Communications and Partnerships Manager - Community for Rigor - Penn Engineering

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 77,330 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Tuition benefits

Retirement plans

Time away from work

Wellness resources

Professional development

Office access and hybrid work

Job summary

The Community for Rigor (C4R) at the University of Pennsylvania seeks a Communications and Partnerships Manager to own strategy and day-to-day execution of C4R’s communications, community engagement, and outreach. Based in the Kording Lab, you will build and sustain a broad, engaged community around research rigor, reaching students, researchers, staff, faculty, and funders.

You will lead a small team, design external-facing applications to support adoption, maintain knowledge of the curriculum,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least five years in communications, community management, outreach or similar.
• Ability to work independently, turn vision into actionable goals, and execute with minimal supervision.
• Strong writing, editing, and documentation skills for various formats.

Responsibilities

• Own C4R’s communications strategy and execution across channels with brand consistency.
• Supervise a two-person team, assign work, review output, and support development.
• Design and deploy a community engagement strategy for partners and learners.
• Represent C4R’s product to external audiences with tailored applications and demos.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of C4R’s curriculum and audience needs.
• Establish feedback channels and communicate findings to leadership.
• Identify funding and partnership opportunities to sustain C4R’s mission.
• Plan and coordinate events and the annual conference across formats.

Skills

Communication skills

Independent work

Presentation skills

Writing & editing

Interpersonal skills

Digital content production

Fundraising familiarity

Event planning

Funding partnerships

Open science familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree (neuroscience preferred, STEM min)

Job description

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

Communications and Partnerships Manager – Community for Rigor – Penn Engineering

Job Profile Title

Communications Specialist Senior

Job Description Summary

The Community for Rigor (C4R) is an innovative team at the University of Pennsylvania dedicated to changing research culture by providing comprehensive educational materials, promoting best practices, and fostering a community committed to improving research reliability. Community for Rigor is a 6‑year funded project from NIH NINDS, and operates as a hub that coordinates the efforts of multiple partner institutions. We are seeking a Communications and Partnerships Manager, based out of the Kording Lab, to own the strategy and day‑to‑day execution of C4R’s communications, community engagement, and outreach. You will build and sustain an engaged community around research rigor, reaching a broad audience that includes students, research and support staff, faculty, and funders. This is a role for someone who thrives on a small, fast‑moving team — operating independently, developing deep knowledge of C4R’s educational product, hosting events, representing C4R directly to external audiences, and actively contributing to the project’s fundraising and long‑term sustainability. In addition to empowering scientists, we also aim to empower every member of our team, through a supportive, inclusive, and open working environment.

Responsibilities

• Own C4R’s communications strategy and execution across all channels — audience targeting, platform‑specific approaches, and brand and style‑guide consistency — working with the Communications Team to plan, write, and distribute content (newsletters, op‑eds, blog posts, social media) on a regular published cadence, tracking engagement and iterating based on performance.
• Supervise a team of two, including assigning work, reviewing output, and supporting their development.
• As a member of C4R Leadership, design and deploy a strategy for community engagement, including contribution and engagement pathways for our partners, stakeholders, learner audience, and broader scientific community.
• Serve as one of the key representatives of C4R’s product to external audiences, designing and delivering tailored applications that support adoption — such as outreach presentations, 15‑minute demonstrations of longer content, and short‑form interactives for live events.
• Develop and maintain working knowledge of C4R’s curriculum, including what each unit teaches and the research‑rigor problem it addresses.
• Develop and maintain an understanding of C4R’s audiences — including how researcher needs and motivations vary across disciplines and career stages — to shape messaging, audience targeting, and engagement pathways.
• Establish channels to gather feedback from audiences and stakeholders on C4R’s products, such as surveys or other structured methods, and communicate findings and recommendations to organizational leaders.
• Initiate and sustain relationships with contacts, potential partners, academic institutions and their educational entities, and rigor, reproducibility, open‑science, and educational organizations (e.g., The Carpentries, CZI Open Science, ReproducibiliTea, reproducibility networks).
• Identify and cultivate funding and partnership opportunities that support C4R’s mission and long‑term sustainability.
• Plan and coordinate events and C4R’s annual conference across virtual, in‑person, and hybrid formats, owning logistics through execution and follow‑up.
• Support grant‑related communications and donor or funder engagement as needed.
• Receive and act on feedback and direction constructively, collaborating professionally with colleagues, partners, and supervisors, and proactively reporting on projects, progress, and outcomes to maintain internal visibility.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (neuroscience background preferred, STEM background minimum) and a minimum of five years of professional experience in communications, community management, outreach, program administration, or a similar field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, translating a broad vision into actionable goals and executing without close supervision.
• Evidence of presentation skills for live audiences, in person and virtually.
• Strong writing, editing, and documentation skills, including style and operations guides, op‑eds, blogs, social media posts, etc.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, stakeholder management and conflict management skills.
• Experience with digital, print, and/or video content production.
• Some experience with or exposure to fundraising, development, or donor/funder engagement.
• Experience with event planning for events of 50‑100 guests minimum, both in‑person and virtually.
• Experience identifying and cultivating funding or partnership opportunities, such as grants, sponsorships, or institutional collaborations.
• Familiarity with research rigor, reproducibility, and/or open‑science topics.
• Familiarity with research, academic, or higher‑education environments.
• Interest in developing new skills and taking on new responsibilities as the project evolves.

Preferred / Nice‑to‑Have

• Experience with inclusive and accessible design (e.g., user personas)
• Community Manager certification (e.g., CSCCE)
• Availability to work in the office minimum once a week. Application for remote work will be considered but hybrid strongly preferred.
• Experience with AI and its thoughtful application within workflows.
• Familiarity with accessibility practices (WCAG, alt text, inclusive language).

Job Location – City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Pay Range

$77,330.00 – $90,000.00 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. 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