Director of Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship

University Industry Demonstration Partnership; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition benefits

Healthcare coverage

Retirement plans

Job summary

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Engineering leads the strategy, development, and execution of programs under the Vice-Dean, shaping curricular and co-curricular activities to foster entrepreneurial mindsets across engineering students. You partner with faculty and external partners to launch new initiatives and advance strategic goals.

With 7–10 years of experience in innovation, entrepreneurship or related fields, you will manage multiple

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, technology or a related field; advanced degree preferred, and seven to ten years of professional experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, engineering, product development, technology commercialization, industry engagement or a related area or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing and launching new programs in a complex organization.
• Strong understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship, including such areas as opportunity identification, customer discovery, product development, commercialization, venture creation and/or innovation within established companies.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in complex organizations and leadership to translate ideas into programs.
• Experience building relationships with companies, entrepreneurs, alumni, investors, or other external partners and incorporating these relationships into core activities.
• Excellent project and program management skills including the ability to take an initiative from concept through design, implementation, assessment and continuous improvement.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively across disciplines with faculty, students, senior administrators, corporate partners and entrepreneurs.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, identify opportunities, take initiative and create structure in an evolving environment rather than simply administer established programs.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously and move comfortably between strategic planning and hands-on execution.
• Experience in academic administration, marketing, event coordination, or a related field.
• Exceptional organizational, communication, and written skills.
• Proficiency in social media management tools, content creation platforms, and survey tools like Qualtrics.
• Basic website management experience (e.g., WordPress) and marketing tool experience (e.g., Canva and Adobe Suite).
• Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative in addressing challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and learn new skills as needed.
• Office-based role with occasional events requiring evening or weekend hours.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic vision for innovation and entrepreneurship programming within Penn Engineering.
• Identify opportunities to develop new programs that complement students’ technical education with real-world skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Research emerging trends and best practices in engineering entrepreneurship, innovation education, experiential learning, and workforce preparation.
• Develop new initiatives from concept through implementation, including defining objectives, audiences, resources, partners, and measures of success.
• Evaluate existing programs and recommend enhancements, new approaches, or areas for expansion.
• Proactively identify opportunities and needs and independently develop solutions and programs to address them.
• Gather and analyze feedback from students, faculty, alumni, and corporate partners to inform program development.
• Partner with non-EENT faculty to develop and enhance courses and curricular experiences focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, product development, and other real-world skills starting with the Materials Science & Engineering department.
• Identify faculty across Penn Engineering and the University who can contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship education within their core classes.
• Work with faculty to translate ideas and emerging areas of interest into compelling educational experiences for engineering students in core non-EENT courses.
• Develop new course concepts, modules, workshops, and other curricular offerings that complement the traditional core engineering curriculum.
• Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and identify opportunities to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation into existing academic programs.
• Design and implement co-curricular experiences that give students opportunities to apply entrepreneurial and innovation skills outside the classroom.
• Develop workshops, speaker programs, competitions, and other experiential-learning opportunities.
• Create opportunities for students to engage directly with entrepreneurs, alumni, industry leaders, investors, and technology innovators and manage the mentorship program for students.
• Develop programming that exposes students to real-world problems and helps them build skills in areas such as customer discovery, communication, teamwork, leadership, product development, and commercialization.
• Assess student participation and outcomes and continuously improve programming based on feedback and results.
• Work closely with the Executive Director of Corporate Engagement to identify and develop opportunities for companies to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship education.
• Build relationships with companies and external partners to host companies identified as “Leaders in Residence” to support the design of their curricular and co-curricular activities within the school including site visits, internships and speaking engagements.
• Cultivate relationships with entrepreneurs, alumni, startups, investors, and other members of the innovation ecosystem who can contribute to student learning, mentorship and program development.
• Help develop mutually beneficial models for sustained corporate participation in curricular and co-curricular programming.
• Oversee Program Coordinator for EENT and provide guidance and support to her activities.
• Provide strategic and programmatic support for the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program and its portfolio of curricular and co-curricular activities.
• Work with program faculty and staff to ensure that existing offerings align with the broader Innovation & Entrepreneurship strategy for Penn Engineering.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen connections among courses, certificates, minors, fellows programs, experiential opportunities, and other entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Develop new pathways for undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship programming.
• Support efforts to increase the visibility, reach, and impact of Engineering Entrepreneurship across Penn Engineering.
• Support the agenda and materials for the bi-annual BoTIE meeting.
• Build awareness of innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities and help create a stronger community among students, faculty, alumni, entrepreneurs, and industry partners.
• Collaborate with communications and other Penn Engineering teams to showcase programs, student experiences, and outcomes.

Skills

Innovation strategy

Entrepreneurship education

Program leadership

Communication skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, technology or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Engineering leads the strategy, development, and execution of programs under the Vice-Dean, shaping curricular and co-curricular activities to foster entrepreneurial mindsets across engineering students. You partner with faculty and external partners to launch new initiatives and advance strategic goals.

With 7–10 years of experience in innovation, entrepreneurship or related fields, you will manage multiple