academic departments span the reach from anthropology and biology to sociology and South Asian studies.

Institutional Research and Application Development (IRAD) is a team of developers and data analysts within SAS Computing. We partner with the School’s three academic divisions — the College, the Graduate Division, and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies — as well as the Dean’s Office, Faculty Affairs, and the Office of Advancement, on the systems, applications, and data they rely on to operate.

We build and maintain custom web applications, provide expertise on institutional data through analysis, reporting, data visualization, and business intelligence technologies, and administer and integrate vendor and configurable platforms. Our work frequently involves helping clients understand complex problems and identifying the most practical technology solution, whether that involves developing something new, improving an existing system, integrating institutional data, or creating automated and self-service tools.

We strive to create innovative ways to improve operations and enable more informed decision-making. Our work connects directly to the academic mission of the School, in an environment that supports professional growth and a flexible work/life balance.

Job Responsibilities/Duties:

Analyze complex operational problems in partnership with clients across the School, evaluate alternative approaches, and recommend practical, sustainable solutions. Solutions may involve new development, configuration of existing platforms, reporting and data integration, self-service tools, or changes to process. Prepare the requirements, specifications, and plans needed to carry the work forward.

Design, build, enhance, and maintain technology solutions supporting the College, the Graduate Division, LPS, the Dean’s Office, Faculty Affairs, and the Office of Advancement. The position works directly with clients to understand their operations, identify problems and opportunities, and translate business needs into practical technical solutions. Solutions may include custom-developed web applications, data-driven and self-service tools, automated workflows, or configurable, vendor-provided, and low-code platforms.

Develop and maintain data pipelines, reporting, data visualizations, and self-service tools that enable clients to access and use institutional data effectively. Extract, transform, and integrate data from multiple institutional source systems, including student, admissions, instruction, enrollment, employment, survey, and development and alumni relations data. Develop automated solutions that reduce manual preparation and support School governance, program review, and other institutional reporting processes.

Administer, support, enhance, and troubleshoot a diverse portfolio of internally developed applications and vendor-provided platforms maintained by IRAD. Configure systems, maintain integrations with institutional data sources, coordinate with vendors and University partners including Information Systems and Computing (ISC), resolve operational issues, and identify opportunities to improve, modernize, or streamline existing services.

Maintain working knowledge of applications, data, reporting, and services supported across IRAD to provide backup coverage and continuity of operations. Document applications, data processes, technical decisions, and operational procedures so that systems and services remain transparent, supportable, and maintainable by others. Ensure appropriate use of University data and adherence to applicable security, privacy, and data governance standards.

Occasional or weekend and/or evening hours would be required based on business needs.

Qualifications:

Required: A Bachelor’s Degree and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. The position requires progressively responsible experience developing and supporting data-driven applications, databases, reporting, or other enterprise technology solutions. Demonstrated ability to analyze complex operational problems, work directly with non-technical stakeholders to understand and define needs, and translate those needs into practical technical solutions.

Strong experience with relational databases and complex SQL, along with experience developing web applications using PHP or comparable server-side technologies, and experience with reporting and analytics solutions, data integrations, or automated workflows. Demonstrated experience working across multiple systems and technologies, including extracting, transforming, and integrating data from diverse sources. Strong communication, customer service, collaboration, and project planning and organizational skills are required.

The successful candidate must be intellectually curious, flexible, and comfortable working across a diverse portfolio of applications, platforms, data, and reporting needs. The ability to independently investigate unfamiliar systems and technologies, decompose complex problems, evaluate alternative approaches, and develop sustainable solutions is essential. The position requires the ability to context switch between projects, work both independently and collaboratively, and build effective relationships with technical peers and divisional clients.

Preferred: Knowledge of one or more of the following is desirable: Oracle, MySQL, PL/SQL, Oracle Application Express (APEX) or similar low-code development platforms, JavaScript and modern web frameworks, and business intelligence and analytics platforms such as Tableau, Power BI, or Qlik. Experience administering, configuring, integrating, or supporting vendor-provided or configurable enterprise platforms is desirable. Familiarity with Penn’s Snowflake-based Data Warehouse and experience working in higher education are preferred.

*For consideration, please submit a cover letter as well as a resume in the CV section of your application. You can upload multiple documents to the "Resume/CV" section.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Arts and Sciences

Pay Range

$84,961.00 - $125,000.00 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.

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