Associate Director, Pitch Competitions, Venture Lab

Posted Job Title Associate Director, Pitch Competitions, Venture Lab Job Profile Title Associate Director C, Student Services, Academic Programs Job Description Summary Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company‑customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. Venture Lab is a partnership by The Wharton School, Penn Engineering, and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design that provides a physical hub to serve all students and alumni across the University of Pennsylvania who are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. Housed in Tangen Hall, Venture Lab is the hub of entrepreneurship for the University of Pennsylvania. We provide students with resources to launch and grow their businesses through programming, workshops, community, and over 1.5 million a year in undiluted funds. At seven stories and 68,000 square feet, Venture Lab is the largest student entrepreneurship hub in the world. Job Description The Associate Director provides leadership and management for Venture Lab’s pitch competitions, including the annual Startup Challenge, pitch nights, and the B‑School Disrupt event, and related awards for student founders at the University of Pennsylvania. This work enables Venture Lab to deliver co‑curricular learning opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship to Penn students and connects them to Penn alumni leaders and experts for practical instruction, advice, mentoring, and networking support. The position is responsible for strategy, program design, and end‑to‑end execution of these competitions and related student founder programming, including alumni judge recruitment, budget and work plan management, and risk management. The role requires strong project management fundamentals across complex, multi‑part initiatives; systems thinking; comfort analyzing and interpreting competition and program data to inform decisions; and the judgment to navigate time‑sensitive, high‑visibility events involving alumni and student stakeholders. The position reports to the Senior Director of Venture Lab and works closely with cross‑functional internal teams and Penn alumni, students, and external partners. Responsibilities Lead the annual Startup Challenge, a multi‑stage competition held throughout the academic year that provides Penn student contestants the opportunity to present their business ideas or startups and receive feedback from alumni judges. Develop strategy and manage execution, including the application process, analyzing competition data and tracking progress across multiple rounds to ensure reviews are completed on time, multiple rounds of judging, alumni judge recruitment, and coordinated delivery across cross‑functional teams of the work plan, budget, communications plan, and risk management. Lead pitch nights throughout the academic year, providing Penn students with opportunities to develop effective communication skills, receive feedback, validate their business ideas, and gain exposure to the Penn entrepreneurship community. Responsibilities include strategy, recruitment and selection of student presenters, engagement of judges from the Venture Lab ecosystem, and partnerships with Penn organizations on themed events. Lead the relaunch and end‑to‑end execution of the B‑School Disrupt event, partnering with peer institutions and internal functional teams to produce a cross‑institutional showcase of student and alumni ventures and coordinate alumni judges. Collaborate with the Venture Lab founders team to manage the Summer at Venture Lab initiative. Prepare management reports and presentations for Venture Lab leadership. Design and maintain performance measurement frameworks, analyze program data to surface insights and recommend improvements, and support Salesforce data entry and management. Collaborate with Wharton External Affairs to produce donor stewardship reports and impact reports, incorporating feedback from Venture Lab and Wharton senior leadership. Qualifications Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 3‑5 years of professional experience related to entrepreneurship, innovation, or program management, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Master’s degree and experience with co‑curricular or experiential learning initiatives preferred. Demonstrated experience leading end‑to‑end program and/or event management across complex, multi‑stakeholder initiatives, including strategy, program design, budget and work plan management, and risk management for time‑sensitive, high‑visibility events. Strong project management skills, including the ability to coordinate dependencies and handoffs across cross‑functional teams, develop dashboards, frameworks, and systems to support program operations and evaluation, and establish priorities across multiple concurrent projects in a fast‑paced environment. Demonstrated forward‑thinking mindset, creativity, and systems thinking, with strong problem‑solving and analytical skills, including the ability to analyze and interpret competition and program data in Excel or similar tools to evaluate program outcomes and inform decisions. Ability to translate ideas into structured plans and executable workstreams and move them forward with initiative and follow‑through. Demonstrated ability to take ownership of projects and exercise sound judgment in navigating time‑sensitive, high‑visibility situations involving internal and external stakeholders. Intellectual curiosity and a collaborative working style, including proactive communication, the ability to ask clarifying questions, incorporate new information, and adapt thoughtfully as priorities and circumstances evolve, receptiveness to feedback, and accountability for deliverables and outcomes. Proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office required, including strong Excel skills for analyzing, manipulating, and structuring data to support reporting and decision‑making; experience with Beautiful.ai, Monday.com, Typeform, ActiveCampaign, Qualtrics, and SurveyMonkey Apply preferred. Adobe Creative Suite experience a plus. Job Location - City, State Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Department / School Wharton School Pay Range $66,000.00 - $75,000.00 Annual Rate 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. You’ll enjoy many 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. You can 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. 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: #J-18808-Ljbffr Dormont Manufacturing Co