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.

Job Description

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 5 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

Salary

$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.