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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

Director, Custom Programs - Wharton Executive Education

Job Profile Title

Director D, Student Services, Executive Education

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 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 worldwide 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 staff population representing a rich array of backgrounds, expertise, and cultures. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

The Director of Custom Programs plays a central role in managing and growing client relationships, designing high-impact executive development experiences, and ensuring the overall success and profitability of Wharton Executive Education’s custom engagements. This role is both strategic and hands-on, with accountability for the end-to-end delivery of executive education programs tailored to the unique needs of leading organizations around the world.

As the primary client relationship manager for an assigned portfolio of clients, the Director is responsible for cultivating and deepening long-term partnerships with global clients across industries. This includes understanding client goals, anticipating needs, proactively addressing issues, and ensuring high levels of satisfaction. The Director regularly collaborates with senior leaders, including Wharton/Penn faculty and client stakeholders, to co-create learning journeys that integrate in-person, virtual, online, and experiential elements.

The Director works closely with faculty and clients to design and deliver customized curricula, selecting appropriate instructors and incorporating post-program follow-up to reinforce learning outcomes. A strong understanding of executive audiences and adult learning principles is essential, along with the ability to translate organizational challenges into actionable program content. Assessing the success of programs—both through formal feedback and client conversations—is a key responsibility, as is the integration of innovative learning formats and approaches that reflect Wharton’s latest thinking.

This role is also accountable for program financials, including managing both revenue and expenses, ensuring profitability, and completing contracts through Legal in a timely manner. The Director partners with their manager, the Senior Director, to oversee each program’s P&L and plays a key role in securing renewals and multi-year engagements by delivering consistent value and demonstrating measurable impact.

Collaboration across teams is critical, both within the Custom team and across other business units. The Director partners with colleagues from Business Development during the proposal phase and plays a role in converting sold programs into successful, ongoing relationships. Internally, the Director provides matrixed leadership for each program’s Delivery Team, ensuring clear communication, effective project planning, and high-quality execution.

The Director stays current on business trends and regularly monitors developments within their portfolio of clients, which is essential to delivering relevant, high-impact programs. This includes tracking industry shifts, leadership changes, strategic priorities, and emerging challenges that may inform program design or highlight new learning needs. By staying close to the evolving context in which clients operate, the Director can proactively tailor solutions, identify new opportunities, and position Wharton as a strategic learning partner.

The Director is expected to become proficient in all current and future office processes and administrative systems which support program scheduling, faculty compensation, and client management (e.g. CRM/Salesforce, Engage, etc.).

This role requires strong interpersonal and communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple complex programs simultaneously. A demonstrated ability to work cross-culturally and comfort operating in global environments is essential. Travel may be required. Work outside of normal business hours is required on occasion.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

+ Client Relationship Management – Cultivate and deepen relationships with all clients to ensure satisfaction and retention. Deepen relationships by identifying needs for new custom programs for clients and utilizing the breadth of the division’s programs (OE, Online and Live).

+ Program Design - Work closely with faculty and clients to design and deliver curriculum, selecting appropriate instructors, ability to translate organizational challenges into content, assess program success, integrate innovative learning formats and approaches that reflect Wharton’s latest thinking.

+ Program Financials - responsible for assuring targeted contribution to the profitability of the department through active P&L management, accurate pricing, management of expenses.

+ Matrixed Management - Manage the effort of the Delivery Team for assigned programs to ensure that all logistical and operational details are prepared and delivered with exceptional customer service.

+ Collaboration - Collaborate with colleagues from Business Development on new proposals and presentations, work across business units to support enrollment in OE, Online, and Live programs, share best practices across business units.

+ Business Knowledge - stays current on business trends, monitors developments within portfolio of clients, tracks industry shifts, leadership changes, strategic priorities, and emerging challenges that may inform program design or highlight new learning needs, position Wharton as a strategic learning partner.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and minimum 7-10 years’ experience required. Master’s degree in a related field highly preferred. Experience in designing educational solutions preferably in a high-end solutions environment or higher education, academic environment. Experience in consultative selling and adult learning theory and practices highly desirable. Relevant experience and deep knowledge of at least one corporate sector such as financial services, health care, manufacturing, energy, technology or consumer products a plus.

Main Tasks:

+ Maintain Wharton as a leader of innovative and financially successful executive education programs through a proven track record of designing innovative educational program solutions for senior leaders in global companies and suggesting improvements to programs and processes.

+ Collaborate with clients to evaluate their learning needs.

+ Proven success in completing needs assessments to identify specific business and/or organizational issues and challenges to be addressed, and design a solution to be presented in an educational format.

+ Ability to analyze and understand international and domestic business trends and the concerns of executives.

+ Demonstrate innovative approaches to educational and management problems, including electronic media.

+ Work independently and effectively to design, manage, and deliver a high volume of programs in assigned portfolio that provides sophisticated educational solutions to business challenges of executives and corporations over time.

+ Collaborate with Vice Dean, Managing Directors, Senior Director and Business Development Team in support of developing proposals and RFPs.

Expected Skills and Behavior:

+ Willingness to develop an in-depth understanding of Wharton and external faculty areas of expertise.

+ Experienced, skilled, highly effective professional and leader to represent WEE in client-facing settings and through written communications.

+ Action-oriented, results-driven approach, Self-starter and proven ability to work autonomously as well as collaboratively as a member of a program/project team in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.

+ Strategic-thinking partner with demonstrated personal strengths that contribute to building a strong, dynamic and unified organization.

+ Financial acumen P&L experience. Responsible for assuring positive contribution to the profitability of the department through cost management.

+ Experience utilizing business development, sales, or other CRM systems. Strong understanding of metrics and dashboards.

+ Ability to negotiate complex and difficult environments.

+ Ability and willingness to travel internationally and domestically.

+ Ability and willingness to work non-traditional hours, including weekends, early mornings and late evenings as needed.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Wharton School

Pay Range

$110,500.00 - $165,766.00 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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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay

The University of Pennsylvania’s special character is reflected in the wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community and help create an educational and working environment that best supports the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship. 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.